Brandt, M. and Heinze, Juergen and Schmitt, T. and Foitzik, Susanne (2006) Convergent evolution of the Dufour's gland secretion as a propaganda substance in the slave-making ant genera Protomognathus and Harpagoxenus. INSECTES SOCIAUX, 53 (3). pp. 291-299. ISSN 0020-1812,
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Slave-making ants are social parasites which exploit the workforce of heterospecific slaves for their own reproduction, and to this end they have developed a variety of morphological and behavioural adaptations. Furthermore, social parasites utilize the chemical communication system of their hosts by breaking their nestmate recognition code, and some slave-maker species additionally employ semiochemicals as weapons during colony foundation and slaveraiding. Here, we demonstrate the use of such a 'propaganda allomone' by the North American myrmicine slave-maker Protomognathus americanus. This substance is produced in the Dufour's gland and may be employed during slave raids to elicit panic among defending host workers. Slave-maker Dufour's gland secretions evoked agitation and heightened levels of activity among host workers when applied directly on a host nest, and strong aggressive responses of nestmates when applied onto a host worker. Although the hosts own Dufour's gland secretion also elicits intra-colonial fights, no support for the hypothesis was found that the slave-maker propaganda substance mimics a fertility signal of the host, as the chemical profile of the gland secretions is highly divergent between the two species. Preliminary results on the chemical composition of the secretion obtained by gas chromatography indicate that the propaganda substance of P. americanus differs from that of the related European slavemaker Harpagoxenus sublaevis, and is thus likely to represent an independent evolutionary development.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | POLYERGUS-RUFESCENS; APIS-MELLIFERA; CHEMICAL COMMUNICATION; WORKER REPRODUCTION; LEPTOTHORAX ANTS; SOCIAL PARASITES; RAIDING BEHAVIOR; QUEEN SIGNAL; HYMENOPTERA; FORMICIDAE; chemical warfare; Dufour's gland; social parasites; fertility signal; propaganda substance |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Feb 2021 06:28 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Feb 2021 06:28 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/34228 |
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