Mixed messages: fertility signaling interferes with nestmate recognition in the monogynous ant Camponotus floridanus

Moore, Dani; Liebig, Jürgen

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-0916-1

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…For example, Le Conte and Hefetz (Le Conte and Hefetz, 2008) proposed a hierarchical model based on worker perception thresholds that assumed that non-nestmate recognition had the lowest discrimination threshold and that subsequent perception of fertility signals necessitated prior acceptance of nestmate status. There is experimental evidence both for (Le Conte and Hefetz, 2008;Cournault and de Biseau, 2009) and against (Moore and Liebig, 2010) this model. Regardless of whether this perception model holds true for most social insects, our data confirm the idea that Denis et al (Denis et al, 2006) and Le Conte and Hefetz (Le Conte and Hefetz, 2008) put forth that individual cuticular compounds can serve multiple functions as signals in different contexts.…”

Section: Hydrocarbon Bioassaymentioning

confidence: 90%

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

Smith

Millar

Hanks

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYContact pheromones in the form of cuticular hydrocarbons are widespread among insects. Eusocial insects present a special challenge for understanding the evolution of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile because this blend is responsible for multiple distinct roles such as nestmate recognition and signalling fertility status. This study investigates these two signalling roles of the hydrocarbon profile in the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus brunneus. We demonstrate that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile is highly variable across populations and provide evidence that these differences are used for nestmate discrimination. Through manipulative experiments we also show that (Z)-9-nonacosene (Z9:C 29 ) is used as a fertility signal and its role is conserved across populations. Our data demonstrate that both fertility and nestmate signalling influence the cuticular hydrocarbon profile and specifically the relative abundance of Z9:C 29 on the cuticle of O. brunneus. Our study suggests that natural selection works on the cuticular chemical profile through multiple regulatory pathways, diversifying nestmate signals while conserving fertility signals.

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Section: Hydrocarbon Bioassaymentioning

confidence: 90%

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

Smith

Millar

Hanks

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Where the same pheromones are present on brood (Endler et al 2004;van Zweden et al 2009), declining brood number may similarly contribute to these worker responses (Edwards 1987;Endler et al 2004), as well as allowing queens to tune their reproductive rate to the current number of brood as mentioned above. If the queen pheromone also affects worker aggression (as implicated here and in several other ants; Vander Meer & Alonso 2002; Peeters & Liebig 2009;Smith et al 2009;Moore & Liebig 2010;Wurm et al 2010), the pheromone could also be used by the colony to decide who should reproduce. In L. niger, colonies are often co-founded by multiple queens, but only one queen survives after the first workers eclose (Sommer & Hö lldobler 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of an ant queen pheromone regulating worker sterility

et al. 2010

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The selective forces that shape and maintain eusocial societies are an enduring puzzle in evolutionary biology. Ordinarily sterile workers can usually reproduce given the right conditions, so the factors regulating reproductive division of labour may provide insight into why eusociality has persisted over evolutionary time. Queen-produced pheromones that affect worker reproduction have been implicated in diverse taxa, including ants, termites, wasps and possibly mole rats, but to date have only been definitively identified in the honeybee. Using the black garden ant Lasius niger, we isolate the first sterility-regulating ant queen pheromone. The pheromone is a cuticular hydrocarbon that comprises the majority of the chemical profile of queens and their eggs, and also affects worker behaviour, by reducing aggression towards objects bearing the pheromone. We further show that the pheromone elicits a strong response in worker antennae and that its production by queens is selectively reduced following an immune challenge. These results suggest that the pheromone has a central role in colony organization and support the hypothesis that worker sterility represents altruistic self-restraint in response to an honest quality signal.

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“…Honeybees, however, have a very low number of GRS, whereas the set of N. vitripennis seems in line with other insects ( n = 10 and n = 58, respectively); both have only ten annotated IRs. Ants also show lineage-specific expansions of desaturase genes, which are probably responsible for synthesizing a more varied mixture of cuticular hydrocarbons, which are important for social insect-specific tasks, such as colony recognition and queen signaling [31,32]. Cytochrome p450 genes have also expanded independently in several ant lineages, possibly reflecting species-specific needs for detoxifying specific food sources.…”

Section: Genomic and Genetic Features Of The Seven Sequenced Ant Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The genomic impact of 100 million years of social evolution in seven ant species

et al. 2012

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Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) represent one of the most successful eusocial taxa in terms of both their geographic distribution and species number. The publication of seven ant genomes within the past year was a quantum leap for socio- and ant genomics. The diversity of social organization in ants makes them excellent model organisms to study the evolution of social systems. Comparing the ant genomes with those of the honeybee, a lineage that evolved eusociality independently from ants, and solitary insects suggests that there are significant differences in key aspects of genome organization between social and solitary insects, as well as among ant species. Altogether, these seven ant genomes open exciting new research avenues and opportunities for understanding the genetic basis and regulation of social species, and adaptive complex systems in general.

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Mixed messages: fertility signaling interferes with nestmate recognition in the monogynous ant Camponotus floridanus

Cited by 32 publications

References 41 publications

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

A conserved fertility signal despite population variation in the cuticular chemical phenotype of the trap-jaw antOdontomachus brunneus

Identification of an ant queen pheromone regulating worker sterility

The genomic impact of 100 million years of social evolution in seven ant species

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