Serotonergic Control in Initiating Defensive Response to Unexpected Tactile Stimulus
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Diversity and Organization of the Ground Foraging Ant Faunas of Forest, Grassland and Tree Crops in Papua New Guinea
- - -- Aust. J. Zool., 1975, 23, 71-89 Diversity and Organization of the Ground Foraging Ant Faunas of Forest, Grassland and Tree Crops in Papua New Guinea P. M. Room Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries, Papua New Guinea; present address: Cotton Research Unit, CSIRO, P.M.B. Myallvale Mail Run, Narrabri, N.S.W. 2390. Abstract Thirty samples of ants were taken in each of seven habitats: primary forest, rubber plantation, coffee plantation, oilpalm plantation, kunai grassland, eucalypt savannah and urban grassland. Sixty samples were taken in cocoa plantations. A total of 156 species was taken, and the frequency of occurrence of each in each habitat is given. Eight stenoecious species are suggested as habitat indicators. Habitats fell into a series according to the similarity of their ant faunas: forest, rubber and coffee, cocoa and oilpalm, kunai and savannah, urban. This series represents an artificial, discontinuous succession from a complex stable ecosystem to a simple unstable one. Availability of species suitably preadapted to occupy habitats did not appear to limit species richness. Habitat heterogeneity and stability as affected by human interference did seem to account for inter-habitat variability in species richness. Species diversity was compared between habitats using four indices: Fisher et al.; Margalef; Shannon; Brillouin. Correlation of diversity index with habitat hetero- geneity plus stability was good for the first two, moderate for Shannon, and poor for Brillouin. Greatest diversity was found in rubber, the penultimate in the series of habitats according to hetero- geneity plus stability ('maturity'). Equitability exceeded the presumed maximum in rubber, and was close to the maximum in all habitats. -
Formicidae, Ponerinae), a Predominantly Nocturnal, Canopy-Dwelling
Behavioural Processes 109 (2014) 48–57 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Behavioural Processes jo urnal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/behavproc Visual navigation in the Neotropical ant Odontomachus hastatus (Formicidae, Ponerinae), a predominantly nocturnal, canopy-dwelling predator of the Atlantic rainforest a,1 b,∗ Pedro A.P. Rodrigues , Paulo S. Oliveira a Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil b Departamento de Biologia Animal, C.P. 6109, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13083-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil a r t a b i s c l e i n f o t r a c t Article history: The arboreal ant Odontomachus hastatus nests among roots of epiphytic bromeliads in the sandy forest Available online 24 June 2014 at Cardoso Island (Brazil). Crepuscular and nocturnal foragers travel up to 8 m to search for arthropod prey in the canopy, where silhouettes of leaves and branches potentially provide directional information. Keywords: We investigated the relevance of visual cues (canopy, horizon patterns) during navigation in O. hastatus. Arboreal ants Laboratory experiments using a captive ant colony and a round foraging arena revealed that an artificial Atlantic forest canopy pattern above the ants and horizon visual marks are effective orientation cues for homing O. has- Canopy orientation tatus. On the other hand, foragers that were only given a tridimensional landmark (cylinder) or chemical Ponerinae marks were unable to home correctly. Navigation by visual cues in O. hastatus is in accordance with other Trap-jaw ants diurnal arboreal ants. Nocturnal luminosity (moon, stars) is apparently sufficient to produce contrasting Visual cues silhouettes from the canopy and surrounding vegetation, thus providing orientation cues. -
Herrera, H.W., Baert, L., Dekoninck, W., Causton, C.E., Sevilla
Belgian Journal of Entomology 93: 1–60 ISSN: 2295-0214 www.srbe-kbve.be urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2612CE09-F7FF-45CD-B52E-99F04DC2AA56 Belgian Journal of Entomology Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Henri W. HERRERA, Léon BAERT, Wouter DEKONINCK, Charlotte E. CAUSTON, Christian R. SEVILLA, Paola POZO & Frederik HENDRICKX Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Entomology Department, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author) Published: Brussels, May 5, 2020 HERRERA H.W. et al. Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants Citation: HERRERA H.W., BAERT L., DEKONINCK W., CAUSTON C.E., SEVILLA C.R., POZO P. & HENDRICKX F., 2020. - Distribution and habitat preferences of Galápagos ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Belgian Journal of Entomology, 93: 1–60. ISSN: 1374-5514 (Print Edition) ISSN: 2295-0214 (Online Edition) The Belgian Journal of Entomology is published by the Royal Belgian Society of Entomology, a non-profit association established on April 9, 1855. Head office: Vautier street 29, B-1000 Brussels. The publications of the Society are partly sponsored by the University Foundation of Belgium. In compliance with Article 8.6 of the ICZN, printed versions of all papers are deposited in the following libraries: - Royal Library of Belgium, Boulevard de l’Empereur 4, B-1000 Brussels. - Library of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautier street 29, B-1000 Brussels. - American Museum of Natural History Library, Central Park West at 79th street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA. - Central library of the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, rue Geoffroy SaintHilaire 38, F- 75005 Paris, France. -
Permanent Loss of Wings in Queens of the Ant Odontomachus Coquereli from Madagascar
Insect. Soc. 54 (2007) 183 – 188 0020-1812/07/020183-6 Insectes Sociaux DOI 10.1007/s00040-007-0930-0 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2007 Research article Permanent loss of wings in queens of the ant Odontomachus coquereli from Madagascar M. Molet1, C. Peeters1 and B.L. Fisher2 1 Laboratoire dEcologie CNRS UMR 7625, UniversitØ Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005 Paris, France; e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] 2 Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, 875 Howard Street, San Francisco, California 94103, USA; e-mail: [email protected] Received 15 December 2006; revised 26 February 2007; accepted 1 March 2007. Published Online First 20 March 2007 Abstract. Winged queens are the most common repro- Keywords: Ergatoid queen, morphometry, colony fission, ductives in ants. They are morphologically specialized for intermorph, caste. independent colony foundation, with wings for long- range dispersal and metabolic reserves to raise the first brood. However independent foundation can sometimes be selected against and replaced by fission, featuring Introduction short-range dispersal on the ground and reproductives that are dependent on the wingless workers for all non- Colonial reproduction has a major impact on the mor- reproductive tasks. We investigated the evolutionary phology of reproductives in ants. Independent colony consequences of this transition on the morphology of foundation is performed by winged queens that disperse the reproductives by collecting 30 colonies of Odonto- by flight, mate and found their colony alone (Hçlldobler machus coquereli from Madagascar, the only species in and Wilson, 1990). High mortality of foundresses can the genus where winged queens have never been found. -
Odontomachus Bauri
Research, Society and Development, v. 10, n. 8, e13010817119, 2021 (CC BY 4.0) | ISSN 2525-3409 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i8.17119 Cuticular hydrocarbons from ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Odontomachus bauri (Emery) from the tropical forest of Maranguape, Ceará, Brazil Hidrocarbonetos cuticulares de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Odontomachus bauri (Emery) da floresta tropical de Maranguape, Ceará, Brasil Hidrocarburos cuticulares de hormigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Odontomachus bauri (Emery) del bosque tropical de Maranguape, Ceará, Brasil Received: 06/12/2021 | Reviewed: 06/19/2021 | Accept: 06/23/2021 | Published: 07/08/2021 Paulo Aragão de Azevedo Filho ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4824-8588 Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Brasil E-mail: [email protected] Fábio Roger Vasconcelos ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6080-6370 Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brasil E-mail: [email protected] Rayanne Castro Gomes dos Santos ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2264-710X Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Brasil E-mail: [email protected] Selene Maia de Morais ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2766-3790 Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Brasil E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Semiochemicals, 5-methyl-nonacosane, Alkanes, Chromatography.Ants are eusocial organisms with great relative abundance and species richness. Studies on these organisms are scarce, especially in the high altitude humid forest environments of the state of Ceará. In view of this condition, an evaluation of the chemical composition of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of the species Odontomachus bauri found and recorded for the first time in this study in the tropical forest of Maranguape was carried out, based on the hypothesis that different nests have different compositions of CHCs. -
Seed Dispersal Mutualisms Are Essential for the Survival of Diverse Plant Species and Communities Worldwide
ABSTRACT YOUNGSTEADT, ELSA KRISTEN. Neotropical Ant-Gardens: Behavioral and Chemical Ecology of an Obligate Ant-Plant Mutualism. (Under the direction of Coby Schal.) Seed dispersal mutualisms are essential for the survival of diverse plant species and communities worldwide. An outstanding but poorly understood ant-seed mutualism occurs in the Amazonian rainforest, where arboreal ants collect seeds of several taxonomically diverse plant species and cultivate them in nutrient-rich nests, forming abundant hanging gardens known as ant-gardens (AGs). AG ants and plants are dominant members of lowland Amazonian ecosystems, and their interaction is obligate and apparently species-specific. Though established AGs are limited to specific participants, it is unknown at what stage specificity arises. Seed fate pathways in AG epiphytes are undocumented, and the recognition cues that mediate the mutualism are unknown. Here the species specificity of the AG ant-seed interaction is assessed, and chemical cues are characterized that elicit seed- finding and seed-carrying in AG ants. To examine the specificity of the ant-seed interaction, general food baits and seeds of the AG plant Peperomia macrostachya were offered on alternate days at 108 bait stations. Seventy ant species were detected at food baits and could have interacted with AG seeds, but only three species collected P. macrostachya seeds, and 84% of observed seed removal by ants was attributed to C. femoratus. In a separate experiment, arthropod exclusion significantly reduced AG seed removal rates, but vertebrate exclusion did not. Thus species specific seed dispersal, rather than post-dispersal processes, appears to be the primary determinant of the distribution of AG plants. -
Mandible Strike Kinematics of the Trap‐
Journal of Zoology. Print ISSN 0952-8369 Mandible strike kinematics of the trap-jaw ant genus Anochetus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) J. C. Gibson1 , F. J. Larabee1,2, A. Touchard3, J. Orivel4 & A. V. Suarez1,5 1 Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA 2 Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA 3 EA7417-BTSB, UniversiteF ed erale Toulouse Midi-Pyren ees, INU Champollion, Albi, France 4 CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forets^ de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Universite de Guyane, Universite des Antilles, Kourou Cedex, France 5 Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA Keywords Abstract comparative biomechanics; catapult mechanism; functional morphology; power amplification; High-speed power-amplification mechanisms are common throughout the animal mandible strike; Formicidae; kinematics. kingdom. In ants, power-amplified trap-jaw mandibles have evolved independently at least four times, including once in the subfamily Ponerinae which contains the Correspondence sister genera Odontomachus and Anochetus.InOdontomachus, mandible strikes Joshua Caleb Gibson, Department of have been relatively well described and can occur in <0.15 ms and reach speeds of À1 Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana- over 60 m s . In contrast, the kinematics of mandible strikes have not been exam- Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 S. Goodwin ined in Anochetus, whose species are smaller and morphologically distinct from Ave., Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Odontomachus. In this study, we describe the mandible strike kinematics of four Tel: (419) 905 5373 species of Anochetus representative of the morphological, phylogenetic, and size Email: [email protected] diversity present within the genus. -
Jaws That Snap: Control of Mandible Movements in the Ant Mystrium ¨ Wulfila Gronenberg A,*, Bert Holldobler A, Gary D
Journal of Insect Physiology 44 (1998) 241–253 Jaws that snap: control of mandible movements in the ant Mystrium ¨ Wulfila Gronenberg a,*, Bert Holldobler a, Gary D. Alpert b a Theodor Boveri Institut, Lehrstuhl fu¨r Verhaltensphysiologie und Soziobiologie der Universita¨t, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wu¨rzburg, Germany b Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Received 26 June 1997; received in revised form 22 September 1997 Abstract Ants of the genus Mystrium employ a peculiar snap-jaw mechanism in which the closed mandibles cross over to deliver a stunning blow to an adversary within about 0.5 ms. The mandible snapping is preceded by antennation and antennal withdrawal. The strike is initiated by contact of the adversary with mechanosensory hairs at the side of the mandible, and is powered by large yet slow closer muscles whose energy is stored by a catapult mechanism. Recording of closer muscle activity indicates that the mandibles are not triggered by any fast muscle. Instead, we suppose that activity differences between the left and right mandible muscles imbalance a pivot at the mandible tip and release the strike. The likelihood for the strike to occur can be modulated by an alarm pheromone. The presence of specialized sensilla and of a complex muscle receptor organ shows that the mandibles are also adapted to functions other than snapping and suggests that the force of the mandible can be finely adjusted for other tasks. 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Fast movements; Functional morphology; Insect mechanoreceptors; Motor control 1. Introduction including the genus Mystrium, have very small or no eyes at all, so presumably they find their prey guided Ants belonging to the genus Mystrium employ a pecu- mainly by olfactory and mechanical cues. -
Mandible-Powered Escape Jumps in Trap-Jaw Ants Increase Survival Rates During Predator-Prey Encounters
RESEARCH ARTICLE Mandible-Powered Escape Jumps in Trap-Jaw Ants Increase Survival Rates during Predator- Prey Encounters Fredrick J. Larabee1,2*, Andrew V. Suarez1,3 1 Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America, 2 Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America, 3 Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America * [email protected] Abstract Animals use a variety of escape mechanisms to increase the probability of surviving preda- OPEN ACCESS tory attacks. Antipredator defenses can be elaborate, making their evolutionary origin un- Citation: Larabee FJ, Suarez AV (2015) Mandible- clear. Trap-jaw ants are known for their rapid and powerful predatory mandible strikes, and Powered Escape Jumps in Trap-Jaw Ants Increase some species have been observed to direct those strikes at the substrate, thereby launch- Survival Rates during Predator-Prey Encounters. PLoS ONE 10(5): e0124871. doi:10.1371/journal. ing themselves into the air away from a potential threat. This potential escape mechanism pone.0124871 has never been examined in a natural context. We studied the use of mandible-powered Academic Editor: Stephen C. Pratt, Arizona State jumping in Odontomachus brunneus during their interactions with a common ant predator: University, UNITED STATES pit-building antlions. We observed that while trap-jaw ant workers escaped from antlion pits Received: January 16, 2015 by running in about half of interactions, in 15% of interactions they escaped by mandible- powered jumping. To test whether escape jumps improved individual survival, we experi- Accepted: March 5, 2015 mentally prevented workers from jumping and measured their escape rate. -
Trophallaxis: the Functions and Evolution of Social Fluid Exchange in Ant Colonies (HymenoPtera: Formicidae) Marie-Pierre Meurville & Adria C
ISSN 1997-3500 Myrmecological News myrmecologicalnews.org Myrmecol. News 31: 1-30 doi: 10.25849/myrmecol.news_031:001 13 January 2021 Review Article Trophallaxis: the functions and evolution of social fluid exchange in ant colonies (Hymeno ptera: Formicidae) Marie-Pierre Meurville & Adria C. LeBoeuf Abstract Trophallaxis is a complex social fluid exchange emblematic of social insects and of ants in particular. Trophallaxis behaviors are present in approximately half of all ant genera, distributed over 11 subfamilies. Across biological life, intra- and inter-species exchanged fluids tend to occur in only the most fitness-relevant behavioral contexts, typically transmitting endogenously produced molecules adapted to exert influence on the receiver’s physiology or behavior. Despite this, many aspects of trophallaxis remain poorly understood, such as the prevalence of the different forms of trophallaxis, the components transmitted, their roles in colony physiology and how these behaviors have evolved. With this review, we define the forms of trophallaxis observed in ants and bring together current knowledge on the mechanics of trophallaxis, the contents of the fluids transmitted, the contexts in which trophallaxis occurs and the roles these behaviors play in colony life. We identify six contexts where trophallaxis occurs: nourishment, short- and long-term decision making, immune defense, social maintenance, aggression, and inoculation and maintenance of the gut microbiota. Though many ideas have been put forth on the evolution of trophallaxis, our analyses support the idea that stomodeal trophallaxis has become a fixed aspect of colony life primarily in species that drink liquid food and, further, that the adoption of this behavior was key for some lineages in establishing ecological dominance. -
Bacterial Composition and Diversity of the Digestive Tract of Odontomachus Monticola Emery and Ectomomyrmex Javanus Mayr
insects Article Bacterial Composition and Diversity of the Digestive Tract of Odontomachus monticola Emery and Ectomomyrmex javanus Mayr Zhou Zheng 1, Xin Hu 1, Yang Xu 1, Cong Wei 2,* and Hong He 1,* 1 College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; [email protected] (Z.Z.); [email protected] (X.H.); [email protected] (Y.X.) 2 Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China * Correspondence: [email protected] (C.W.); [email protected] (H.H.); Tel.: +86-13572576812 (H.H.) Simple Summary: Bacteria are considered to be one of the compelling participants in ant dietary differentiation. The digestive tract of ants is characterized by a developed crop, an elaborate proven- triculus, and an infrabuccal pocket, which is a special filtrating structure in the mouthparts, adapting to their special trophallaxis behavior. Ponerine ants are true predators and a primitive ant group; notably, their gut bacterial communities get less attention than herbivorous ants. In this study, we investigated the composition and diversity of bacterial communities in the digestive tract and the infrabuccal pockets of two widely distributed ponerine species (Odontomachus monticola Emery and Ectomomyrmex javanus Mayr) in northwestern China using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed that, not only do the gut bacterial communities display significant interspecies differences, but they also possess apparent intercolony characteristics. Within each colony, the bacterial communities were highly similar between each gut section (crops, Citation: Zheng, Z.; Hu, X.; Xu, Y.; midguts, and hindguts) of workers, but significantly different from their infrabuccal pockets, which Wei, C.; He, H. -
Molecular Phylogenetics and Diversification of Trap-Jaw Ants in the Genera Anochetus and Odontomachus
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 103 (2016) 143–154 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev Molecular phylogenetics and diversification of trap-jaw ants in the genera Anochetus and Odontomachus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ⇑ Fredrick J. Larabee a,b, , Brian L. Fisher c, Chris A. Schmidt d,e, Pável Matos-Maraví f,g, Milan Janda f,h, Andrew V. Suarez b,i a Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA b Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA c Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA d Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, USA e Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, USA f Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic g Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic h Department of Biology, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico i Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA article info abstract Article history: Ants in the genera Anochetus and Odontomachus belong to one of the largest clades in the subfamily Received 11 January 2016 Ponerinae, and are one of four lineages of ants possessing spring-loaded ‘‘trap-jaws.” Here we present Revised 17 June 2016 results from the first global species-level molecular phylogenetic analysis of these trap-jaw ants, recon- Accepted 19 July 2016 structed from one mitochondrial, one ribosomal RNA, and three nuclear protein-coding genes.