Department of Biology, University of Utah, 84112, Salt Lake City, Utah.
J Chem Ecol. 1990 Oct;16(10):2993-3013. doi: 10.1007/BF00979490.
A number of volatile compounds occur on the seeds of taxonomically unrelated ant-garden epiphytes in western Amazonia. In field trials in southeastern Peru, we assayed the responses of ant-garden ants (Camponotus femoratus) to these and structurally similar compounds applied to artificial "seeds" made from zeolite molecular sieves. Benzothiazole,2, present on seeds of eight ant-garden epiphytes, repelled ants over the range of concentrations tested, as did 1-(2-hydroxy-6-methylphenyl)ethanone,3, occurring on seeds of six ant-garden epiphytes. 2-Hydroxy-6-methylbenzoic acid, methyl ester (methyl-6-methylsalicylate, 6-MMS),1, found on seeds of at least nine ant-garden epiphytes, was mildly repellent at high concentration, but stimulated excitement, seed handling, and (rarely) seed carrying at lower concentrations. Vanillin,5, a seed compound of four ant-garden epiphytes, and limonene,6, a monoterpene from seeds of three ant-garden epiphytes, both stimulated excitement, alarm, seed handling, and (rarely) seed carrying. Identified from seeds of seven ant-garden epiphytes, 1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanone,4, elicited little or no response. Among 70 compounds tested (mainly aromatic compounds), those found on seeds of ant-garden epiphytes or having structural features in common with such compounds were the most attractive to the ants. Although not present on epiphyte seeds, 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzenemethanol,10, consistently stimulated seed transport to the nest in one year, but did so only rarely in subsequent years. Some of the volatile compounds on seeds of ant-garden epiphytes probably play a role in ant attraction to epiphyte seeds, but evidence remains ambiguous. Finally,Ca. femoratus responded to one test compound [1-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)ethanone,60] (absent from epiphyte seeds) by descending from the vegetation to the ground.
在亚马逊西部地区，一些分类上不相关的蚁栖附生植物的种子上存在多种挥发性化合物。在秘鲁东南部的野外试验中，我们检测了蚁栖附生蚁（Camponotus femoratus）对这些化合物以及结构相似的化合物的反应，这些化合物被应用于沸石分子筛人工“种子”。苯并噻唑（benzothiazole）2 存在于八种蚁栖附生植物的种子中，在测试的浓度范围内都能驱赶蚂蚁，六种蚁栖附生植物种子中的 1-(2-hydroxy-6-methylphenyl)ethanone,3 也是如此。2-羟基-6-甲基苯甲酸甲酯（methyl-6-methylsalicylate, 6-MMS）1 存在于至少九种蚁栖附生植物的种子中，在高浓度时有轻微的驱避作用，但在低浓度时会刺激兴奋、种子处理和（很少）种子携带。四种蚁栖附生植物种子中的香草醛（vanillin）5 和三种蚁栖附生植物种子中的单萜 limonene,6 都能刺激兴奋、警报、种子处理和（很少）种子携带。从七种蚁栖附生植物的种子中鉴定出的 1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanone,4 几乎没有反应。在所测试的 70 种化合物中（主要是芳香族化合物），那些存在于蚁栖附生植物种子中的化合物或具有与这些化合物共同结构特征的化合物对蚂蚁最具吸引力。尽管不在附生植物种子中，但 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzenemethanol,10 在一年中始终刺激种子运往巢穴，但在随后的几年中很少这样做。蚁栖附生植物种子上的一些挥发性化合物可能在蚂蚁对附生植物种子的吸引力中发挥作用，但证据仍然模棱两可。最后，Ca. femoratus 对一种测试化合物[1-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)ethanone,60]（不存在于附生植物种子中）做出反应，从植被下降到地面。
