Abstract
Aggressive behavior is important for social insects because it makes possible for the colony to defend itself and the offspring from the action of invasive species. We studied the recognition and aggressiveness of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus (Forel) to co-specific workers from other nest and heterospecific workers of Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans Santschi, Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus (Forel) and Acromyrmex niger (Smith); and queens of their social parasite Acromyrmex ameliae De Souza, Soares and Della Lucia. Workers of other species were placed in contact with those of A. subterraneus subterraneus for three minutes and during this period the behavioral interactions were quantified. The aggressiveness index (AI) for each agonistic encounter was obtained. Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus workers exhibited greater aggressiveness against heterospecific than against conspecific competitors. Aggressiveness is connected to differences in the chemical profiles, which are larger in heterospecifics colonies.
Highlights
An important feature of social species is the existence of elaborate recognition systems that facilitate cooperation among members of a group, because they help to maintain the integrity of the society, reducing the negative impact caused by predators, competitors and social parasites (Crosland, 1990; Fishwild & Gamboa, 1992; Crowley et al, 1996; Wiley, 2013)
Colonies of A. subterraneus subterraneus maintained in the laboratory and the field had different food sources; this was the condition reported by Souza et al (2006)
The diet of colonies of A. subterraneus subterraneus, A. subterraneus molestans, A. subterraneus brunneus and A. niger kept in the laboratory was the same, the high aggressiveness of workers on these heteroepecifics is a sign that other factors, such as genetic influence, interfere with the composition of the “colony odor” (Vanzweden et al, 2010; Krasnec & Breed, 2013)
Summary
An important feature of social species is the existence of elaborate recognition systems that facilitate cooperation among members of a group, because they help to maintain the integrity of the society, reducing the negative impact caused by predators, competitors and social parasites (Crosland, 1990; Fishwild & Gamboa, 1992; Crowley et al, 1996; Wiley, 2013). Acromyrmex Mayr, with 62 species and nine subspecies (Forti et al, 2006; Souza et al, 2007; Brandão et al, 2011), causes economic losses in agriculture and is one of the most important pests of forest plantations (Boulogne et al, 2012). These ants are models for behavioral studies because of their elaborate social organization and interactions between individuals of the colony and with other organisms (Camargo et al, 2006). There are activities of the colony that are still poorly studied, such as some interactions between the workers of a nest
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