TY - JOUR

T1 - Reformation process of the neuronal template for nestmate recognition cues in the carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus)

AU - Leonhardt, Sara

AU - Brandstaetter, Andreas Simon

AU - Kleineidam, Christoph Johannes

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank Annett Endler for collecting and taking care of the ant colonies that we used as well as for constructive comments on the experimental design as well as on this manuscript. We thank Linda S. Kuebler and Christina Kelber for helping with the experiments and Annette Laudahn for advice in rearing the colony. This study was funded by DFG, SFB 554/A6. The experiments comply with the “Principles of animal care”, publication No. 86-23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health, and also with the current laws of Germany.

PY - 2007/9

Y1 - 2007/9

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Postpharyngeal gland

KW - Aggressive behavior

KW - Hymenoptera

KW - Chemical communication

KW - Cuticular hydrocarbons

KW - Biology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34548356950&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/fa2c7629-546e-3518-a2ee-72906e915f7c/

U2 - 10.1007/s00359-007-0252-8

DO - 10.1007/s00359-007-0252-8

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 17639411

VL - 193

SP - 993

EP - 1000

JO - Journal of Comparative Physiology A – Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology

JF - Journal of Comparative Physiology A – Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology

SN - 0340-7594

IS - 9

ER -