Titre du document / Document title
Trophallaxis mediates uniformity of colony odor in Cataglyphis iberica ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Auteur(s) / Author(s)
DAHBI A. (1) ;
HEFETZ A. (2) ;
CERDA X. (3) ;
LENOIR A. (4) ;
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée, ESA CNRS 7025, Université Paris-Nord, Villetaneuse, FRANCE
(2) Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
(3) Unidad de Ecologia Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, ESPAGNE
(4) Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Pharmacologie du Comportement, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Tours, FRANCE
Résumé / Abstract
We studied the effect of nestmate separation on trophallaxis in the polydomous ant Cataglyphis iberica. After dividing three colonies into two equivalent subgroups, one queenright and one queenless, we quantified the frequency of trophallaxis within each subgroup, between the workers from the two subgroups (mixed trophallaxis), and trophallaxis involving the queen. Observations of trophallaxis were conducted over four periods of time: for 2 weeks before the separation of the two subgroups, 8 weeks during separation, immediately after reunification, and 3 weeks following reunification. Subgroups were identically fed on the eve of each day of observation. Group separation induced an increase in mixed frequencies of trophallaxis just after reunification, after which trophallaxis returned to the initial level observed before separation. Previous results showed that group separation in C. iberica induces hydrocarbon profile divérgence and that reunification restores this chemical modification. The current results seem to indicate that increased trophallaxis permits a uniform odor to be reestablished among previously separated ants. Trophallaxis involving the queen is infrequent and does not seem to be crucial in the process of odor exchange. Our data confirm that trophallaxis plays a key role in establishing the Gestalt colony odor, particularly among naturally separated satellite nests in a polydomous species like C. iberica.
Revue / Journal Title
Journal of insect behavior
ISSN
0892-7553
CODEN JIBEE8
Source / Source
1999, vol. 12, n
o4, pp. 559-567 (24 ref.)
Langue / Language
Anglais
Editeur / Publisher
Springer, Heidelberg, ALLEMAGNE
(1988)
(Revue)
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Localisation / Location
INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 21585, 35400008045297.0130
Nº notice refdoc (ud4) : 1988030
