Queen regulates biogenic amine level and nestmate recognition in workers of the fire ant, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solenopsis invicta</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Robert K Vander Meer Catherine A Preston Abraham Hefetz |
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Institution: | (1) CMAVE, ARS, USDA, 1600 SW 23Rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA;(2) Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel |
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Abstract: | Nestmate recognition is a critical element in social insect organization, providing a means to maintain territoriality and
close the colony to parasites and predators. Ants detect the colony chemical label via their antennae and respond to the label
mismatch of an intruder with aggressive behavior. In the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, worker ability to recognize conspecific nonnestmates decreases if the colony queen is removed, such that they do not recognize
conspecific nonnestmates as different. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of the colony queen influences the
concentration of octopamine, a neuromodulator, in worker ants, which in turn has an effect on nestmate recognition acuity
in workers. We demonstrate that queenless workers exhibit reduced brain octopamine levels and reduced discriminatory acuteness;
however, feeding queenless workers octopamine restored both. Dopamine levels are influenced by honeybee queen pheromones;
however, levels of this biogenic amine were unchanged in our experiments. This is the first demonstration of a link between
the presence of the colony queen, a worker biogenic amine, and conspecific nestmate recognition, a powerful expression of
colony cohesion and territoriality. |
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Keywords: | Formicidae Octopamine Dopamine Modulation Aggression |
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