Worker rank, reproductive status and cuticular hydrocarbon signature in the ant, Pachycondyla cf. inversa

Workers in de-queened colonies of the neotropical ant, Pachycondyla cf. inversa, form linear or near-linear dominance hierarchies by violent antennation and biting. In these rank orders, social status and ovarian activity are on average highly correlated. Whereas the presence of a fertile queen appears to be sufficient to prevent workers from laying eggs, fertile workers do not completely control reproduction by their nestmates, suggesting that workers are able to differentiate between an egg-laying queen and an egg-laying worker. Here we show that the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons of egg-laying workers is quantitatively and qualitatively different from that of non-laying workers and resembles the hydrocarbon blend of the queen but does not completely match it. Furthermore, using discriminant analysis, it was possible to distinguish workers with four different classes of ovarian development based only on their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Fertility-associated changes in cuticular hydrocarbons may play an important role in the behavioural regulation of reproduction in this ant.     

水雾荷电净化空气飘尘与细菌的研究

研究一种高压静电水雾场产生的荷电净化空气中飘尘与细菌的方法。实验结果表明:在静电电压15kV、通风量540m~3/h的工况下,实验装置的一次性除尘效率高于80%、除菌效率达到88%以上;实验装置可以连续运行,能耗低、出风无二次污染。