Reformation process of the neuronal template for nestmate recognition cues in the carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus)

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • Sara Leonhardt
  • Andreas Simon Brandstaetter
  • Christoph Johannes Kleineidam
Ants use cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC-profiles) as multicomponent recognition cues to identify colony members (nestmates). Recognition cues (label) are thought to be perceived during ant-ant encounters and compared to a neuronal template that represents the colony label. Over time, the CHC-profile may change, and the template is adjusted accordingly. A phenotype mismatch between label and template, as happens with CHC-profiles of foreign workers (non-nestmates), frequently leads to aggressive behavior. We investigated the template reformation in workers of the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus by masking their antennae with postpharyngeal gland (PPG) extracts from nestmates or non-nestmates. The behavioral response of manipulated workers encountering unmanipulated workers was measured independently after 2 and after 15 h. After 2 h of incubation, workers treated with either of the two PPG-extracts showed low aggression towards nestmates and high aggression towards non-nestmates. In contrast, after 15 h of incubation, workers treated with non-nestmate PPG-extract showed low aggression towards both nestmates and non-nestmates. The slow (>2 h) adjustment of the template indicates a reformation localized in the central nervous system rather than in chemosensory neurons. In addition, our data show that template adjustment to a new CHC-profile does not impair the assessment of the old CHC-profile as nestmate label.
OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftJournal of Comparative Physiology A – Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
Jahrgang193
Ausgabenummer9
Seiten (von - bis)993-1000
Anzahl der Seiten8
ISSN0340-7594
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 09.2007

    Fachgebiete

  • Ökosystemforschung - Postpharyngeal gland, Aggressive behavior, Hymenoptera , Chemical communication, Cuticular hydrocarbons
  • Biologie

DOI