Lommelen E, Johnson C A, Drijfhout F P, Billen J, Wenseleers T, Gobin B
Zoological Institute, Catholic University of Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium.
J Chem Ecol. 2006 Sep;32(9):2023-34. doi: 10.1007/s10886-006-9126-8. Epub 2006 Aug 11.
In ca. 150 species of queenless ants, a specialized queen caste is rare or absent, and mated workers take over the role of the queen in some or all of the colonies. Previously, it has been shown that reproduction in queenless ants is regulated by a combination of dominance behavior and chemical fertility signaling. It is unknown, however, whether chemical signals alone can sufficiently regulate reproduction. To investigate this possibility, we studied reproductive regulation in the facultatively queenless ant Gnamptogenys striatula, a species where dominance behavior is rare or absent. Active egg layers and infertile workers showed qualitative and quantitative differences in their cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Five long-chain methyl alkanes, 3,13- and 3,15-dimethyl pentriacontane, 3,13- and 3,15-dimethyl heptentriacontane, and 3,11,15-trimethyl heptentriacontane occurred only on the cuticles of virgin and mated egg layers. Pronounced quantitative differences were found in a further 27 alkenes; alkanes; and mono-, di-, and trimethyl alkanes. Workers that had recently stopped laying eggs had profiles similar to infertile workers, and mating status did not affect this chemical pattern. We conclude that the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of G. striatula workers provide reliable information about their current fertility. In the interest of colony productivity, this allows reproduction to be regulated without the use of aggression.
在大约150种无蚁后的蚂蚁中，专门的蚁后等级很少见或不存在，已交配的工蚁在部分或所有蚁群中承担起蚁后的角色。此前已有研究表明，无蚁后蚂蚁的繁殖受优势行为和化学繁殖信号的共同调节。然而，仅靠化学信号是否足以调节繁殖尚不清楚。为了探究这种可能性，我们研究了兼性无蚁后蚂蚁细纹举腹蚁的繁殖调节，该物种很少或不存在优势行为。活跃的产卵工蚁和不育工蚁在表皮碳氢化合物谱上存在质和量的差异。五种长链甲基烷烃，即3,13 - 二甲基三十五烷、3,15 - 二甲基三十五烷、3,13 - 二甲基三十七烷、3,15 - 二甲基三十七烷和3,11,15 - 三甲基三十七烷，仅出现在未交配和已交配的产卵工蚁的表皮上。在另外27种烯烃、烷烃以及单甲基、二甲基和三甲基烷烃中也发现了明显的量的差异。最近停止产卵 的工蚁的表皮碳氢化合物谱与不育工蚁相似，交配状态并不影响这种化学模式。我们得出结论，细纹举腹蚁工蚁的表皮碳氢化合物谱提供了关于它们当前繁殖力的可靠信息。为了提高蚁群生产力，这使得繁殖调节无需通过攻击行为来实现。
