Abstract
The African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda, is used as a biological control agent for the management of pests. The ant has several exocrine glands in the abdomen, including Dufour’s, poison, rectal, and sternal glands, which are associated with pheromone secretions for intra-specific communication. Previous studies have analyzed the gland secretions of Dufour’s and poison glands. The chemistry of the rectal and sternal glands is unknown. We re-analyzed the secretions from Dufour’s and poison glands plus the rectal and sternal glands to compare their chemistries and identify additional components. We used the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique to collect gland headspace volatiles and solvent extraction for the secretions. Coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected a total of 78 components, of which 62 were being reported for the first time. These additional components included 32 hydrocarbons, 12 carboxylic acids, 5 aldehydes, 3 alcohols, 2 ketones, 4 terpenes, 3 sterols, and 1 benzenoid. The chemistry of Dufour’s and poison glands showed a strong overlap and was distinct from that of the rectal and sternal glands. The different gland mixtures may contribute to the different physiological and behavioral functions in this ant species.
Highlights
Chemical communication is a well-documented phenomenon in ants [1], used within and outside the nest [2] for recruitment [3], defense [4], alarm [5], nestmate [6], and sexual recognition [7]
Our results demonstrate that the use of more than one technique to collect gland secretions, followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, reveals a complex blend of compounds, including chemical signatures associated with the different glands
These additional components include a complex mixture of 32 hydrocarbons (51.6%), dominated by unsaturated alkanes, which ranged in chain length from 13 to 25 carbon atoms; saturated alkanes of chain length from 6 to 31 carbon atoms were detected, as were 12 carboxylic acids (19.4%), dominated by short-chain fatty acids of chain length from two to seven carbon atoms; 5 aldehydes (8.1%); 3 alcohols (4.8%); 2 ketones (3.2%); 4 terpenes (6.5%); 3 sterols (4.8%) and 1 benzenoid (1.6%)
Summary
Chemical communication is a well-documented phenomenon in ants [1], used within and outside the nest [2] for recruitment [3], defense [4], alarm [5], nestmate [6], and sexual recognition [7]. Weaver ants of the genus Oecophylla consist of two extant species, O. longinoda and O. smaragdina, distributed in the old-world tropics and known for sophisticated nest-building behaviors [11]. These ants possess different glands located in the abdomen, which are used for various purposes [12,13]. The poison gland of Oecophylla longinoda contains a large quantity of formic acid, whereas in O. smaragdina, the key component in the gland secretion is undecane [13,14]. The two major compounds in the glands, formic acid and undecane, are used as an alarm/defense system in O. longinoda [13]. Two more glands are reported in O. longinoda: the rectal gland releases pheromones that mediate recruitment to new food sources [12], whereas emigration to new sites and short-range recruitment to territorial intruders are facilitated by secretions from the sternal gland [12]
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