Queen Harems of Higher Termites are Regulated by Queen Pheromone

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klára Dolejšová ◽  
Jan Křivánek ◽  
Jitka Štáfková ◽  
Jana Havlíčková ◽  
Virginie Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  



2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Holman ◽  
Jelle S van Zweden ◽  
Ricardo Caliari Oliveira ◽  
Annette van Oystaeyen ◽  
Tom Wenseleers

In a recent study, Amsalem et al. performed experiments with Bombus impatiens bumblebees to test the hypothesis that saturated cuticular hydrocarbons are evolutionarily conserved signals used to regulate reproductive division of labour in many Hymenopteran social insects. They concluded that the cuticular hydrocarbon pentacosane (C25), previously identified as a queen pheromone in a congeneric bumblebee, does not affect worker reproduction in B. impatiens. Here we identify some significant shortcomings of Amsalem et al.’s study that make its conclusions unreliable. In particular, inappropriate statistical tests were used, and a reanalysis of their dataset found that C25 substantially reduced and delayed worker egg laying in B. impatiens. Additionally, the study’s low sample sizes (mean n per treatment = 13.6, range: 4-23) give it low power, not 99% power as claimed, meaning that some its non-significant results may be false negatives. Additionally, several confounding effects may have affected the results of both experimental manipulations in the study



2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Matsuura ◽  
Takeshi Matsunaga


1992 ◽  
Vol 124 (5) ◽  
pp. 917-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Naumann ◽  
Mark L. Winston ◽  
Keith N. Slessor ◽  
Glenn D. Prestwich ◽  
Bachir Latli

AbstractThe intra-nest transmission of two aromatic components of honey bee queen mandibular gland pheromone, 4-hydroxy-3-hydroxyphenylethanol (HVA) and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (HOB), is quantitatively described. After being secreted onto the body surface of the queen, the greatest quantities of HVA and HOB are removed by workers in the queen’s retinue, especially those contacting the queen with their mouthparts. Other workers acquire pheromone components via direct contact with retinue bees or with other workers that have already acquired queen pheromone. HVA and HOB can also reach workers through queen or worker "footprints," although the relatively little material deposited onto the comb wax becomes less available with time, presumably because of diffusion into the wax. Pheromone material is removed from circulation by being internalized into workers, the queen, and the wax. Rates of HVA and HOB transfer between different entities within the nest are described in terms of pseudo first-order rate constants. The intra-nest transfer of these two components, both qualitatively and quantitatively, is similar to that described earlier for the most abundant queen mandibular gland pheromone component, 9-keto-2-(E)-decenoic acid (9-ODA; Naumann et al. 1991). Thus, the queen mandibular gland pheromone complex is transferred through the nest as a unit rather than as individual components moving at different rates.



2010 ◽  
Vol 277 (1701) ◽  
pp. 3793-3800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Holman ◽  
Charlotte G. Jørgensen ◽  
John Nielsen ◽  
Patrizia d'Ettorre

The selective forces that shape and maintain eusocial societies are an enduring puzzle in evolutionary biology. Ordinarily sterile workers can usually reproduce given the right conditions, so the factors regulating reproductive division of labour may provide insight into why eusociality has persisted over evolutionary time. Queen-produced pheromones that affect worker reproduction have been implicated in diverse taxa, including ants, termites, wasps and possibly mole rats, but to date have only been definitively identified in the honeybee. Using the black garden ant Lasius niger , we isolate the first sterility-regulating ant queen pheromone. The pheromone is a cuticular hydrocarbon that comprises the majority of the chemical profile of queens and their eggs, and also affects worker behaviour, by reducing aggression towards objects bearing the pheromone. We further show that the pheromone elicits a strong response in worker antennae and that its production by queens is selectively reduced following an immune challenge. These results suggest that the pheromone has a central role in colony organization and support the hypothesis that worker sterility represents altruistic self-restraint in response to an honest quality signal.



1993 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 1929-1938 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Loper ◽  
W. W. Wolf ◽  
O. R. Taylor


2000 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 487-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Pankiw ◽  
Mark L. Winston ◽  
Keith N. Slessor ◽  
M. Kim Fondrk


1985 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ann Sorensen ◽  
David J. C. Fletcher ◽  
S. Bradleigh Vinson


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