Wang Lei, Elliott Brad, Jin Xixuan, Zeng Ling, Chen Jian
Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, People's Republic of China.
National Biological Control Laboratory, Southeast Area, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA.
Naturwissenschaften. 2015 Dec;102(11-12):66. doi: 10.1007/s00114-015-1316-1. Epub 2015 Oct 14.
The antimicrobial property of volatiles produced by red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, against Beauveria bassiana, a common entomopathogenic fungus, was demonstrated. The germination rate of B. bassiana spores was significantly reduced after they were exposed to volatiles within an artificial ant nest. Since the air that contained the same level of O2 and CO2 as that in artificial fire ant nests did not suppress the germination rate of B. bassiana, the observed reduction of germination rate must be caused by the toxicity of nest volatiles. Nest fumigation may be an important component of the social immune system in S. invicta.
研究证明，入侵红火蚁（Solenopsis invicta）产生的挥发性物质对常见昆虫病原真菌球孢白僵菌具有抗菌特性。将球孢白僵菌孢子置于人工蚁巢内，暴露于挥发性物质中后，其萌发率显著降低。由于含有与人工火蚁巢中相同水平氧气和二氧化碳的空气并未抑制球孢白僵菌的萌发率，因此观察到的萌发率降低必定是由蚁巢挥发性物质的毒性所致。蚁巢熏蒸可能是入侵红火蚁社会免疫系统的一个重要组成部分。
