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Cuticular hydrocarbons in a termite: phenotypes and a neighbour–stranger effect
Author(s) -
Kaib Manfred,
Franke Stephan,
Francke Wittko,
Brandl Roland
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3032.2002.00292.x
Subject(s) - biology , alarm , zoology , fungus , range (aeronautics) , phenotype , ecology , botany , genetics , gene , materials science , composite material
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.