TY - JOUR
T1 - Adult transport in the ant Cataglyphis iberica
T2 - A means to maintain a uniform colonial odour in a species with multiple nests
AU - Dahbi, A.
AU - Cerdá, X.
AU - Hefetz, A.
AU - Lenoir, A.
PY - 1997/3
Y1 - 1997/3
N2 - Societies of the ant Cataglyphis iberica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) comprise several satellite queenless nests around a queenright nest. During spring, at the end of hibernation, the incidence of adult transport between these nests is high, but it decreases daring summer. Quantitative analyses of the contents of postpharyngeal glands of transporter and transportee ants reveal the amounts of hydrocarbons to be lower in the latter, indicating that these ants are generally younger. Moreover, the more diverse composition of the transportees' secretion may reflect their individual makeup. Transporters, in contrast, maintained a uniform colony odour through trophallactic exchanges before entering hibernation. The odour disparity between the transportees and the general colony odour may stimulate the transporters to bear them to the nest containing the queen where they can obtain the colony odour via trophallaxis. The intense traffic between satellite nests in the spring may thus be the means by which a uniform colonial odour is regained after hibernation. Adult transport seems also to be necessary since the young transportee ants are not able to orient themselves and find the other nests.
AB - Societies of the ant Cataglyphis iberica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) comprise several satellite queenless nests around a queenright nest. During spring, at the end of hibernation, the incidence of adult transport between these nests is high, but it decreases daring summer. Quantitative analyses of the contents of postpharyngeal glands of transporter and transportee ants reveal the amounts of hydrocarbons to be lower in the latter, indicating that these ants are generally younger. Moreover, the more diverse composition of the transportees' secretion may reflect their individual makeup. Transporters, in contrast, maintained a uniform colony odour through trophallactic exchanges before entering hibernation. The odour disparity between the transportees and the general colony odour may stimulate the transporters to bear them to the nest containing the queen where they can obtain the colony odour via trophallaxis. The intense traffic between satellite nests in the spring may thus be the means by which a uniform colonial odour is regained after hibernation. Adult transport seems also to be necessary since the young transportee ants are not able to orient themselves and find the other nests.
KW - 'gestalt' odour
KW - Cataglyphis iberica
KW - adult carrying
KW - hydrocarbon profiles
KW - polydomy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030956465&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1997.tb01135.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1997.tb01135.x
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AN - SCOPUS:0030956465
VL - 22
SP - 13
EP - 19
JO - Physiological Entomology
JF - Physiological Entomology
SN - 0307-6962
IS - 1
ER -