The role of chemical senses in seed-carrying behavior by ants: A behavioral, physiological, and morphological study

Sheridan, Stacey; Iversen, K. A.; Itagaki, Haruhiko

doi:10.1016/0022-1910(95)00087-9

Cited by 34 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Elaiosomes of typical myrmecochorous seeds elicit seed carrying with one or more nonvolatile lipids, and there is evidence that olfaction does not play a role in these systems (34). The presence of an additional signaling dimension in the AG mutualism makes it similar to other insect communication systems for mate finding, host plant location, and pollination, in which volatile cues bring an insect to the general location of its target, whereas contact chemical cues are necessary for completion of the behavioral sequence (35)(36)(37)(38).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed odor mediates an obligate ant–plant mutualism in Amazonian rainforests

Youngsteadt

Nojima²,

Häberlein³

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Seed dispersal mutualisms are essential for the survival of diverse plant species and communities worldwide. Among invertebrates, only ants have a major role in seed dispersal, and thousands of plant species produce seeds specialized for ant dispersal in ''diffuse'' multispecies interactions. An outstanding but poorly understood ant-seed mutualism occurs in the Amazonian rainforest, where arboreal ants collect seeds of several epiphyte species and cultivate them in nutrient-rich nests, forming abundant and conspicuous hanging gardens known as ant-gardens (AGs). AG ants and plants are dominant members of lowland Amazonian ecosystems, and their interaction is both specific and obligate, but the means by which ants locate, recognize, and accept their mutualist seeds while rejecting other seeds is unknown. Here we address the chemical and behavioral basis of the AG interaction. We show that workers of the AG ant Camponotus femoratus are attracted to odorants emanating from seeds of the AG plant Peperomia macrostachya, and that chemical cues also elicit seed-carrying behavior. We identify five compounds from P. macrostachya seeds that, as a blend, attract C. femoratus workers. This report of attractive odorants from ant-dispersed seeds illustrates the intimacy and complexity of the AG mutualism and begins to illuminate the chemical basis of this important and enigmatic interaction.seed dispersal ͉ ant-garden ͉ myrmecochory ͉ Camponotus femoratus ͉ Peperomia macrostachya S eed dispersal mutualisms play an essential role in community regeneration and species survival (1-3). Myrmecochory, or seed dispersal by ants, occurs in some 3,000 plant species in over 80 families worldwide, and it is generally a diffuse multispecies interaction mediated by seed-borne nutritional rewards called elaiosomes that are rich in proteins and lipids (4). Ants carry these seeds to their nests, consume the elaiosomes, and abandon the seeds with enhanced prospects for survival and germination (4). Behavioral assays and chemical analyses indicate that ant preference for elaiosomes is mediated by characteristic nonvolatile lipids, especially 1,2-diolein, that are more typical of insect prey than of seeds (5, 6). Myrmecochory is best described in temperate mesic forests and fire-dominated ecosystems, where it can be vital to community organization (1, 4).Tropical ant-seed interactions, on the other hand, are poorly understood, despite the fact that ants are the most common animals in tropical moist forests (7,8), where they play important roles in seed dispersal and viability (9-11). In the tropics, ant-dispersed seeds may lack discrete nutritional rewards, or be collected independently of them (11-13). Such seeds are best known from the Neotropical ant-gardens (AGs), an ant-plant mutualism that occurs throughout lowland Amazonia. At least two ant species are obligate gardeners that retrieve seeds of AG epiphytes (but not other seeds), embed them in arboreal carton nests, and depend on the resulting plants for nest integrity (Fig. 1) (11-13). T...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed odor mediates an obligate ant–plant mutualism in Amazonian rainforests

Youngsteadt

Nojima²,

Häberlein³

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Regarding Hymenoptera, morphological and physiological investigations in ants showed that there is a strong correlation between the patterns of antennal sensilla and the tasks performed by the different castes of the colony (Sheridan 1996;Ozaki et al 2005;Mysore et al 2010). In sphecoid wasps, the arrangement of sensilla is known to be related to prey preference (Polidori et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antennal sensilla of cleptoparasitic and non-parasitic bees in two subfamilies of Apidae

et al. 2017

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-In bees, most of the comparative studies linking the sensory system and behavior were performed in social species. Here, we describe the morphology of antennal sensilla in solitary and cleptoparasitic bees of Apinae and Nomadinae. The external and internal structure of sensilla and setae as well as their distribution in flagella were studied in detail in two different host-cleptoparasitic associations. In addition, taking into account the presence of pores, the distribution of sensilla was compared in females and males of 39 species of these subfamilies. It was found that males of non-parasitic bees showed a higher number of multiporous sensilla. Females had more uniporous and nonporous sensilla than males. Cleptoparasitic bees showed a low diversity in types of sensilla and no sexual dimorphism in number. The pattern of sensilla in males and their cleptoparasitic females was discussed in the context of their ecological roles.antennal morphology / sensilla ultrastructure / olfaction / dimorphism

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“…Data obtained by Sheridan et al 20 also indicated that the ants do not find elaiosome containing seeds by means of olfaction but rather only after touching them with antennae.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Peternelli

Barbosa

2008

Quím. Nova

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Recebido em 1/9/06; aceito em 6/9/07; publicado na web em 26/2/08Mabea fistulifera (Euphorbiaceae) is a pioneer plant species with seeds dispersed by the ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Since the ants are attracted to the seeds to use its elaiosome as a source of energy, we investigated its composition. The elaiosomes from 13,000 seeds were extracted with a methanol:chloroform mixture (2:1 v/v) and yielded 22% of a residue. This residue was fractionated by column chromatography and its composition determined by infrared spectroscopy and chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The elaiosome lipids are constituted mainly by free fatty acids, triacylglycerols and minor quantities of monoacylglycerols or diacylglycerols.

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The role of chemical senses in seed-carrying behavior by ants: A behavioral, physiological, and morphological study

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Seed odor mediates an obligate ant–plant mutualism in Amazonian rainforests

Seed odor mediates an obligate ant–plant mutualism in Amazonian rainforests

Antennal sensilla of cleptoparasitic and non-parasitic bees in two subfamilies of Apidae

Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

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