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Nestmate Recognition in Fire Ants ( Solenopsis invicta Buren). Do Queens Label Workers?
Author(s) -
Obin Martin S.,
Meer Robert K.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1989.tb00744.x
Subject(s) - fire ant , queen (butterfly) , kin recognition , biology , red imported fire ant , zoology , sex pheromone , pheromone , aculeata , ecology , aggression , inclusive fitness , hymenoptera , communication , psychology , social psychology
Abstract In studies with large, laboratory colonies containing fertile (physogastric) queens, the intensity of worker aggression directed at nonnestmate kin and nonnestmate nonkin was independent of queen‐derived olfactory cues. Workers were also confined for 24 h with a physogastric queen. Those workers selected for testing while tending queens were attacked during subsequent introductions to nestmates. Queen‐derived cues are thus sufficient for nestmate recognition in the laboratory. Aggression elicited by queen‐tending workers was not significantly associated with queen fecundity (weight). The fire‐ant queen attractant/recognition pheromone was transferred from queens to queen‐tending workers in these small groups. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that workers detect both qualitative and quantitative differences in queen pheromones. While queen‐derived cues do not appear to play a significant role in colony‐level recognition, they could function as caste‐recognition cues within fire‐ant nests.