Task-Related Variation of Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles Affect Nestmate Recognition in the Giant ant Dinoponera quadriceps

Recognition seems to be one of the more remarkable characteristics of social groups. In social insects, cuticular hydrocarbons are important for colonial recognition by providing a chemical signature for colony members. The acceptance threshold model predicts that colony members will accept conspecifics when the levels of nest mate cues dissimilarities are below the acceptance threshold. We tested the hypothesis that the encounter of a guard ant worker with a nurse may cause a delay in the process of recognition, because nurses from distinct colonies may share greater amount of chemical compounds. Dinoponera quadriceps guard workers decreased their effectiveness to recognize nurses rather than did to foragers. Alien foragers received significantly more bites and other stronger acts than non-nestmate nurses when they were experimentally introduced. In addition, guards took significantly more time to react against non-nestmate nurses than against alien foragers. Analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles corroborated our behavioural analysis that nurses from distinct colonies overlap greater amount of cuticular hydrocarbons.