Fénéron R, Jaisson P
Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Sociobiologie, URA CNRS n° 667, Université Paris XIII, Villetaneuse, France.
Behav Processes. 1992;27(1):45-51. doi: 10.1016/0376-6357(92)90039-G.
Experiments were carried out to test nestmate-brood recognition in the neotropical ant species Ectatomma tuberculatum, belonging to the primitive subfamily Ponerinae. In the same laboratory colonies, two behavioural subcastes, nurses and foragers, were given simultaneous choices between nestmate and non-nestmate brood (larvae or cocoons). Nurses and foragers dramatically differed in their response during the choice test. Qualitative differences appeared in the type of brood tending displayed by the two worker categories. In particular, licking and transport were more represented in the nurse than in the forager repertoire. Moreover, the number of acts delivered by nurses was significantly higher toward nestmate than non-nestmate brood and there was no significant difference in the amount of behavioural acts directed by foragers toward the two brood categories. The social status of the worker therefore appears to strongly influence brood discrimination.
实验旨在测试新热带地区的蚁种结节切叶蚁（Ectatomma tuberculatum）（属于原始亚科猛蚁亚科）对同巢幼虫的识别能力。在同一实验室蚁群中，给予两种行为亚级——保育蚁和觅食蚁——同时在同巢幼虫和非同巢幼虫（幼虫或茧）之间进行选择。在选择测试中，保育蚁和觅食蚁的反应存在显著差异。这两类工蚁在照顾幼虫的方式上出现了质的差异。特别是，舔舐和搬运行为在保育蚁的行为表现中比在觅食蚁的行为表现中更为常见。此外，保育蚁对同巢幼虫的行为次数显著高于对非同巢幼虫的行为次数，而觅食蚁对这两类幼虫的行为量没有显著差异。因此，工蚁的社会地位似乎对幼虫识别有强烈影响。
