Description of a simple synthetic diet for studying nutritional responses in ants |
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Authors: | A. Dussutour S. J. Simpson |
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Affiliation: | (1) School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia |
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Abstract: | A chemically defined diet is a powerful tool for the study of nutritional physiology. We have developed a simple, standardized diet for Rhytidoponera ants to facilitate experiments on nutrititional regulation and nutrient balancing in these ants. Colonies of Rhytidoponera metallica were fed with a standardized diet, containing a 1:2 ratio of total proteins to digestible carbohydrates. After 8 weeks, colony performance (number of brood raised, the mass of pupae, and the mortality of workers) was superior to that of colonies fed with Bhatkar-Whitcomb diet and similar to colonies fed with Drosophila and honey-water. Received 10 March 2008; revised 1 May 2008; accepted 6 May 2008. |
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Keywords: | KeywordHeading" >: Artificial diet nutrition colony growth green headed ant |
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