Behavioral and olfactory antennal responses of Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers to their dufour gland secretion

Brindis, Yolanda; Lachaud, Jean Paul; Gómez, Benigno; Rojas, Julio C.; Malo, Edi A.; Cruz‐López, Leopoldo

doi:10.1590/s1519-566x2008000200004

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…mushroom body size correlates positively with task plasticity (Muscedere & Traniello, ) and major workers display a greater branching complexity in a mushroom body neuron (Giraldo et al , ). Brindis et al () have suggested that in Solenopsis geminata , medium‐sized workers are specialized for foraging through their high sensitivity to trail pheromone. Whether neuroanatomical castes exist within seemingly monomorphic workers remains to be explored.…”

Section: Proximate Causes ‐ How Do Interindividual Differences Arise?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interindividual variability in social insects – proximate causes and ultimate consequences

2013

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Individuals within social groups often show consistent differences in behaviour across time and context. Such interindividual differences and the evolutionary challenge they present have recently generated considerable interest. Social insects provide some of the most familiar and spectacular examples of social groups with large interindividual differences. Investigating these within-group differences has a long research tradition, and behavioural variability among the workers of a colony is increasingly regarded as fundamental for a key feature of social insects: division of labour. The goal of this review is to illustrate what we know about both the proximate mechanisms underlying behavioural variability among the workers of a colony and its ultimate consequences; and to highlight the many open questions in this research field. We begin by reviewing the literature on mechanisms that potentially introduce, maintain, and adjust the behavioural differentiation among workers. We highlight the fact that so far, most studies have focused on behavioural variability based on genetic variability, provided by e.g. multiple mating of the queen, while other mechanisms that may be responsible for the behavioural differentiation among workers have been largely neglected. These include maturational, nutritional and environmental influences. We further discuss how feedback provided by the social environment and learning and experience of adult workers provides potent and little-explored sources of differentiation. In a second part, we address what is known about the potential benefits and costs of increased behavioural variability within the workers of a colony. We argue that all studies documenting a benefit of variability so far have done so by manipulating genetic variability, and that a direct test of the effect of behavioural variability on colony productivity has yet to be provided. We emphasize that the costs associated with interindividual variability have been largely overlooked, and that a better knowledge of the cost/benefit balance of behavioural variability is crucial for our understanding of the evolution of the mechanisms underlying the social organization of insect societies. We conclude by highlighting what we believe to be promising but little-explored avenues for future research on how within-colony variability has evolved and is maintained. We emphasize the need for comparative studies and point out that, so far, most studies on interindividual variability have focused on variability in individual response thresholds, while the significance of variability in other parameters of individual response, such as probability and intensity of the response, has been largely overlooked. We propose that these parameters have important consequences for the colony response. Much more research is needed to understand if and how interindividual variability is modulated in order to benefit division of labour, homeostasis and ultimately colony fitness in social insects.

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Section: Proximate Causes ‐ How Do Interindividual Differences Arise?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Interindividual variability in social insects – proximate causes and ultimate consequences

2013

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Glandular Secretions of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): A Review on Extraction, Chemical Characterization and Antibiotic Potential

Guarda

Lutinski

2020

Sociobiology

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Ants live under ideal microclimatic conditions for the development of microorganisms. As mechanisms to ensure the health of the colony and as a defense strategy, these insects developed exocrine glands that work in the production of antibiotics (chemical defense) and in the immune defense of the colony. This study aimed to describe the state-of-the-art on extraction methods, chemical characterization and the antibiotic potential of glandular secretions of ants. This is a review of the scientific literature between 1989 and 2017. A total of 52 articles were selected. These addressed the behavior, chemical characterization, the antimicrobial effect and evaluated methods of extraction. The most investigated genera are Atta, Acromyrmexand Crematogaster. The glands most reported in the articles involving extraction of secretions were Dufour, mandibular and metapleural. The most reported methods of extraction were gland maceration and extraction with (organic) solvents and direct extraction of the gland. Most studies evaluated secretions with respect to ant behavior. There is a paucityin the literature about the chemical characterization of most glandular secretions of ants, as well as for most taxa. The same deficiency is observed with regard to prospecting the antibiotic and antifungal potential of these secretions. for most taxa. The same deficiency is observed with regard to prospecting the antibiotic and antifungal potential of these secretions.

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Pitfall Traps: A Novel Method to Study Approaching Time of Ant Species

Paramanandham¹,

Rangeela²,

Ross³

et al. 2022

Entomol Appl Sci Lett

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Behavioral and olfactory antennal responses of Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers to their dufour gland secretion

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Interindividual variability in social insects – proximate causes and ultimate consequences

Interindividual variability in social insects – proximate causes and ultimate consequences

Glandular Secretions of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): A Review on Extraction, Chemical Characterization and Antibiotic Potential

Pitfall Traps: A Novel Method to Study Approaching Time of Ant Species

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