Gustatory perception and metabolic utilization of sugars by Myrmica rubra ant workers

Abstract

The suitability of various nectar and honeydew sugars as a food source for the polyphagous ant species M. rubra (L.) was studied. The sugars used included monosaccharides (fructose, glucose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose), disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, trehalose, melibiose, lactose) and trisaccharides (melizitose, raffinose, erlose). Single-sugar solutions were tested on ant workers in a long-term laboratory bioassay in which acceptance of the solutions and ant survival were recorded. The acceptance of the sugars was confirmed in a second bioassay in which feeding time was established. Enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose, maltose and melibiose was investigated through HPLC analyses of workers fed these disaccharides. Sugar acceptance and feeding time were related to ant survival. Considering the monosaccharide units of which the sugars are composed, fructose seems especially suitable as a short-term energy source, while glucose appears to be used both directly and for storage. The presence of a galactose unit appears to reduce sugar suitability. It is suggested that the workers possess invertase and maltase and to a lesser degree also galactosidase. The gustatory perception is correlated with the profitability of sugars in further metabolic processes.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

“…Ants protect the sap-feeding insects, and in return they benefit from the honeydew provided by the Hemiptera [1][2][3]. Honeydew is rich in carbohydrates and in some amino acids, which are attractive and nutritionally valuable for ants [4][5][6][7]. Additionally, the ants sometimes use aphids as a source of protein by consuming them [8][9][10][11].…”

Natural History of Ants: What We (do not) Know About Trophic and Temporal Niches of Neotropical Species

“…Preference for melezitose was less common, and it was conspicuously avoided by some species. Among physiological constrains that could reduce suitability of certain sugars to a species, particularly insect-synthesized oligosaccharides, are low gustatory perception, digestibility and nutritional value (Boevé & Wäckers, 2003). These constraints could be another source of niche partitioning among ant species.…”

Trophallaxis in Lasius niger: a variable frequency and constant duration for three food types

“…While sucrose is present in a variety of sugary sources (nectar, honeydew, …), melezitose is a sugar specifically found in the honeydew produced by aphids, honeydew is an important source of carbohydrate for ants in general and L. niger (Banks and Nixon, 1958;Detrain et al, 2010;Kindlmann et al, 2007;Völkl et al, 1999). Melezitose has been shown to be very attractive to ants (Boevé and Wäckers, 2003). In a pair choice, L. niger was found to prefer melezitose over sucrose (Tinti and Nofre, 2001;Völkl et al, 1999).…”