Queen and colony odour in the multiple nest ant species, Cataglyphis iberica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

1998 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dahbi ◽  
A. Lenoir
Keyword(s):  
Colony Odour ◽  
Cataglyphis Iberica

scholarly journals Nest-moving by the polydomous ant Cataglyphis iberica

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdallah Dahbi ◽  
Javier Retana ◽  
Alain Lenoir ◽  
Xim Cerdá
Keyword(s):  
Cataglyphis Iberica

scholarly journals Speed and accuracy in nest-mate recognition: a hover wasp prioritizes face recognition over colony odour cues to minimize intrusion by outsiders

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1802) ◽  
pp. 20142750 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Baracchi ◽  
I. Petrocelli ◽  
L. Chittka ◽  
G. Ricciardi ◽  
S. Turillazzi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbon ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Nest Mate ◽  
Colony Odour ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Serious Injury

Social insects have evolved sophisticated recognition systems enabling them to accept nest-mates but reject alien conspecifics. In the social wasp, Liostenogaster flavolineata (Stenogastrinae), individuals differ in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles according to colony membership; each female also possesses a unique (visual) facial pattern. This species represents a unique model to understand how vision and olfaction are integrated and the extent to which wasps prioritize one channel over the other to discriminate aliens and nest-mates. Liostenogaster flavolineata females are able to discriminate between alien and nest-mate females using facial patterns or chemical cues in isolation. However, the two sensory modalities are not equally efficient in the discrimination of ‘friend’ from ‘foe’. Visual cues induce an increased number of erroneous attacks on nest-mates (false alarms), but such attacks are quickly aborted and never result in serious injury. Odour cues, presented in isolation, result in an increased number of misses: erroneous acceptances of outsiders. Interestingly, wasps take the relative efficiencies of the two sensory modalities into account when making rapid decisions about colony membership of an individual: chemical profiles are entirely ignored when the visual and chemical stimuli are presented together. Thus, wasps adopt a strategy to ‘err on the safe side’ by memorizing individual faces to recognize colony members, and disregarding odour cues to minimize the risk of intrusion from colony outsiders.

Effect of time on colony odour stability in the ant Formica exsecta

2012 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Martin ◽  
S. Shemilt ◽  
F. P. Drijfhout
Keyword(s):  
Colony Odour

Hydrocarbon distribution and colony odour homogenisation in Pachycondyla apicalis

2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Soroker ◽  
C. Lucas ◽  
T. Simon ◽  
A. Hefetz ◽  
D. Fresneau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colony Odour ◽  
Pachycondyla Apicalis ◽  
Hydrocarbon Distribution

scholarly journals Nest-mate recognition template of guard honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) is modified by wax comb transfer

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J Couvillon ◽  
Jamie P Caple ◽  
Samuel L Endsor ◽  
Martin Kärcher ◽  
Trudy E Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Nest Mate ◽  
Colony Odour ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Unidirectional Transfer ◽  
Nest Mate Recognition ◽  
Wax Comb ◽  
Rejection Rates

In recognition, discriminators use sensory information to make decisions. For example, honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) entrance guards discriminate between nest-mates and intruders by comparing their odours with a template of the colony odour. Comb wax plays a major role in honeybee recognition. We measured the rejection rates of nest-mate and non-nest-mate worker bees by entrance guards before and after a unidirectional transfer of wax comb from a ‘comb donor’ hive to a ‘comb receiver’ hive. Our results showed a significant effect that occurred in one direction. Guards in the comb receiver hive became more accepting of non-nest-mates from the comb donor hive (rejection decreased from 70 to 47%); however, guards in the comb donor hive did not become more accepting of bees from the comb receiver hive. These data strongly support the hypothesis that the transfer of wax comb increases the acceptance of non-nest-mates not by changing the odour of the bees, but by changing the template used by guards.

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Spiders (Araneae) Co-occurring on the Ground of Vineyards from Douro Demarcated Region

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fátima Gonçalves ◽  
Vera Zina ◽  
Cristina Carlos ◽  
Luís Crespo ◽  
Irene Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Pitfall Trapping ◽  
Wine Production ◽  
Random Patterns ◽  
Ant Eating ◽  
Cataglyphis Iberica ◽  
Tapinoma Nigerrimum ◽  
The Impact

This study, held in vineyards from Douro Demarcated Region, aimed to: a) identify the communities and main functional groups of spiders and ants; b) check patterns of co-occurrence between the two communities; and c) evaluate the impact of ground cover and adjacent non-crop habitats in the proximity of vineyards, on the two communities. Samplings were done using pitfall trapping. Twenty species of ants and 44 species of spiders were identified, which included respectively three and nine Iberian endemic species. Aphaenogaster gibbosa (Latreille 1798), Aphaenogaster iberica Emery 1908, Cataglyphis hispanica (Emery 1906), Cataglyphis iberica (Emery 1906), Messor barbarus (L. 1767) and Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander 1856) totalized 71.21% of ants. Alopecosa albofasciata (Brullé 1832), Callilepis concolor Simon 1914, Eratigena feminea Simon 1870, Zodarion alacre (Simon 1870) and Zodarion styliferum (Simon 1870) accounted for 38% of spiders. Abundance of both ant-mimicking and ant-eating spiders were positively correlated with Formicinae, while only ant-eating spiders showed positive correlation with Myrmicinae ants. All genera/ species of ant-associated spider were associated with one or more genera/ specie of ants. The abundance of specialist spiders was higher in areas where abundance of ants was also higher. Sheet web weavers spiders were found to be positively correlated with the percentage of ground cover. The present study a) stresses that vineyard agroecosystem support a rich assemblage of ants and spiders evincing that wine production and species conservation is possible and b) the co-occurrence between some species of this two groups is not determined by random patterns.

Colony Odour and Choice of Forage

Bee World ◽  
1952 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 189-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beowulf A. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Colony Odour

scholarly journals Insect societies fight back: the evolution of defensive traits against social parasites

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1751) ◽  
pp. 20170200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Grüter ◽  
Evelien Jongepier ◽  
Susanne Foitzik
Keyword(s):  
Social Parasite ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Social Parasites ◽  
Parasite Invasion ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Colony Odour ◽  
Morphological Defence ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Parasite Avoidance

Insect societies face many social parasites that exploit their altruistic behaviours or their resources. Due to the fitness costs these social parasites incur, hosts have evolved various behavioural, chemical, architectural and morphological defence traits. Similar to bacteria infecting multicellular hosts, social parasites have to successfully go through several steps to exploit their hosts. Here, we review how social insects try to interrupt this sequence of events. They can avoid parasite contact by choosing to nest in parasite-free locales or evade attacks by adapting their colony structure. Once social parasites attack, hosts attempt to detect them, which can be facilitated by adjustments in colony odour. If social parasites enter the nest, hosts can either aggressively defend their colony or take their young and flee. Nest structures are often shaped to prevent social parasite invasion or to safeguard host resources. Finally, if social parasites successfully establish themselves in host nests, hosts can rebel by killing the parasite brood or by reproducing in the parasites' presence. Hosts of social parasites can therefore develop multiple traits, leading to the evolution of complex defence portfolios of co-dependent traits. Social parasites can respond to these multi-level defences with counter-adaptations, potentially leading to geographical mosaics of coevolution. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Evolution of pathogen and parasite avoidance behaviours’.

scholarly journals Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles differ between ant body parts: implications for communication and our understanding of CHC diffusion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp P Sprenger ◽  
Lisa J Gerbes ◽  
Jacqueline Sahm ◽  
Florian Menzel
Keyword(s):  
Body Surface ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbon ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Colony Odour ◽  
Biophysical Mechanism ◽  
Caste Differences

Abstract Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) serve as communication signals and protect against desiccation. They form complex blends of up to 150 different compounds. Due to differences in molecular packing, CHC classes differ in melting point. Communication is especially important in social insects like ants, which use CHCs to communicate within the colony and to recognize nestmates. Nestmate recognition models often assume a homogenous colony odour, where CHCs are collected, mixed and re-distributed in the postpharyngeal gland (PPG). Via diffusion, recognition cues should evenly spread over the body surface. Hence, CHC composition should be similar across body parts and in the PPG. To test this, we compared CHC composition among whole-body extracts, PPG, legs, thorax and gaster, across 17 ant species from three genera. Quantitative CHC composition differed between body parts, with consistent patterns across species and CHC classes. Early-melting CHC classes were most abundant in the PPG. In contrast, whole body, gaster, thorax and legs had increasing proportions of CHC classes with higher melting points. Intra-individual CHC variation was highest for rather solid, late-melting CHC classes, suggesting that CHCs differ in their diffusion rates across the body surface. Our results show that body parts strongly differ in CHC composition, either being rich in rather solid, late-melting or rather liquid, early-melting CHCs. This implies that recognition cues are not homogenously present across the insect body. However, the unequal diffusion of different CHCs represents a biophysical mechanism that enables caste differences despite continuous CHC exchange among colony members.

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