Cuticular hydrocarbons in a termite: phenotypes and a neighbour–stranger effect |
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| Authors: | Manfred Kaib Stephan Franke† Wittko Francke† Roland Brandl‡ |
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| Institution: | Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany,;Institute for Organic Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany and;Department of Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Abstract The composition of cuticular hydrocarbons of different colonies of the fungus-growing termite Macrotermes falciger shows considerable intercolonial variation. Ordination, as well as cluster analyses, separate profiles into three distinct chemical phenotypes. Behavioural tests with major workers reveal no alarm behaviour or mortality in pairings of workers from the same colony but a full range from no alarm to overt aggression, with associated death, when individuals were paired from different colonies. The level of mortality increases with differences in the composition of cuticular hydrocarbons between colonies. However, no mortality occurs in pairings of individuals from neighbouring colonies belonging to different phenotypes. The data thus provide evidence for a 'neighbour–stranger' effect (so-called 'dear-enemy' phenomenon) in termites. |
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| Keywords: | Aggression colony recognition dear-enemy phenomenon Macrotermes territoriality |
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