Comparative study of the dufour gland secretions of workers of four species of Myrmica ants |
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Authors: | MC Cammaerts RP Evershed ED Morgan |
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Institution: | 1. Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 Av. Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium;2. Department of Chemistry, University of Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, England |
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Abstract: | The Dufour gland secretions of myrmica rubra, M. ruginodis, M. sabuleti and M. scabrinodis have been studied. The most volatile portions of the secretion of workers of all four species were found to be similar, containing C2C4 oxygenated compounds. The less volatile portion consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons. In M. ruginodis this is chiefly a mixture of linear saturated and mono-unsaturated hydrocarbons, similar in composition to that of M. rubra, while in M. sabuleti it consists of (Z,E)-α-farnesene and its homologues, homofarnesene, bishomofarnesene and trishomofarnesene, similar in composition to that of M. scabrinodis. Workers of each species studied were attracted to the Dufour gland volatiles of all four species, these substances chiefly causing an increase in running speed, with the workers not distinguishing between conspecific and allospecific secretions, though small quantitative differences could be demonstrated between the speed and orientation reaction of workers of each species. The less volatile fraction of the Dufour gland secretion is used for territorial marking by foraging workers. This marking is specific for each species except between M. rubra and M. ruginodis. |
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Keywords: | Ants behaviour Dufour gland farnesene Correspondence to: Ethological part Mme Cammaerts Brussels Chemical part Dr Morgan Keele |
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