Trail-following behaviour in two Aphaenogaster ants
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- 作者：Alain Lenoir (1) alain.lenoir@univ-tours.fr
Am茅lie Benoist (1)
Abraham Hefetz (2)
Wittko Francke (3)
Xim Cerd谩 (4)
Rapha毛l Boulay (45) - 关键词：Aphaenogaster senilis – ; Aphaenogaster iberica – ; Trail pheromone – ; Dufour’ ; s gland – ; Poison gland – ; Alkaloids – ; Hydrocarbons
- 刊名：Chemoecology
- 出版时间：June 2011
- 出版年：2011
- 期刊代码：55_0937-7409
- 类别：bio
- 卷：21
- 期：2
- 页码：83-88
- 数据来源：sp
摘要
In the course of our studies on the chemical ecology of the widely distributed Mediterranean ant Aphaenogaster senilis, we found that trail following is triggered by extracts of the poison gland and Dufour’s gland. To assess the specificity of the trail pheromone, we examined whether a cross-reaction exists between trails of A. senilis and the closely related species A. iberica. Specificity seemed to differ amongst these two species, because workers of A. senilis did not follow trails of A. iberica, whereas the latter followed trails made by both species. Chemical analyses of the glandular contents reveal that Dufour’s glands of both species contain mainly alkanes and alkenes exhibiting species-specific profiles. However, differences in the poison gland content of the two species were dramatic, with A. senilis showing high amounts of alkaloids that were completely absent in A. iberica.