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Aging-Related Variation of Cuticular Hydrocarbons in Wild Type and Variant Drosophila melanogaster. J Chem Ecol 2022; 48:152-164. [PMID: 35022940 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-021-01344-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The cuticle of all insects is covered with hydrocarbons which have multiple functions. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) basically serve to protect insects against environmental harm and reduce dehydration. In many species, some CHCs also act as pheromones. CHCs have been intensively studied in Drosophila species and more especially in D. melanogaster. In this species, flies produce about 40 CHCs forming a complex sex- and species-specific bouquet. The quantitative and qualitative pattern of the CHC bouquet was characterized during the first days of adult life but remains unexplored in aging flies. Here, we characterized CHCs during the whole-or a large period of-adult life in males and females of several wild type and transgenic lines. Both types of lines included standard and variant CHC profiles. Some of the genotypes tested here showed very dramatic and unexpected aging-related variation based on their early days' profile. This study provides a concrete dataset to better understand the mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of CHCs on the fly cuticle. It could be useful to determine physiological parameters, including age and response to climate variation, in insects collected in the wild.
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2
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Nest structures display specific hydrocarbon profiles: insights into the chemical ecology of the invasive yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. CHEMOECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-021-00343-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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3
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Wu L, Yu Z, Jia Q, Zhang X, Ma E, Li S, Zhu KY, Feyereisen R, Zhang J. Knockdown of LmCYP303A1 alters cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and increases the susceptibility to desiccation and insecticides in Locusta migratoria. PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 168:104637. [PMID: 32711771 DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2020.104637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) serve many functions in insects, from the regulation of development to xenobiotic detoxification. Several conserved CYPs have been shown to play a role in insect growth and development. CYP303A1 is a highly conserved CYP with a single ortholog in most insects, but its underlying molecular characteristics and specific physiological functions remain poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster and Locusta migratoria, CYP303A1 is indispensable for eclosion to adult. Here, we report additional functions of the locust gene LmCYP303A1 in nymphal molts, cuticular lipid deposition and insecticide penetration. RT-qPCR revealed that LmCYP303A1 had a high expression level before ecdysis and was highly expressed in integument, wing pads, foregut and hindgut. Suppression of LmCYP303A1 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) caused a lethal phenotype with molting defect from nymph to nymph. In addition, LmCYP303A1 RNAi resulted in locusts being more susceptible to desiccation and to insecticide toxicity. Furthermore, knockdown of LmCYP303A1 efficiently suppressed the transcript level of key genes (ELO7, FAR15 and CYP4G102) responsible for cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) synthesis, which led to a decrease in some CHC levels. Taken together, our results suggest that one of the functions of LmCYP303A1 is to regulate the biosynthesis of CHC, which plays critical roles in protecting locusts from water loss and insecticide penetration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixian Wu
- Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China; College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Zhitao Yu
- Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Qiangqiang Jia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Development Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Xueyao Zhang
- Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Enbo Ma
- Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
| | - Sheng Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Development Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Kun Yan Zhu
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - René Feyereisen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1017, Denmark; Department of Plant and Crops, Ghent University, B-9000Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jianzhen Zhang
- Research Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China.
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4
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Gordon JM, Šobotník J, Chouvenc T. Colony-age-dependent variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in subterranean termite colonies. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10095-10104. [PMID: 33005366 PMCID: PMC7520186 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have, in insects, important physiological and ecological functions, such as protection against desiccation and as semiochemicals in social taxa, including termites. CHCs are, in termites, known to vary qualitatively and/or quantitatively among species, populations, castes, or seasons. Changes to hydrocarbon profile composition have been linked to varying degrees of aggression between termite colonies, although the variability of results among studies suggests that additional factors might have been involved. One source of such variability may be colony age, as termite colony demographics significantly change over time, with different caste and instar compositions throughout the life of the colony. We here hypothesize that the intracolonial chemical profile heterogeneity would be high in incipient termite colonies but would homogenize over time as a colony ages and accumulates older workers in improved homeostatic conditions. We studied caste-specific patterns of CHC profiles in Coptotermes gestroi colonies of four different age classes (6, 18, 30, and 42 months). The CHC profiles were variable among castes in the youngest colonies, but progressively converged toward a colony-wide homogenized chemical profile. Young colonies had a less-defined CHC identity, which implies a potentially high acceptance threshold for non-nestmates conspecifics in young colonies. Our results also suggest that there was no selective pressure for an early-defined colony CHC profile to evolve in termites, potentially allowing an incipient colony to merge nonagonistically with another conspecific incipient colony, with both colonies indirectly and passively avoiding mutual destruction as a result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnalyn M. Gordon
- Entomology and Nematology DepartmentFt. Lauderdale Research and Education CenterInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of FloridaDavieFLUSA
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciencesCULSPragueCzech Republic
| | - Thomas Chouvenc
- Entomology and Nematology DepartmentFt. Lauderdale Research and Education CenterInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of FloridaDavieFLUSA
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5
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Male neotenic reproductives accelerate additional differentiation of female reproductives by lowering JH titer in termites. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9435. [PMID: 32523105 PMCID: PMC7286905 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66403-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Eusocial insects exhibit reproductive division of labor, in which only a fraction of colony members differentiate into reproductives. In termites, reproductives of both sexes are present in a colony and constantly engaged in reproduction. It has been suggested that the sex ratio of reproductives is maintained by social interactions. The presence of reproductives is known to inhibit the additional differentiation of same-sex reproductives, while it promotes the differentiation of opposite-sex reproductives. In this study, using the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti, physiological effects of male/female reproductives on the differentiation of supplementary reproductives (neotenics) were examined. The results showed that the only male-neotenic condition, i.e., the presence of male neotenics in the absence of female neotenics, accelerated the neotenic differentiation from female workers (i.e., pseudergates). Under this condition, the rise of juvenile hormone (JH) titer was repressed in females, and the application of a JH analog inhibited the female neotenic differentiation, indicating that the low JH titer leads to rapid differentiation. Thus, the only male-neotenic condition that actively promotes reproductive differentiation by manipulating physiological condition of females is suggested to be a mechanism underlying sexual asymmetry in reproductive function, which may lead the female-biased sex allocation of reproductives.
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6
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Funaro CF, Schal C, Vargo EL. Queen and king recognition in the subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes: Evidence for royal recognition pheromones. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0209810. [PMID: 31145770 PMCID: PMC6542537 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Royal recognition is a central feature of insect societies, allowing them to maintain the reproductive division of labor and regulate colony demography. Queen recognition has been broadly demonstrated and queen recognition pheromones have been identified in social hymenopterans, and in one termite species. Here we describe behaviors that are elicited in workers and soldiers by neotenic queens and kings of the subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, and demonstrate the chemical basis for the behavior. Workers and soldiers readily perform a lateral or longitudinal shaking behavior upon antennal contact with queens and kings. When royal cuticular chemicals are transferred to live workers or inert glass dummies, they elicit antennation and shaking in a dose-dependent manner. The striking response to reproductives and their cuticular extracts suggests that royal-specific cuticular compounds act as recognition pheromones and that shaking behavior is a clear and measurable queen and king recognition response in this termite species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin F. Funaro
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Coby Schal
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Edward L. Vargo
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
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7
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Gössinger E. Chemistry of the Secondary Metabolites of Termites. PROGRESS IN THE CHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC NATURAL PRODUCTS 2019; 109:1-384. [PMID: 31637529 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-12858-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Isolation, structure determination, synthesis, and biochemistry of the low-molecular-weight compounds of the secretion of exocrine glands of termites are described, with an emphasis on pheromones and defensive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edda Gössinger
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- , Mistelbach, Austria.
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8
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Funaro CF, Böröczky K, Vargo EL, Schal C. Identification of a queen and king recognition pheromone in the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:3888-3893. [PMID: 29555778 PMCID: PMC5899469 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721419115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical communication is fundamental to success in social insect colonies. Species-, colony-, and caste-specific blends of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) and other chemicals have been well documented as pheromones, mediating important behavioral and physiological aspects of social insects. More specifically, royal pheromones used by queens (and kings in termites) enable workers to recognize and care for these vital individuals and maintain the reproductive division of labor. In termites, however, no royal-recognition pheromones have been identified to date. In the current study, solvent extracts of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes were analyzed to assess differences in cuticular compounds among castes. We identified a royal-specific hydrocarbon-heneicosane-and several previously unreported and highly royal enriched long-chain alkanes. When applied to glass dummies, heneicosane elicited worker behavioral responses identical to those elicited by live termite queens, including increased vibratory shaking and antennation. Further, the behavioral effects of heneicosane were amplified when presented with nestmate termite workers' cuticular extracts, underscoring the importance of chemical context in termite royal recognition. Thus, heneicosane is a royal-recognition pheromone that is active in both queens and kings of R. flavipes The use of heneicosane as a queen and king recognition pheromone by termites suggests that CHCs evolved as royal pheromones ∼150 million years ago, ∼50 million years before their first use as queen-recognition pheromones in social Hymenoptera. We therefore infer that termites and social Hymenoptera convergently evolved the use of these ubiquitous compounds in royal recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin F Funaro
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695;
| | - Katalin Böröczky
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Edward L Vargo
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Coby Schal
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695;
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Stress-induced reproductive arrest in Drosophila occurs through ETH deficiency-mediated suppression of oogenesis and ovulation. BMC Biol 2018; 16:18. [PMID: 29382341 PMCID: PMC5791332 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental stressors induce changes in endocrine state, leading to energy re-allocation from reproduction to survival. Female Drosophila melanogaster respond to thermal and nutrient stressors by arresting egg production through elevation of the steroid hormone ecdysone. However, the mechanisms through which this reproductive arrest occurs are not well understood. RESULTS Here we report that stress-induced elevation of ecdysone is accompanied by decreased levels of ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH). Depressed levels of circulating ETH lead to attenuated activity of its targets, including juvenile hormone-producing corpus allatum and, as we describe here for the first time, octopaminergic neurons of the oviduct. Elevation of steroid thereby results in arrested oogenesis, reduced octopaminergic input to the reproductive tract, and consequent suppression of ovulation. ETH mitigates heat or nutritional stress-induced attenuation of fecundity, which suggests that its deficiency is critical to reproductive adaptability. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that, as a dual regulator of octopamine and juvenile hormone release, ETH provides a link between stress-induced elevation of ecdysone levels and consequent reduction in fecundity.
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10
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Gévar J, Bagnères AG, Christidès JP, Darrouzet E. Chemical Heterogeneity in Inbred European Population of the Invasive Hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. J Chem Ecol 2017; 43:763-777. [PMID: 28762003 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0874-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Invasive social insect populations that have been introduced to a new environment through a limited number of introduction events generally exhibit reduced variability in their chemical signatures (cuticular hydrocarbons) compared to native populations of the same species. The reduced variability in these major recognition cues could be caused by a reduction of genetic diversity due to a genetic bottleneck. This hypothesis was tested in an inbred European population of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. Our results show that, in spite of the limited amount of genetic diversity present in the European population, the chemical signatures of individuals were highly heterogeneous according to their caste, sex, and colony origin. In queens, some specific saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons were identified. These results suggest that epigenetic and/or environmental factors could play a role in modifying cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in this introduced hornet population despite the observed reduction of genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Gévar
- IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, University François Rabelais of Tours, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - A-G Bagnères
- IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, University François Rabelais of Tours, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - J-P Christidès
- IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, University François Rabelais of Tours, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - E Darrouzet
- IRBI, UMR CNRS 7261, University François Rabelais of Tours, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France.
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11
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Induction of a reproductive-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profile by a juvenile hormone analog in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. CHEMOECOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00049-016-0219-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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12
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Liu XJ, Che M, Xie L, Zhan S, Zhou ZH, Huang YP, Wang Q. Metatranscriptome of the protistan community in Reticulitermes flaviceps. INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 23:543-547. [PMID: 27234337 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The hindgut of lower termites harbors various symbiotic protists, which perform varied functions in lignocellulose decomposition. As termites are social insects, the species and numbers of these flagellated protists in the termite gut vary among the different castes. Juvenile hormones (JHs) can regulate caste differentiation in termites. In this study, we used the juvenile hormone analog fenoxycarb to induce termite workers (Reticulitermes flaviceps) to differentiate into pre-soldiers. A metatranscriptomic investigation of the protistan community was then performed by 454 pyrosequencing. From a thorough analysis based on 597 312 generated reads, we found that the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway was the most abundant pathway across the metatranscriptome. The current study demonstrates that the metatranscriptome of the protistan community in termites contains an abundance of lignocellulase, which plays a vital role in termite nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jing Liu
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Che
- College of Science, Air Force Engineering University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lei Xie
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuai Zhan
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Zhou
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong-Ping Huang
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Institute Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Rahman S, Hajong SR, Gévar J, Lenoir A, Darrouzet E. Cuticular Hydrocarbon Compounds in Worker Castes and Their Role in Nestmate Recognition in Apis cerana indica. J Chem Ecol 2016; 42:444-51. [PMID: 27155603 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0700-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Differences in cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) among worker castes and colonies were examined in Apis cerana indica. The roles of tetracosanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, pentacosane, and (Z)-9-tricosene in nestmate recognition were studied. The CHC profiles of different castes, i.e., newly emerged bees, nurse bees, and forager bees, were found to differ among colonies. The CHC profiles of nurse bees were similar across different colonies, but forager bees in all colonies had significantly greater amounts of alkanes. In nestmate recognition experiments, guard bees reacted significantly more aggressively to foragers treated with tetracosanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, and (Z)-9-tricosene. Pentacosane provoked no such effect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jérémy Gévar
- IRBI UMR CNRS 7261 Université François Rabelais, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Alain Lenoir
- IRBI UMR CNRS 7261 Université François Rabelais, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Eric Darrouzet
- IRBI UMR CNRS 7261 Université François Rabelais, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France
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