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1.
In Acromyrmex octospinosus leaf-cutting ants the metapleural glands produce an array of antibiotic compounds that serve as a general defence against unwanted microbes on the cuticle. Leaf-cutting ants also grow mutualistic Pseudonocardiaceae bacteria on their cuticle that produce antibiotics controlling a microfungal parasite of their fungus gardens. Interaction between this bacterium and gland secretion therefore seems unavoidable. We document the typical development of bacterial growth on the cuticle of young major workers, show that growth starts a few days after eclosion, and that the maximal cover is reached after 2–3 weeks and gradually declines when workers mature. Experimental closure of the metapleural glands had no effect on the initial exponential growth phase of the bacterium, but significantly reduced the cover during the decline phase. The age-dependent abundance of the bacterium and its partial dependence on metapleural gland secretion support the hypothesis that the abundance of this mutualist is actively regulated. 相似文献
2.
Jacobus Franciscus Koens Carel Dieperink Miriam Miranda 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(6):1225-1237
This article reflects on the Costa Rican experiences with ecotourism by assessing the positive and negative environmental,
economic and social impacts of ecotourism development at four tourist destinations—Manuel Antonio, Monteverde, Tortuguero
and ASCOMAFOR. These destinations represent different stages of tourism development. The assessment shows that the development
of ecotourism has a dilemma character. Compared to alternative land-use options, ecotourism remains a promising development
strategy. However, it should be embedded in a broader process of capacity building. 相似文献
3.
Susanne P. A. den Boer Jacobus J. Boomsma Boris Baer 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(12):1843-1849
The seminal fluid that accompanies sperm in ejaculates has been shown or suggested to affect sperm competition and paternity
success of insects by preventing female remating, inducing oviposition, and forming mating plugs. In Atta leafcutter ants, queens have multiple mates but never remate later in life, although they may live and produce fertilized
eggs for several decades. The mating biology and life history of these ants therefore suggests that the major function of
seminal fluid is to maximize sperm viability during copulation, sperm transfer, and initial sperm storage. We tested this
hypothesis by comparing the viability of testis sperm and ejaculated sperm (mixed with seminal fluid) and found a significant
positive effect of seminal fluid on sperm viability. We further quantified this positive effect by adding accessory gland
secretion (a major component of seminal fluid) in a dilution series, to show that minute quantities of accessory gland secretion
achieve significant increases in sperm viability. Sperm stored by queens for 1 year benefited in a similar way from being
exposed to accessory gland compounds after dissection in control saline solution. Our results provide the first empirical
evidence that seminal fluid is important for the production of viable ejaculates and that the accessory glands of Atta males—despite their small size—are functional and produce a very potent secretion. 相似文献
4.
The speciation of titrated copper in a dissolved tannic acid (TA) solution with an initial concentration of 4 mmol organic carbon (OC)/l was investigated in a nine-step titration experiment (Cu/OC molar ratio = 0.0030–0.0567). We differentiated between soluble and insoluble Cu species by 0.45 μm filtration. Measurements with a copper ion selective electrode (ISE) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) were conducted to quantify unbound Cu(II) cations (‘free’ Cu) and labile soluble Cu complexes. For the DGT measurements, we used an APA hydrogel and a Chelex 100 chelating resin (Na form). Insoluble organic Cu complexes (>0.45 μm) was the dominant Cu species for Cu/OC = 0.0030–0.0567 with a maximum fraction of 0.96 of total Cu. At Cu/OC > 0.0100, Cu-catalysed degradation of aggregate structures resulted in a strong increase of free Cu and (labile) soluble Cu complexes with a maximum fraction of 0.28 and 0.32 of total Cu, respectively. Labile (i.e. DGT-detectable) soluble Cu complexes had a relatively high averaged diffusion coefficient (D) in the APA hydrogel (3.50 × 10−6– 5.58 × 10−6 cm2 s−1). 相似文献
5.
6.
Duccio Lambardi Francesca R. Dani Stefano Turillazzi Jacobus J. Boomsma 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(6):843-851
Some social parasites of insect societies are known to use brute force when usurping a host colony, but most use more subtle
forms of chemical cheating either by expressing as few recognition cues as possible to avoid being recognized or by producing
similar recognition cues to the host to achieve positive discrimination. The former “chemical insignificance” strategy represents
a more general adaptive syndrome than the latter “chemical mimicry” strategy and is expected to be characteristic of early
evolutionary stages of social parasitism. We tested this hypothesis by experimentally analyzing the efficiency by which Acromyrmex echinatior leaf-cutting ants recognize intruding workers of the incipient social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator. The results were consistent with the parasite being “chemically insignificant” and not with the “chemical mimicry” hypothesis.
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles showed that social parasite workers produce
significantly fewer hydrocarbons overall and that their typical profiles have very low amounts of hydrocarbons in the “normal”
C29–C35 range but large quantities of unusually heavy C43–C45 hydrocarbons. This suggests that the C29–C35 hydrocarbons are
instrumental in normal host nestmate recognition and that the C43–C45 compounds, all of which are dienes and thus more fluid
than the corresponding saturated compounds, may reinforce “chemical insignificance” by blurring any remaining variation in
recognition cues. 相似文献
7.
Katja?BargumEmail author Jacobus?J.?Boomsma Liselotte?Sundstr?m 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2004,57(1):9-16
The genetic basis of morphological traits in social insects remains largely unexplored. This is even true for individual body size, a key life-history trait. In the social insects, the size of reproductive individuals affects dispersal decisions, so that small size in queens is often associated with reduced dispersal, and large size with long-range dispersal and independent colony founding. Worker size is connected to division of labour when workers specialize in certain tasks according to their size. In many species, variation in worker size has been shown to increase colony performance. In this study, we present the first evidence of an additive genetic component to queen size in ants, using maternal half sib analysis. We also compared intra-colony size variation in colonies with high (queen doubly mated) versus low (queen singly mated) genetic variability. We found a high and significant heritability (h2=0.51) for queen size in one of the two study years, but not in the other. Size variation among queens was greater in colonies headed by a doubly mated queen in one of the study years, but not in the other. This indicates that genetic factors can influence queen size, but that environmental factors may override these under some circumstances. The heritability for worker size was low (h2=0.09) and non-significant. Increased genetic diversity did not increase worker size variation in the colonies. Worker size appeared largely environmentally determined, potentially allowing colonies to adjust worker size ratios to current conditions.Communicated by J. Heinze 相似文献
8.
Dorte Bekkevold Jane Frydenberg Jacobus J. Boomsma 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》1999,46(2):103-109
Queen mating frequency of the facultatively polygynous ant Acromyrmex echinatior was investigated by analysing genetic variation at an (AG)n repeat microsatellite locus in workers and sexuals of 20 colonies from a single Panamanian population. Thirteen colonies
were found to be monogynous, 5 colonies contained multiple queens, whereas the queen number of 2 colonies remained unresolved.
Microsatellite genotypes indicated that 12 out of 13 queens were inseminated by multiple males (polyandry). The mean queen
mating frequency was 2.53 and the mean genetically effective paternity frequency was 2.23. These values range among the highest
found in ants, and the results are in keeping with the high mating frequencies reported for other species of leafcutter ants.
Consistent skew in the proportional representation of different patrilines within colonies was found, and this remained constant
in two consecutive samples of offspring. Dissections showed that all examined queens from multiple-queen colonies were mated
egg-layers. The mean relatedness value among nestmate workers in polygynous colonies was lower than that for monogynous colonies.
No diploid males were detected in a sample of 70 genotyped males. Worker production of males was detected in one queenless
colony. We discuss our findings in relation to known patterns of multiple maternity and paternity in other eusocial Hymenoptera.
Received: 2 September 1998 / Received in revised form: 3 February 1999 / Accepted: 7 February 1999 相似文献
9.
Dóra B. Huszár Rasmus S. Larsen Sarah Carlsen Jacobus J. Boomsma Jes Søe Pedersen 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2014,68(11):1859-1870
Ant supercolonies (large networks of interconnected nests) represent the most extreme form of multi-queen breeding (polygyny) and have been found across ant lineages, usually in specific long-term stable populations. Many studies on the genetic population structure and demography of ant supercolonies have been done in recent decades, but they have lacked multicolonial control patches with separated colonies headed by a single or few queens so the origin of the supercolonial trait syndrome has remained enigmatic. Here, we set out to compare sympatric supercolonial and multicolonial patches in two natural Danish populations of the common red ant Myrmica rubra. We used DNA microsatellites to reconstruct genetic colony/population structure and obtained morphological and density measurements to estimate life history and ecology covariates. We found that supercolonies in both populations completely dominated their patches whereas colonies in multicolonial patches coexisted with other ant species. Supercolony patches had very low genetic differentiation between nests, negligible relatedness within nests, and lower inbreeding than multicolonial patches, but there were no significant morphological differences. One population also had nests that approached true outbred monogyny with larger workers and males but smaller queens than in the two other social nest types. Our results suggest that once smaller colonies start to adopt additional queens, they also gain the potential to ultimately become supercolonial when the habitat allows rapid expansion through nest budding. This is relevant for understanding obligate polygyny in ants and for appreciating how and why introduced North American populations of M. rubra have recently become invasive. 相似文献
10.
Melissa Jacobs Jacobus Pienaar 《International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics》2013,19(2):152-161
The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of work stress, consisting of role stressors and job insecurity, with safety compliance at work. A secondary objective was to test for the possible moderating effect of individual employees’ coping behaviour between experienced work stress and job insecurity, and their safety compliance. A cross-sectional survey design was used (n?=?771). An electronic survey, with a biographical questionnaire and scales on role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, job insecurity, coping and safety compliance at work, was administered. The results indicated that specific aspects of work stress, notably role conflict, role ambiguity and quantitative job insecurity, and of coping, namely an avoidance style and changing the situation, were important in understanding safety compliance. A moderating effect of avoidance coping was also found. 相似文献