Does she smell like a queen? Chemoreception of a cuticular hydrocarbon signal in the ant Pachycondyla inversa

Abstract

Primitive ant societies, with their relatively simple social structure, provide an opportunity to explore the evolution of chemical communication, in particular of mechanisms underlying within-colony discrimination. In the same colony, slight differences in individual odours can be the basis for discrimination between different castes, classes of age and social status. There is some evidence from correlative studies that such inter-individual variation is associated with differences in reproductive status, but direct proof that certain chemical compounds are detected and recognized by ants is still lacking. In the ponerine ant Pachycondyla inversa, fertile queens and, in orphaned colonies, dominant egg-laying workers are characterized by the predominance of a branched hydrocarbon, 3,11-dimethylheptacosane (3,11-diMeC 27) on the cuticle. Using electroanntennography and gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection, we show that the antennae of P. inversa workers react to this key compound. 3,11-diMeC27 is correlated with ovarian activity and, because it is detected, is likely to assume the role of a fertility signal reflecting the quality of the sender.

Honest and dishonest communication in social Hymenoptera

“…egg-laying rates (reviewed by Monnin, 2006). For example, in the ant Pachycondyla inversa, 3,11-dimethylheptacosane is the major constituent of the cuticular blend of queens, and is preferentially detected by workers' antennae (d'Ettorre et al, 2004); mated, fertile workers ('gamergates') of the queenless ant Dinoponera quadriceps are characterized by a high percentage of 9-hentriacontene ; and 13,23-dimethylheptatriacontane is specific to egg layers of Harpegnathos saltator (Liebig et al, 2000). This widespread positive association between certain chemical compounds and fertility appears to disagree with the first prediction of Keller and Nonacs (Keller and Nonacs, 1993) for the queen control scenario and instead to be in accordance with the honest queen signal hypothesis.…”

Enhanced Attraction of <I>Plutella xylostella</I> (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) to Pheromone-Baited Traps With the Addition of Green Leaf Volatiles

“…The ORNs receptive to pheromones ) and many other semiochemicals (Shields & Hildebrand 2001) appear to be highly specialized for a narrow range of chemicals. Numerous neuro-ethological studies have indicated that the ORN response profile of a given species is directly related to its behavioral significance, thus conveying reliable information about relevant plant odors (Kaissling et al 1989;D'Ettorre et al 2004;Røstelien et al 2005). The responses of ORNs to these chemical signals can be monitored with electrophysiological recording techniques such as electroantennogram (EAG) and single sensillum recording (SSR) (Lee et al 2006).…”

The role of the queen mandibular gland pheromone in honeybees (Apis mellifera): honest signal or suppressive agent?

“…Based on these theoretical considerations, an alternative model known as "worker control" was presented (Seeley 1985;Keller and Nonacs 1993). Here, the queen's pheromones are seen as an "honest" chemical signal to indicate the presence of the queen and her fertility (Peeters et al 1999;D'Ettorre et al 2004). With this information, workers could actively decide to refrain from reproducing when benefits from indirect fitness exceed those of direct individual fitness.…”