scholarly journals Nestmate recognition of early brood in ants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur de Fouchier ◽  
Chloe Leroy ◽  
Abderrahman Khila ◽  
Patrizia d'Ettorre
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Species Recognition ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Chemical Basis ◽  
Chemical Signature ◽  
Colony Fitness

Brood is critically important in social insect colonies. It carries the colony fitness through delivering future reproductive adults as well as workers that will increase the colony's workforce. Adoption of non-nestmate brood can be a mean to increase colony's workforce but entails the risk of rearing unrelated sexuals or social parasites. For early brood (eggs and L1 larvae), this balance is less positive as young brood need a substantial amount of resource before becoming workers. Thus, it appears beneficial for ant workers to discriminate between nestmate and alien brood using the chemical cues displayed at the brood's surface. However, the chemical signature of ant early brood stages and its use by workers remains understudied. To fill this gap, we investigated the chemical basis of early brood nestmate and cross-species recognition in six Formicoid ants. We also tested the discrimination behaviour of workers in brood retrieval trials. We observed clear species-level cues and discrimination against heterospecific brood. We also found that eggs and most young larvae display a colony signature but that only some species discriminate against non-nestmate eggs and L1 larvae. Interestingly, these species appear to also be those belonging to genera subject to brood parasitism.

scholarly journals Recognition of nestmate eggs in the ant Formica fusca is based on queen derived cues

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Helanterä ◽  
Stephen J. Martin ◽  
Francis L.W. Ratnieks
Keyword(s):  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Egg Recognition ◽  
Formica Fusca ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
The Right

Abstract Inclusive fitness benefits depend on recognizing the right individuals to interact with. Social insect nests protect themselves from non-kin intruders through nestmate recognition based on chemical cues. The recognition cues on adult individuals are from a mixture of genetic and environmental sources, but the ontogeny and use of recognition cues on eggs has not been previously assessed. We studied recognition by workers of eggs that were either nestmates or non-nestmates. and the ontogeny of recognition cues on eggs in the ant Formica fusca, a species with precise egg recognition abilities. Workers were able to discriminate among freshly laid eggs with no nest derived cues on them, and the egg surface chemicals varied among nests in these eggs, suggesting that queen derived cues are used in nestmate recognition. The results are discussed in the light of their implications on deceptive social parasite strategies and within colony conflicts.

scholarly journals Interactions of ants with native and invasive lady beetles and the role of chemical cues in intraguild interference

Chemoecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Bucher ◽  
Laura M. Japke ◽  
Ayse Gül Ünlü ◽  
Florian Menzel
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Harmonia Axyridis ◽  
Species Recognition ◽  
Lady Beetle ◽  
Lasius Niger ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Beetle Elytra ◽  
Lady Beetles ◽  
Ant Aggression

AbstractThe predator-predator naïveté hypothesis suggests that non-native predators benefit from being unknown to native predators, resulting in reduced intraguild interference with native predators. This novelty advantage should depend on the ability of native predators to recognize cues of non-native predators. Here, we compared ant aggression and lady beetle reaction in four native and the invasive lady beetle species Harmonia axyridis. In addition, we tested whether lady beetle cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are involved in species recognition, which might explain naïveté if the invasive species has a specific CHC profile. To this end, we conducted behavioral assays confronting two native ant species with both living lady beetles and lady beetle elytra bearing or lacking CHCs of different lady beetle species. Finally, we characterized CHC profiles of the lady beetles using GC–MS. In general, the aggression of Lasius niger was more frequent than that of Myrmica rubra and L. niger aggression was more frequent towards most native lady beetle species compared to H. axyridis. The removal of CHCs from lady beetle elytra reduced aggression of both ant species. If CHCs of respective lady beetle species were added on cue-free elytra, natural strength of L. niger aggression could be restored. CHC analyses revealed a distinct cue composition for each lady beetle species. Our experiments demonstrate that the presence of chemical cues on the surface of lady beetles contribute to the strength of ant aggression against lady beetles. Reduced aggression of L. niger towards H. axyridis and reduced avoidance behavior in H. axyridis compared to the equally voracious C. septempunctata might improve the invasive lady beetle’s access to ant-tended aphids.

Nestmate recognition in a stingless bee: does the similarity of chemical cues determine guard acceptance?

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1165-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tulio M. Nunes ◽  
Fabio S. Nascimento ◽  
Izabel C. Turatti ◽  
Norberto P. Lopes ◽  
Ronaldo Zucchi
Keyword(s):  
Nestmate Recognition ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Stingless Bee

scholarly journals Oral transfer of chemical cues, growth proteins and hormones in social insects

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adria C LeBoeuf ◽  
Patrice Waridel ◽  
Colin S Brent ◽  
Andre N Gonçalves ◽  
Laure Menin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Insects ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Oral Fluid ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Fluid Exchange ◽  
Camponotus Floridanus ◽  
Growth Development ◽  
Behavioral Maturation ◽  
Related Proteins ◽  
Complete Metamorphosis

Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange – trophallaxis – between adults, and between adults and larvae. Although trophallaxis is widely considered a food-sharing mechanism, we hypothesized that endogenous components of this fluid might underlie a novel means of chemical communication between colony members. Through protein and small-molecule mass spectrometry and RNA sequencing, we found that trophallactic fluid in the ant Camponotus floridanus contains a set of specific digestion- and non-digestion related proteins, as well as hydrocarbons, microRNAs, and a key developmental regulator, juvenile hormone. When C. floridanus workers’ food was supplemented with this hormone, the larvae they reared via trophallaxis were twice as likely to complete metamorphosis and became larger workers. Comparison of trophallactic fluid proteins across social insect species revealed that many are regulators of growth, development and behavioral maturation. These results suggest that trophallaxis plays previously unsuspected roles in communication and enables communal control of colony phenotypes.

scholarly journals Brood parasitism in eusocial insects (Hymenoptera): role of host geographical range size and phylogeny

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1769) ◽  
pp. 20180203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Suhonen ◽  
Jaakko J. Ilvonen ◽  
Tommi Nyman ◽  
Jouni Sorvari
Keyword(s):  
Brood Parasitism ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Geographical Range ◽  
Social Parasite ◽  
Brood Parasite ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Brood Parasites ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Interspecific Brood Parasitism ◽  
Logistic Regressions

Interspecific brood parasitism is common in many animal systems. Brood parasites enter the nests of other species and divert host resources for producing their own offspring, which can lead to strong antagonistic parasite–host coevolution. Here, we look at commonalities among social insect species that are victims of brood parasites, and use phylogenetic data and information on geographical range size to predict which species are most probably to fall victims to brood parasites in the future. In our analyses, we focus on three eusocial hymenopteran groups and their brood parasites: (i) bumblebees, (ii) Myrmica ants, and (iii) vespine and polistine wasps. In these groups, some, but not all, species are parasitized by obligate workerless inquilines that only produce reproductive-caste descendants. We find phylogenetic signals for geographical range size and the presence of parasites in bumblebees, but not in ants and wasps. Phylogenetic logistic regressions indicate that the probability of being attacked by one or more brood parasite species increases with the size of the geographical range in bumblebees, but the effect is statistically only marginally significant in ants. However, non-phylogenetic logistic regressions suggest that bumblebee species with the largest geographical range sizes may have a lower likelihood of harbouring social parasites than do hosts with medium-sized ranges. Our results provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of host–social parasite systems, and indicate that host phylogeny and geographical range size can be used to predict threats posed by social parasites, as well to design efficient conservation measures for both hosts and their parasites. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.

scholarly journals Plant defences against ants provide a pathway to social parasitism in butterflies

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1811) ◽  
pp. 20151111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Patricelli ◽  
Francesca Barbero ◽  
Andrea Occhipinti ◽  
Cinzia M. Bertea ◽  
Simona Bonelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Gravid Female ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Origanum Vulgare ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Main Period

Understanding the chemical cues and gene expressions that mediate herbivore–host-plant and parasite–host interactions can elucidate the ecological costs and benefits accruing to different partners in tight-knit community modules, and may reveal unexpected complexities. We investigated the exploitation of sequential hosts by the phytophagous–predaceous butterfly Maculinea arion , whose larvae initially feed on Origanum vulgare flowerheads before switching to parasitize Myrmica ant colonies for their main period of growth. Gravid female butterflies were attracted to Origanum plants that emitted high levels of the monoterpenoid volatile carvacrol, a condition that occurred when ants disturbed their roots: we also found that Origanum expressed four genes involved in monoterpene formation when ants were present, accompanied by a significant induction of jasmonates. When exposed to carvacrol, Myrmica workers upregulated five genes whose products bind and detoxify this biocide, and their colonies were more tolerant of it than other common ant genera, consistent with an observed ability to occupy the competitor-free spaces surrounding Origanum . A cost is potential colony destruction by Ma. arion , which in turn may benefit infested Origanum plants by relieving their roots of further damage. Our results suggest a new pathway, whereby social parasites can detect successive resources by employing plant volatiles to simultaneously select their initial plant food and a suitable sequential host.

Species Recognition by Chemical Cues in Neotropical Snakes

Copeia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-477
Author(s):  
Marianne Gabirot ◽  
Pablo Picerno ◽  
Jorge Valencia ◽  
Pilar Lopez ◽  
José Martin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Species Recognition

scholarly journals Learning and discrimination of cuticular hydrocarbons in a social insect

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen van Wilgenburg ◽  
Antoine Felden ◽  
Dong-Hwan Choe ◽  
Robert Sulc ◽  
Jun Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chain Length ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Species Recognition ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbon ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Olfactory Conditioning ◽  
Argentine Ants ◽  
Nest Mate ◽  
Chemical Signalling ◽  
Branching Patterns

Social insect cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) mixtures are among the most complex chemical cues known and are important in nest-mate, caste and species recognition. Despite our growing knowledge of the nature of these cues, we have very little insight into how social insects actually perceive and discriminate among these chemicals. In this study, we use the newly developed technique of differential olfactory conditioning to pure, custom-designed synthetic colony odours to analyse signal discrimination in Argentine ants, Linepithema humile . Our results show that tri-methyl alkanes are more easily learned than single-methyl or straight-chain alkanes. In addition, we reveal that Argentine ants can discriminate between hydrocarbons with different branching patterns and the same chain length, but not always between hydrocarbons with the same branching patterns but different chain length. Our data thus show that biochemical characteristics influence those compounds that ants can discriminate between, and which thus potentially play a role in chemical signalling and nest-mate recognition.

Drifting bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) workers in commercial greenhouses may be social parasites

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1843-1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna L Birmingham ◽  
Shelley E Hoover ◽  
Mark L Winston ◽  
Ron C Ydenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Insect ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Worker Reproduction ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Nectar Robbing ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Bombus Occidentalis ◽  
Behavioural Consequence

Commercial greenhouses require high densities of managed bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis Greene, 1858 and Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) colonies to pollinate crops such as tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller). We examined drifting, a behavioural consequence of introducing closely aggregated colonies into greenhouse habitats, to determine possible explanations for observed drifting frequencies. Bee drift is normally associated with increased individual mortality and disease transfer between colonies. In this study, individual bees frequently drifted into and remained within foreign colonies. More drifting bees were found in colonies with higher worker and brood populations and greater pollen stores. Increased intracolony aggressive interactions were not associated with a higher number of drifting bees. Drifting bees had a significantly greater number of mature eggs in their ovaries than did resident worker bees residing in colonies hosting drifters, suggesting that drifting could potentially increase the fitness of individual worker bees and may not be solely a function of disorientation and (or) nectar robbing. Taken together, our results suggest that drifting of workers into foreign colonies within greenhouses may demonstrate a predisposition to social parasitism. This selfish worker reproduction challenges our previous understanding of social insect societies as being cooperative societies.

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