Trail Pheromone Does Not Modulate Subjective Reward Evaluation in Lasius niger Ants

Crowding in human transport networks reduces efficiency. Efficiency can be increased by appropriate control mechanisms, which are often imposed externally. Ant colonies also have distribution networks to feeding sites outside the nest and can experience crowding. However, ants do not have external controllers or leaders. Here, we report a self-organized negative feedback mechanism, based on local information, which downregulates the production of recruitment signals in crowded parts of a network by Lasius niger ants. We controlled crowding by manipulating trail width and the number of ants on a trail, and observed a 5.6-fold reduction in the number of ants depositing trail pheromone from least to most crowded conditions. We also simulated crowding by placing glass beads covered in nest-mate cuticular hydrocarbons on the trail. After 10 bead encounters over 20 cm, forager ants were 45 per cent less likely to deposit pheromone. The mechanism of negative feedback reported here is unusual in that it acts by downregulating the production of a positive feedback signal, rather than by direct inhibition or the production of an inhibitory signal.

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Ants Sense, and Follow, Trail Pheromones of Ant Community Members

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects10110383 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 383 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jaime M. Chalissery ◽

Asim Renyard ◽

Regine Gries ◽

Danielle Hoefele ◽

Santosh Kumar Alamsetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trail Pheromone ◽

Food Sources ◽

Lasius Niger ◽

Trail Following ◽

Harvester Ants ◽

Community Members ◽

Trail Pheromones ◽

Ant Community ◽

Carpenter Ants ◽

Electroantennographic Detection

Ants deposit trail pheromones that guide nestmates to food sources. We tested the hypotheses that ant community members (Western carpenter ants, Camponotus modoc; black garden ants, Lasius niger; European fire ants, Myrmica rubra) (1) sense, and follow, each other’s trail pheromones, and (2) fail to recognize trail pheromones of allopatric ants (pavement ants, Tetramorium caespitum; desert harvester ants, Novomessor albisetosus; Argentine ants, Linepithema humilis). In gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection analyses of a six-species synthetic trail pheromone blend (6-TPB), La. niger, Ca. modoc, and M. rubra sensed the trail pheromones of all community members and unexpectedly that of T. caespitum. Except for La. niger, all species did not recognize the trail pheromones of N. albisetosus and Li. humilis. In bioassays, La. niger workers followed the 6-TPB trail for longer distances than their own trail pheromone, indicating an additive effect of con- and hetero-specific pheromones on trail-following. Moreover, Ca. modoc workers followed the 6-TPB and their own trail pheromones for similar distances, indicating no adverse effects of heterospecific pheromones on trail-following. Our data show that ant community members eavesdrop on each other’s trail pheromones, and that multiple pheromones can be combined in a lure that guides multiple species of pest ants to lethal food baits.

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The Effect of Trail Pheromone and Path Confinement on Learning of Complex Routes in the Ant Lasius niger

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0149720 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e0149720 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tomer J. Czaczkes ◽

Tobias Weichselgartner ◽

Abel Bernadou ◽

Jürgen Heinze

Keyword(s):

Trail Pheromone ◽

Lasius Niger

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

Chemoecology ◽

10.1007/s00049-021-00354-4 ◽

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.

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The trail pheromone of the ant, Lasius fuliginosus: Identification of six components

Journal of Insect Physiology ◽

10.1016/0022-1910(75)90025-6 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 299-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

S. Huwyler ◽

K. Grob ◽

M. Viscontini

Keyword(s):

Trail Pheromone ◽

Lasius Fuliginosus

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Effects of the Ant, Lasius niger (L.), on the Behaviour and Reproduction of the Black Bean Aphid, Aphis fabae Scop

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485300053979 ◽

1958 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 701-714 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

C. J. Banks

Keyword(s):

Natural Enemies ◽

Plant Tissue ◽

Food Supply ◽

Aphis Fabae ◽

Lasius Niger ◽

Average Difference ◽

Young Plant ◽

Black Bean ◽

Bean Plants ◽

Aphid Populations

SummaryCage experiments confirmed that, in the absence of natural enemies, populations of Aphis fabae Scop., attended on bean plants (Vicia faba) by the ant, Lasius niger (L.), multiply more rapidly than otherwise similar but ant-free populations. The average difference in numbers recorded, was about one-third, the maximum being 70 per cent. No doubling or trebling of aphid numbers as claimed by an earlier worker was ever recorded.When the Aphids are attended by ants, their excretion behaviour alters and the normal dispersal of the apterae from the young apical growth of bean plants is considerably delayed.No significant differences were found between the numbers of nymphs produced by individual Aphids from ant-visited and ant-free plants, respectively, living on leaves of the same age; but the numbers were significantly affected by the age of the leaf or part of the plant on which the Aphids had developed or were then feeding.It is suggested that ant-attended aphid populations multiply more rapidly because most of the Aphids feed for a much longer time on young plant tissue where, presumably, their food supply is more nutritious.

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