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Cuticular hydrocarbons correlate with queen reproductive status in native and invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile, Mayr).
Abril, Sílvia; Diaz, Mireia; Lenoir, Alain; Ivon Paris, Carolina; Boulay, Raphaël; Gómez, Crisanto.
Afiliação
  • Abril S; Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
  • Diaz M; Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
  • Lenoir A; Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France.
  • Ivon Paris C; Departamento Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Boulay R; Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France.
  • Gómez C; Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
PLoS One ; 13(2): e0193115, 2018.
Article em En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29470506
In insect societies, chemical communication plays an important role in colony reproduction and individual social status. Many studies have indicated that cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are the main chemical compounds encoding reproductive status. However, these studies have largely focused on queenless or monogynous species whose workers are capable of egg laying and have mainly explored the mechanisms underlying queen-worker or worker-worker reproductive conflicts. Less is known about what occurs in highly polygynous ant species with permanently sterile workers. Here, we used the Argentine ant as a model to examine the role of CHCs in communicating reproductive information in such insect societies. The Argentine ant is unicolonial, highly polygynous, and polydomous. We identified several CHCs whose presence and levels were correlated with queen age, reproductive status, and fertility. Our results also provide new insights into queen executions in the Argentine ant, a distinctive feature displayed by this species in its introduced range. Each spring, just before new sexuals appear, workers eliminate up to 90% of the mated queens in their colonies. We discovered that queens that survived execution had different CHC profiles from queens present before and during execution. More specifically, levels of some CHCs were higher in the survivors, suggesting that workers could eliminate queens based on their chemical profiles. In addition, queen CHC profiles differed based on season and species range (native vs. introduced). Overall, the results of this study provide new evidence that CHCs serve as queen signals and do more than just regulate worker reproduction.
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Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Formigas / Estações do Ano / Estruturas Animais / Espécies Introduzidas / Hidrocarbonetos Limite: Animals País/Região como assunto: America do sul / Argentina Idioma: En Revista: PLoS One Assunto da revista: CIENCIA / MEDICINA Ano de publicação: 2018 Tipo de documento: Article País de afiliação: Espanha País de publicação: Estados Unidos
Texto completo
Adicionar na Minha BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar no Google

Texto completo: 1 Coleções: 01-internacional Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Formigas / Estações do Ano / Estruturas Animais / Espécies Introduzidas / Hidrocarbonetos Limite: Animals País/Região como assunto: America do sul / Argentina Idioma: En Revista: PLoS One Assunto da revista: CIENCIA / MEDICINA Ano de publicação: 2018 Tipo de documento: Article País de afiliação: Espanha País de publicação: Estados Unidos