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31.
Summary. By means of gas chromatography, gas
chromatographic coupled mass spectrometry and behavioral
analysis the major trail pheromone components from the
hindgut of the formicine species Camponotus castaneus, C.
balzani and C. sericeiventris were identified. The trail
pheromone of C. castaneus is 3,5-dimethyl-6-(1-methylpropyl)-
tetrahydro-2H-pyran- 2-one, and that of the other
two species is 3,4-dihydro-8-hydroxy-3,5,7-trimethylisocoumarin.
Although both compounds release precise trail
following behavior in the respective species, the major
recruitment signal in the three Camponotus species appears
to be formic acid discharged from the poison gland. The
composition of the Dufour gland secretions of C. castaneus
and C. sericeiventris is similar, but that of the hypertrophied
Dufour gland of C. balzani is very different from any other
Camponotus Dufour gland content described up to date: it
contains large amounts of esters, the major compound of
which is octyl hexanoate, which makes up 97% a/a of the
total volatiles. 相似文献
32.
Summary. Because generalist ants are aggressive towards foreign insects, the recognition of homopterans by tending ants is critical
in ant/homopteran trophobiosis. Herein we report experimental evidence indicating that Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) learn to associate the production of honeydew with the chemical characteristics of homopteran
cuticle, suppressing ant aggression and allowing the ants to tend homopterans. Although chemically-mediated associative learning
is well understood in honeybee foraging, to our knowledge, it has not been reported before in ant/homopteran trophobiosis. 相似文献
33.
Reduced Diversity and Complexity in the Leaf-Litter Ant Assemblage of Colombian Coffee Plantations 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
Abstract: Coffee agroecosystems have recently undergone a dramatic intensification in Colombia, a megadiverse country, especially in terms of the nature of shade cover. We tested for changes in the composition, ecological associations, and diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) along a gradient of intensification of coffee production in the Colombian Andes. We surveyed 16 farms in two regions, classified into four management types: (1) forest (no agriculture), (2) organic polygeneric shaded coffee, (3) monogeneric shaded coffee, and (4) sun coffee (unshaded). Forty sampling units (20 1-m2 plots on the ground and 20 coffee bushes) were established at each farm between 2001 and 2002. We sampled with a mini-winkler litter extraction technique and through visual searching. Organic polygeneric shaded-coffee plantations contained significantly higher ant species richness, and their ant assemblages resembled the forest patches more than any other management type. The number of statistically significant associations among ant species dropped with production intensification, as did the number of ant species involved in such associations. The network of ant associations in shaded systems transformed into an extremely simplified network in sun coffee, with a few dominant ants extending almost entirely throughout the crop. Intensification of coffee agriculture not only caused loss of litter ant species (especially forest species) but also a reduction in the complexity of the ant assemblage in the leaf litter of this agroecosystem. 相似文献
34.
Abstract In a foraging column of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes, minim workers (the smallest worker subcaste) hitchhike on leaf fragments carried by larger workers. It has been demonstrated that they defend leaf carriers against parasitic phorid flies. The present study examines the cues used by the potential hitchhikers to locate leaf carriers. As recently reported, foraging workers stridulate while cutting a leaf fragment, and the stridulatory vibrations serve as closerange recruitment signals. We tested the hypothesis that these plant-borne stridulatory vibrations are used by the potential hitchhikers to locate workers engaged in cutting. Three different lines of evidence support this view. Firstly, the repetition rate of the stridulations produced by foraging workers increases significantly as foragers maneuver the leaf fragment into the carrying position and walk loaded to the nest. This is the moment when hitchhikers usually climb on the leaf. Although the leaf-borne stridulatory vibrations are considerably attenuated when transmitted through the workers' legs, they can nevertheless be detected at short distances by minims. This subcaste is several times more sensitive to substrate-borne vibrations than larger workers. Secondly, when a stridulating and a silent leaf were simultaneously presented at the foraging site, minim workers spent significantly more time on the stridulating than on the silent leaf. Thirdly, hitchhiking was more frequent in leaf carriers which cut fragments out of the stridulating leaf than in those cutting the silent leaf.Abstract In a foraging column of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes, minim workers (the smallest worker subcaste) hitchhike on leaf fragments carried by larger workers. It has been demonstrated that they defend leaf carriers against parasitic phorid flies. The present study examines the cues used by the potential hitchhikers to locate leaf carriers. As recently reported, foraging workers stridulate while cutting a leaf fragment, and the stridulatory vibrations serve as closerange recruitment signals. We tested the hypothesis that these plant-borne stridulatory vibrations are used by the potential hitchhikers to locate workers engaged in cutting. Three different lines of evidence support this view. Firstly, the repetition rate of the stridulations produced by foraging workers increases significantly as foragers maneuver the leaf fragment into the carrying position and walk loaded to the nest. This is the moment when hitchhikers usually climb on the leaf. Although the leaf-borne stridulatory vibrations are considerably attenuated when transmitted through the workers' legs, they can nevertheless be detected at short distances by minims. This subcaste is several times more sensitive to substrate-borne vibrations than larger workers. Secondly, when a stridulating and a silent leaf were simultaneously presented at the foraging site, minim workers spent significantly more time on the stridulating than on the silent leaf. Thirdly, hitchhiking was more frequent in leaf carriers which cut fragments out of the stridulating leaf than in those cutting the silent leaf.Communicated by P. Pamilo 相似文献
35.
Harold G. Fowler Maria Inez Pagani Osvaldo Aulino Da Silva Luis Carlos Forti Virgilio Pereira Da Silva Heraldo Luis De Vasconcelos 《Environmental management》1989,13(6):671-675
Leaf-cutting ants of the generaAcromyrmex andAtta are considered the principal polyphagous pests of the Neotropics Although some members of these genera are of economic importance, have a broad geographic distribution, and are extremely good colonizers, others are endemic and closely interact with native ecosystems. Control is generally practiced against any colony, irrespective of its taxonomic status. Indiscriminate control coupled with habitat destruction threatens endemic species with extinction, and, through habitat simplification, favors other pest species. As nests ofAtta are large, having several square meters of nest surface, the endemic taxa can be easily used as environmental indicators for natural ecosystems Likewise, the pest species can be used to detect environmental disturbance As these ants are keystone species and easily identified by nonspecialists, efforts should be made to integrate these into viable conservation programs 相似文献
36.
In most social insect species, individuals recognize and behave aggressively towards non-nestmate conspecifics to maintain
colony integrity. However, introduced populations of the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, exhibit pronounced variation in intraspecific aggression denoting diversity in nestmate recognition behavior, which possibly
shapes their social structure and the varying levels of unicoloniality observed among these populations. One approach to better
understand differential aggression behaviors towards conspecifics and recognition cue perception and response in L. humile is to examine variation in nestmate discrimination capability among genetically distinct colonies under different social
contexts. Consequently, we investigated the dynamics of queen and worker recognition in southeastern US L. humile queenless and queenright colonies by measuring rates of non-nestmate worker and queen adoption and intercolony genetic similarity.
Aggression levels between colony pairs differed and were associated with non-nestmate worker, but not queen adoption. Adoption
of queens and workers was a function of host colony origin, while colony queen number affected adoption of queens, but not
workers, with queens more readily accepted by queenless hosts. Fecundity of adopted non-nestmate queens was comparable to
that of rejected non-nestmate and host colony queens, suggesting that queen fecundity did not affect adoption decisions. Genetic
similarity between colonies ranged from 30 to 77% alleles shared, with more genetically similar colonies showing lower levels
of intraspecific aggression. Non-nestmate queens and workers that were more genetically similar to host colony workers were
more likely to be adopted. We provide the first evidence for the role of L. humile colony queen number on queen discrimination and suggest an effect of resident queens on worker conspecific acceptance thresholds.
Our findings indicate a role for genetically based cues in L. humile nestmate recognition. However, subtle discrimination capability seems to be influenced by the social context, as demonstrated
by more frequent recognition errors in queenless colonies. 相似文献