Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are traditionally considered to be one of the most important chemical cues used in the nestmate recognition process of social hymenopterans. However, it has been suggested that in the leafcutter ant genus Atta, it is not the CHCs, but the alarm pheromone that is involved in the nestmate recognition process. In this study we used a laboratory population of Atta sexdens to explore the association between their CHC profile variation and intraspecific aggression. In the first part of the experiment, four colonies were divided into two groups with distinct diets to stimulate differentiation of their CHC profiles. In the second part of the experiment, all colonies received the same diet to examine resemblance of chemical profiles. At the end of each part of the experiment we extracted the CHCs from workers. The results demonstrated that colonies that shared the same food resource had similar cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Furthermore, colonies were significantly more aggressive towards conspecifics that used a different foliar substrate and consequently had greater differences in their cuticular chemical composition. This study suggests that the CHC profiles of A. sexdens can be affected by the foliar substrates used, and that the CHCs are used in the nestmate recognition process of this species.
Highlights
The cohesion of hymenopteran societies is strongly associated with the ability of their members to discriminate relatives and non-relatives
This study demonstrates that foliar substrate is one of the environmental factors influencing the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs)
Hernández et al has been supported by Jaffé [28,29,30,31,32] who suggests that “non-advanced” ant species use cues provided by the environment, such as CHCs, or a blend of exocrine glands, while, species with
Summary
The cohesion of hymenopteran societies is strongly associated with the ability of their members to discriminate relatives and non-relatives. The inclusive fitness concept predicts the adaptive gain for the individual that gives up their own reproduction to promote the reproduction and survival of related individuals [1]. The benefits of such an intricate system directly depend on nestmate recognition, which can be interpreted as the first defensive line for the colony and its resources [2]. The process of recognition usually follows three main components: production, perception and response [3,4]. The process of perception occurs when an individual detects the cues or signals from another individual, comparing it with the preformed representation of the colonial odor [10,11]. The process is a response to the detected signal, where reactions can range from ignoring the individual, through antennation up to extreme aggression, followed by the death of both checked individual and the resident one [6]
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