Ontogenesis of trail pheromone production and trail following behaviour in the workers ofMyrmica rubra L. (Formicidae)

1974 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. -C. Cammaerts-Tricot ◽  
J. -C. Verhaeghe
Keyword(s):  
Trail Pheromone ◽  
Trail Following ◽  
Pheromone Production

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

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Trail following Learning by Young Myrmica rubra Workers (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Claire Cammaerts
Keyword(s):  
Trail Pheromone ◽  
Trail Following ◽  
Myrmica Rubra ◽  
One Year

Ants use chemical trails, laid down on the ground, for recruiting congeners and helping them to return to the nest. The present work shows that young ants, less than one year old, though obviously reacting to the trail pheromone, are unable to efficiently follow a trail. These young ants begin to better walk along a trail when being in presence of trail following older congeners. Later on, they can by themselves rather efficiently follow a trail. Queens removed from their nest correctly move along a trail. The knowledge of the trail pheromone is thus native, while the trail following behavior is both partly native and partly learned. The latter learning is rapid and may be induced and/or enhanced by older trail following nestmates.

scholarly journals Spitting out information: Trigona bees deposit saliva to signal resource locations

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1611) ◽  
pp. 895-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Louis P Schorkopf ◽  
Stefan Jarau ◽  
Wittko Francke ◽  
Robert Twele ◽  
Ronaldo Zucchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stingless Bees ◽  
Trail Pheromone ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Trail Following ◽  
Mandibular Glands ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Single Compound ◽  
Scent Trails ◽  
Labial Glands

Stingless bees of the species Trigona spinipes (Fabricius 1793) use their saliva to lay scent trails communicating the location of profitable food sources. Extracts of the cephalic labial glands of the salivary system (not the mandibular glands, however) contain a large amount (approx. 74%) of octyl octanoate. This ester is also found on the scent-marked substrates at the feeding site. We demonstrate octyl octanoate to be a single compound pheromone which induces full trail following behaviour. The identification of the trail pheromone in this widely distributed bee makes it an ideal organism for studying the mechanism of trail following in a day flying insect.

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