Effect of time on colony odour stability in the ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Formica exsecta</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">S?J?MartinEmail author S?Shemilt F?P?Drijfhout |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK;(2) Chemical Ecology Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Keele, ST5 5BG, UK |
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Abstract: | Among social insects, maintaining a distinct colony profile allows individuals to distinguish easily between nest mates and
non-nest mates. In ants, colony-specific profiles can be encoded within their cuticular hydrocarbons, and these are influenced
by both environmental and genetic factors. Using nine monogynous Formica exsecta ant colonies, we studied the stability of their colony-specific profiles at eight time points over a 4-year period. We found
no significant directional change in any colony profile, suggesting that genetic factors are maintaining this stability. However,
there were significant short-term effects of season that affected all colony profiles in the same direction. Despite these
temporal changes, no significant change in the profile variation within colonies was detected: each colony’s profile responded
in similar manner between seasons, with nest mates maintaining closely similar profiles, distinct from other colonies. These
findings imply that genetic factors may help maintain the long-term stability of colony profile, but environmental factors
can influence the profiles over shorter time periods. However, environmental factors do not contribute significantly to the
maintenance of diversity among colonies, since all colonies were affected in a similar way. |
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