Reproductive conflict between laying workers in the ant Aphaenogaster senilis

Since workers of the ant Aphaenogaster senilis can lay male eggs, reproductive conflict may occur between these workers. We examined the occurrence of worker conflicts in groups of workers either with or without the queen. Intranidal aggression was observed in each nest for 10 min each day, and the immatures produced were counted once a week for two months. Pairs of workers involved in aggression were taken regularly from each nest and used for chemical, morphological and anatomical analyses. The attacker and the attacked workers differed in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. The attacker and the attacked ants were at the same middle-aged fertile stage. The attacker ant was significantly larger and more fertile than the attacked ant, and more mature physiologically (poison gland was darker). There was apparently no stable hierarchy between laying workers. In the first weeks under queenless conditions, most eggs and larvae were destroyed, but they were later reared to obtain males. The intranidal worker aggression in this highly evolved ant is discussed in relation to dominance and worker policing. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The role of aggression in range expansion and biological invasions

Traits that aid in the invasion process should exhibit a gradient across the expansion range in response to changing selection pressures. Aggression has been repeatedly associated with invasion success in many taxa, as it may help invaders to wrestle the resources from other species which enhances their success in a novel environment. However, aggression primarily al lows individuals to overcome conspecific rivals, providing advantages in competition over resources. Agonistic prowess could therefore increase fitness at both ends of the expansion gradient. Here we review the role of aggression in range expansion of in vasive species, and its potential role as a driver of range expansion. We analyze how these different mechanisms could affect trait variation in expanding and invasive populations. Specifically, we look at how aggression could help dilate the edges of a popula tion through niche competition, as well as lead to exclusion from the center （Le. areas of high population density） by the conspe cities. Both of these processes will result in a characteristic spatial distribution of phenotypes related to aggression that could provide insights into the ecological pressures and dynamics of expanding populations, potentially providing clues to their success as niche competitors and invasive species     

Disentangling environmental and heritable nestmate recognition cues in a carpenter ant

Discriminating between group members and strangers is a key feature of social life. Nestmate recognition is very effective in social insects and is manifested by aggression and rejection of alien individuals, which are prohibited to enter the nest. Nestmate recognition is based on the quantitative variation in cuticular hydrocarbons, which can include heritable cues from the workers, as well as acquired cues from the environment or queen-derived cues. We tracked the profile of six colonies of the ant Camponotus aethiops for a year under homogeneous laboratory conditions. We performed chemical and behavioral analyses. We show that nestmate recognition was not impaired by constant environment, even though cuticular hydrocarbon profiles changed over time and were slightly converging among colonies. Linear hydrocarbons increased over time, especially in queenless colonies, but appeared to have weak diagnostic power between colonies. The presence of a queen had little influence on nestmate discrimination abilities. Our results suggest that heritable cues of workers are the dominant factor influencing nestmate discrimination in these carpenter ants and highlight the importance of colony kin structure for the evolution of eusociality.     

表皮碳氢化合物在3种火蚁属蚂蚁成虫鉴定中的应用

红火蚁Solenopsis invicta是火蚁属重要的入侵蚂蚁,与其近缘种黑火蚁S.richteri和杂交蚁S.invicta×S.richteri形态相似,难以区分。为了快速准确鉴定3种火蚁属近缘种,本研究利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS),解析3种火蚁的工蚁、有翅雌蚁、有翅雄蚁的表皮碳氢化合物种类和含量,并进行主成分分析、判别分析及聚类分析。结果表明：3种火蚁共检测到62种表皮碳氢化合物,主要包括一甲基烷烃、二甲基烷烃和正构烷烃等;红火蚁、黑火蚁及杂交蚁不同品级的表皮碳氢化合物种类及含量存在显著的种间差异,红火蚁不同地理种群的表皮碳氢化合物种类及含量相似度较高;建立3种火蚁相应品级的分类判别函数,可准确区分各品级下的3种火蚁。因此,表皮碳氢化合物组成分析可用于红火蚁及其近缘种的分类鉴定,为口岸火蚁属蚂蚁的快速检疫鉴定提供新技术。     

Is the social parasite Vespa dybowskii using chemical transparency to get her eggs accepted?

Both avian and insect cuckoos must trick their hosts into accepting foreign eggs. In birds this is achieved through egg mimicry. Within the hornets the only known social parasite is the rare Vespa dybowskii. We investigated how the V. dybowskii queen induces tens or hundreds of host workers to accept her eggs and offspring. Since hydrocarbons function as recognition cues in social insects, we investigated these compounds from the surface of eggs and workers of V. dybowskii, both host species (V. simillima and V. crabro) and an additional four non-host species. We found that chemical mimicry of the hosts’ colony odour and their eggs normally associated with wasps was not being employed by V. dybowskii. Chemical insignificance is also unlikely as the amounts of hydrocarbons extracted from parasite, host and non-host eggs were similar. Eggs of V. dybowskii may survive in part due to being chemically transparent, as methyl-branched compounds only represent a tiny proportion (<1%) of the parasites hydrocarbon profile but a large proportion (26–41%) in both host species. However, the functions of various hydrocarbon groups need to be investigated in the hornets before this new acceptance mechanism of parasite eggs and adults is understood.     

Queen/worker thorax volume ratios and nest-founding strategies in ants

Queen/worker thorax volume ratios were calculated in nine monogynous, seven polygynous and eight parasitic ant species in order to determine whether mode of nest founding is reflected in relative gyne size. A significant difference in this ratio was found between monogynous (independent nest founders) and polygynous and parasitic species (dependent nest founders). Thorax volume ratio in ants appears to be independent of actual gyne or worker size and can be used as a relative measure sure of colony investment in the gynes. Furthermore, thorax volume ratio seems to reflect the mode of nestfounding behaviour when compared between species within genera as well as among species in general. Polygyny is discussed as a nest-founding strategy that is selected for when nest founding by single gynes is difficult and costly. In addition, secondary benefits could be gained by polygynous colonies since investment in gyne size could be decreased.     

Myrmica specioides Bondroit: a new invasive ant species in the USA?

Ants are among the most successful invasive species. The establishment of the infamous red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Fabricius) has caused a considerable amount of damage to both the economy and the native ecosystem of the Southern United States. We report the first record of a newly introduced ant species, Myrmica specioides Bondroit, to the state of Washington. It possesses the characteristics of a potential pest ant: high aggressiveness, polygyny, and the tendency to reach high local abundances. This early record might facilitate the control of introduced populations before they can develop into a genuine nuisance.     

Cuticular hydrocarbon dynamics in young adult Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and the role of linear hydrocarbons in nestmate recognition systems

In social insects, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play an important role in nestmate discrimination processes, but young individuals are usually not discriminated. We studied CHC changes in young workers of the social wasp Polistes dominulus. A quantitative estimation demonstrated that total quantities of CHCs increased after emergence, with branched alkanes increasing drastically when compared with other classes of hydrocarbons. The relative quantity of longer-chain compounds increased with respect to shorter ones; unsaturated compounds decreased. These changes might reduce the capacity of the cuticle to acquire compounds of environmental origin. We then tested whether individuals acquire hydrocarbons from the environment, and whether this capability equally characterises newly emerged and mature wasps. We exposed wasps of two age classes (adults younger or older than 24 h) to four linear hydrocarbons in turn, and observed how nestmates reacted to their re-introduction into the natal colony. Exposed young wasps elicited significantly more aggressive responses than control sisters; but treated wasps older than 24 h were generally accepted by nestmates. Chemical assays showed that exposed young wasps readily absorbed hydrocarbons; older ones did not incorporate hydrocarbons, suggesting that the chemical profiles of mature wasps are less prone to chemical shifts than those of newly emerged wasps.     

Chemical basis for inter-colonial aggression in the stingless bee Scaptotrigona bipunctata (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Inter-colonial aggression was tested using three colonies of Scaptotrigona bipunctata in a natural setting when their nests were moved and by artificial contact between individuals. Examination of the cuticular lipids of individuals from two colonies kept under identical conditions showed clear differences in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. The cuticular lipids were a mixture of hydrocarbons (saturated and unsaturated alkanes and alkenes) within the range of C23-C29. The use of multivariate analysis (PCA and discriminant analysis) showed that seven of the identified surface compounds are enough to separate workers from colonies A and B from each other.     

Chemical deception among ant social parasites

Deception is widespread throughout the animal kingdom and various deceptive strategies are exemplified by social parasites. These are species of ants, bees and wasps that have evolved to invade, survive and reproduce within a host colony of another social species. This is achieved principally by chemical deception that tricks the host workers into treating the invading parasite as their own kin. Achieving levels of acceptance into typically hostile host colonies requires an amazing level of decep- tion as social insects have evolved complex species- and colony-specific recognition systems. This allows the detection of for- eigners, both hetero- and con-specific. Therefore, social parasitic ants not only have to overcome the unique species recognition profiles that each ant species produces, but also the subtle variations in theses profiles which generate the colony-specific profiles We present data on the level of chemical similarity between social parasites and their hosts in four different systems and then discuss these data in the wider context with previous studies, especially in respect to using multivariate statistical methods when looking for differences in these systems.     

Not one odour but two: A new model for nestmate recognition

Recognition systems play a key role in a range of biological processes, including mate choice, immune defence and altruistic behaviour. Social insects provide an excellent model for studying recognition systems because workers need to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates, enabling them to direct altruistic behaviour towards closer kin and to repel potential invaders. However, the level of aggression directed towards conspecific intruders can vary enormously, even among workers within the same colony. This is usually attributed to differences in the aggression thresholds of individuals or to workers having different roles within the colony. Recent evidence from the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina suggests that this does not tell the whole story. Here I propose a new model for nestmate recognition based on a vector template derived from both the individual’s innate odour and the shared colony odour. This model accounts for the recent findings concerning weaver ants, and also provides an alternative explanation for why the level of aggression expressed by a colony decreases as the diversity within the colony increases, even when odour is well-mixed. The model makes additional predictions that are easily tested, and represents a significant advance in our conceptualisation of recognition systems.     

Mating is associated with immediate changes of the hydrocarbon profile of Leptothorax gredleri ant queens

While sexual communication is often characterized by attempted manipulation, both sexes agree about females reliably signalling their receptivity. Female sexuals of the ant Leptothorax gredleri quickly became unattractive to males after their first copulation. This loss of attractiveness coincided with almost immediate changes in their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles. Already 30 min after mating, the CHC profiles of female sexuals had significantly lower relative amounts of branched alkanes and higher amounts of linear alkanes than those of unmated and freshly mated female sexuals. Discriminant analysis did not distinguish between the profiles of freshly mated and unmated female sexuals, suggesting that the extremely rapid modification of CHC profiles is not caused by males marking females with anti-aphrodisiac CHCs. Instead, the new profile is produced by the female sexuals themselves. In addition to making them unattractive to males, this change may also help mated female sexuals when seeking adoption into established colonies.     

Chemical correlates of reproduction and worker policing in a myrmicine ant

In a number of wasps, bees, and in particular ponerine ants, quantitative and qualitative variation in the profile of cuticular hydrocarbons is associated with variation in fecundity and is likely to serve for communicating the reproductive status of an individual. Here, we demonstrate that the chemical profile on the cuticle of fertile workers and queens of the myrmicine ant Temnothorax unifasciatus is different from that of non-reproductive workers. Fertility and apparently also cuticular signatures are reversible under the influence of policing by worker aggression. Though no policing by egg-eating occurs in this species, queen and worker laid eggs also differed in their chemical profile.     

The cuticular hydrocarbons profiles in the stingless bee Melipona marginata reflect task-related differences

Members of social insect colonies employ a large variety of chemical signals during their life. Of these, cuticular hydrocarbons are of primary importance for social insects since they allow for the recognition of conspecifics, nestmates and even members of different castes. The objectives of this study were (1) to characterize the variation of the chemical profiles among workers of the stingless bee Melipona marginata, and (2) to investigate the dependence of the chemical profiles on the age and on the behavior of the studied individuals. The results showed that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of workers were composed of alkanes, alkenes and alkadienes that varied quantitatively and qualitatively according to function of workers in the colony.