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Polyethism and nestmate recognition in the alarm reaction of Atta leaf‐cutting ants
Author(s) -
VELOSO FRANCELINO MÁRCIO R.,
DE LIMA MENDONÇA ADRIANA,
DO NASCIMENTO RUTH R.,
DE MENDONÇA FERNANDO A. C.,
DA SILVA EDLEIDE L.,
DE FREITAS MARIA DO ROSÁRIO T.,
CABRAL CYRO R.,
DA SILVA CARLOS EDUARDO,
RIBEIRO JOSÉ H. S.,
SANTANA ANTÔNIO EUZÉBIO G.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.2007.00598.x
Subject(s) - atta , biology , alarm , pheromone , generalist and specialist species , ecology , zoology , ant , alarm signal , hymenoptera , habitat , materials science , composite material
Ethological studies are conducted under laboratory conditions using workers of Atta sexdens sexdens and Atta opaciceps collected from field colonies to investigate the mechanisms involved in the alarm response and intra‐specific recognition in leaf‐cutting ants. Hexane extracts from the heads of gardeners and generalist workers elicit higher levels of alarm response in foragers from the same colony than do mandibular gland extracts from foragers and soldiers, indicating that gardeners, generalists and foragers are primarily responsible for the production of alarm pheromone. Foragers subjected to extracts from non‐nestmates exhibit significantly greater alarm responses than are induced by similar extracts derived from nestmate workers, suggesting that the alarm pheromone may have a role in nestmate recognition.