Cuticular hydrocarbons inform task decisions

Greene, Michael; Gordon, Deborah M.

doi:10.1038/423032a

Cited by 270 publications

(208 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Most commonly, animals socially assort based on genetic relatedness to form family groups. However, social assortment and variation in interactions can also be determined by reproductive state [58], dominance rank [54,59], familiarity [60], behavioural traits [61], task [4,37,62], body size [63] and location [64]. In ants, the structure of interaction networks may depend on colony age, the amount of brood and stored food or ecological conditions such as seasonal changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of individual variation on the structure and function of interaction networks in harvester ants

Pinter‐Wollman

Wollman

Guetz

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Social insects exhibit coordinated behaviour without central control. Local interactions among individuals determine their behaviour and regulate the activity of the colony. Harvester ants are recruited for outside work, using networks of brief antennal contacts, in the nest chamber closest to the nest exit: the entrance chamber. Here, we combine empirical observations, image analysis and computer simulations to investigate the structure and function of the interaction network in the entrance chamber. Ant interactions were distributed heterogeneously in the chamber, with an interaction hot-spot at the entrance leading further into the nest. The distribution of the total interactions per ant followed a right-skewed distribution, indicating the presence of highly connected individuals. Numbers of ant encounters observed positively correlated with the duration of observation. Individuals varied in interaction frequency, even after accounting for the duration of observation. An ant's interaction frequency was explained by its path shape and location within the entrance chamber. Computer simulations demonstrate that variation among individuals in connectivity accelerates information flow to an extent equivalent to an increase in the total number of interactions. Individual variation in connectivity, arising from variation among ants in location and spatial behaviour, creates interaction centres, which may expedite information flow.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of individual variation on the structure and function of interaction networks in harvester ants

Pinter‐Wollman

Wollman

Guetz

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

Self Cite

123

119

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show abstract

“…hormones and age) factors, they may inform about sex, health, reproductive state or dominance status. That such information is originally often only an environmental or physiological by-product, can be exemplified by the cuticular hydrocarbons used by red harvester ants Pogonomyrmex barbatus to identify individual task specialization [18]. The different cuticular patterns of foragers and nest-maintenance workers do not result from actively signalling individual specialization but from differences in the time spent outside the nest [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin and dynamic evolution of chemical information transfer

2010

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Although chemical communication is the most widespread form of communication, its evolution and diversity are not well understood. By integrating studies of a wide range of terrestrial plants and animals, we show that many chemicals are emitted, which can unintentionally provide information (cues) and, therefore, act as direct precursors for the evolution of intentional communication (signals). Depending on the content, design and the original function of the cue, there are predictable ways that selection can enhance the communicative function of chemicals. We review recent progress on how efficacybased selection by receivers leads to distinct evolutionary trajectories of chemical communication.Because the original function of a cue may channel but also constrain the evolution of functional communication, we show that a broad perspective on multiple selective pressures acting upon chemicals provides important insights into the origin and dynamic evolution of chemical information transfer. Finally, we argue that integrating chemical ecology into communication theory may significantly enhance our understanding of the evolution, the design and the content of signals in general.

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“…Increasing the fraction of alkenes and methylalkanes in the profile facilitates chemical communication [15]. The insect CHC profile is therefore likely to be under differential selection, varying between castes [16,17], tasks [8,9,18], fertility states [19,20] and positions in the social hierarchy [21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of slavemaking lifestyle, caste and sex on chemical profiles in Temnothorax ants: insights into the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbons

Kleeberg¹,

Menzel²,

Foitzik³

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Chemical communication is central for the formation and maintenance of insect societies. Generally, social insects only allow nest-mates into their colony, which are recognized by their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). Social parasites, which exploit insect societies, are selected to circumvent host recognition. Here, we studied whether chemical strategies to reduce recognition evolved convergently in slavemaking ants, and whether they extend to workers, queens and males alike. We studied CHCs of three social parasites and their related hosts to investigate whether the parasitic lifestyle selects for specific chemical traits that reduce host recognition. Slavemaker profiles were characterized by shorter-chained hydrocarbons and a shift from methyl-branched alkanes to n -alkanes, presumably to reduce recognition cue quantity. These shifts were consistent across independent origins of slavery and were found in isolated ants and those emerging in their mother colony. Lifestyle influenced profiles of workers most profoundly, with little effect on virgin queen profiles. We detected an across-species caste signal, with workers, for which nest-mate recognition is particularly important, carrying more and longer-chained hydrocarbons and males exhibiting a larger fraction of n -alkanes. This comprehensive study of CHCs across castes and species reveals how lifestyle-specific selection can result in convergent evolution of chemical phenotypes.

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Cuticular hydrocarbons inform task decisions

Cited by 270 publications

References 12 publications

The effect of individual variation on the structure and function of interaction networks in harvester ants

The effect of individual variation on the structure and function of interaction networks in harvester ants

The origin and dynamic evolution of chemical information transfer

The influence of slavemaking lifestyle, caste and sex on chemical profiles in Temnothorax ants: insights into the evolution of cuticular hydrocarbons

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