1
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Muratore IB, Fandozzi EM, Traniello JFA. Behavioral performance and division of labor influence brain mosaicism in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:325-344. [PMID: 35112161 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01539-6] [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: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Brain evolution is hypothesized to be driven by behavioral selection on neuroarchitecture. We developed a novel metric of relative neuroanatomical investments involved in performing tasks varying in sensorimotor and processing demands across polymorphic task-specialized workers of the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes and quantified brain size and structure to examine their correlation with our computational approximations. Investment in multisensory and motor integration for task performance was estimated to be greatest for media workers, whose highly diverse repertoire includes leaf-quality discrimination and leaf-harvesting tasks that likely involve demanding sensory and motor processes. Confocal imaging revealed that absolute brain volume increased with worker size and functionally specialized compartmental scaling differed among workers. The mushroom bodies, centers of sensory integration and learning and memory, and the antennal lobes, olfactory input sites, were larger in medias than in minims (gardeners) and significantly larger than in majors ("soldiers"), both of which had lower scores for involvement of olfactory processing in the performance of their characteristic tasks. Minims had a proportionally larger central complex compared to other workers. These results support the hypothesis that variation in task performance influences selection for mosaic brain structure, the independent evolution of proportions of the brain composed of different neuropils.
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Affiliation(s)
- I B Muratore
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - E M Fandozzi
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - J F A Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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2
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Peña Carrillo KI, Lorenzi MC, Brault M, Devienne P, Lachaud JP, Pavan G, Poteaux C. A new putative species in the Ectatomma ruidum complex (Formicidae: Ectatomminae) produces a species-specific distress call. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1938226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenzy I. Peña Carrillo
- LEEC-Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale Et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
- Campo Experimental General Terán, INIFAP-Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias, General Terán, NL, México
| | - María Cristina Lorenzi
- LEEC-Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale Et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Maxence Brault
- LEEC-Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale Et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Paul Devienne
- LEEC-Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale Et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Jean-Paul Lachaud
- Depto. De Conservación De La Biodiversidad, El Colegio De La Frontera Sur, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, México
- Centre De Recherches Sur La Cognition Animale, Centre De Biologie Intégrative, Université De Toulouse CNRS, UPS, Toulouse Cedex 09, France
| | - Gianni Pavan
- Centro Interdisciplinare Di Bioacustica E Ricerche Ambientali, Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra E dell’Ambiente, Università Degli Studi Di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chantal Poteaux
- LEEC-Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale Et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
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3
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Masoni A, Frizzi F, Nieri R, Casacci LP, Mazzoni V, Turillazzi S, Santini G. Ants modulate stridulatory signals depending on the behavioural context. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5933. [PMID: 33723279 PMCID: PMC7970987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84925-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect societies require an effective communication system to coordinate members' activities. Although eusocial species primarily use chemical communication to convey information to conspecifics, there is increasing evidence suggesting that vibroacoustic communication plays a significant role in the behavioural contexts of colony life. In this study, we sought to determine whether stridulation can convey information in ant societies. We tested three main hypotheses using the Mediterranean ant Crematogaster scutellaris: (i) stridulation informs about the emitter'caste; (ii) workers can modulate stridulation based on specific needs, such as communicating the profitability of a food resource, or (iii) behavioural contexts. We recorded the stridulations of individuals from the three castes, restrained on a substrate, and the signals emitted by foragers workers feeding on honey drops of various sizes. Signals emitted by workers and sexuates were quantitatively and qualitatively distinct as was stridulation emitted by workers on different honey drops. Comparing across the experimental setups, we demonstrated that signals emitted in different contexts (restraining vs feeding) differed in emission patterns as well as certain parameters (dominant frequency, amplitude, duration of chirp). Our findings suggest that vibrational signaling represents a flexible communication channel paralleling the well-known chemical communication system.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Masoni
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - F. Frizzi
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - R. Nieri
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy ,grid.424414.30000 0004 1755 6224Research and Innovation Center, Sustainable Ecosystems and Bioresources, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All’Adige, Italy
| | - L. P. Casacci
- grid.7605.40000 0001 2336 6580Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Turin University, Turin, Italy ,grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - V. Mazzoni
- grid.424414.30000 0004 1755 6224Research and Innovation Center, Sustainable Ecosystems and Bioresources, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All’Adige, Italy
| | - S. Turillazzi
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - G. Santini
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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4
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Corey TB, Hebets EA. Testing the hypothesized antipredator defence function of stridulation in the spiny orb-weaving spider, Micrathena gracilis. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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5
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Hager FA, Krausa K. Acacia Ants Respond to Plant-Borne Vibrations Caused by Mammalian Browsers. Curr Biol 2019; 29:717-725.e3. [PMID: 30773363 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Living in the African savanna is dangerous, especially for plants. Many plants therefore engage in mutualism with ants, in which plants provide food and shelter in exchange for protection against herbivores. Ants become alarmed when the plant takes on some sort of damage. They immediately emerge from their plant shelter and aggressively defend the plant. Mammalian herbivores can have devastating effects on trees by browsing, breaking tree branches, stripping bark, and pushing over entire trees. However, mutualistic ants substantially reduce the amount of damage. To efficiently protect the tree, ants need to rapidly react together when the tree is under attack. Here, we show that the acacia ant Crematogaster mimosae defends its host tree by exploiting plant-borne vibrations caused by browsers feeding on the tree. Experiments with controlled vibrations show that ants discriminate browser-induced vibrations from those induced by wind, become alarmed, and patrol on the branches. Browser-induced vibrations serve as a long-distance alarm cue. The vibrations propagate through the whole acacia tree and trigger ants' defensive behavior, even on the other side of the tree. Furthermore, the ants make use of tropotactic directional vibration sensing to orient to the attacked part of the tree and fight back the attacker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix A Hager
- Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum 44780, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Krausa
- Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Bochum 44780, Germany
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6
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Abstract
Nest choice in Temnothorax spp.; task allocation and the regulation of activity in Pheidole dentata, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, and Atta spp.; and trail networks in Monomorium pharaonis and Cephalotes goniodontus all provide examples of correspondences between the dynamics of the environment and the dynamics of collective behavior. Some important aspects of the dynamics of the environment include stability, the threat of rupture or disturbance, the ratio of inflow and outflow of resources or energy, and the distribution of resources. These correspond to the dynamics of collective behavior, including the extent of amplification, how feedback instigates and inhibits activity, and the extent to which the interactions that provide the information to regulate behavior are local or spatially centralized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020, USA;
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7
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Mueller UG, Kardish MR, Ishak HD, Wright AM, Solomon SE, Bruschi SM, Carlson AL, Bacci M. Phylogenetic patterns of ant-fungus associations indicate that farming strategies, not only a superior fungal cultivar, explain the ecological success of leafcutter ants. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2414-2434. [PMID: 29740906 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate fungicultural specializations contributing to ecological dominance of leafcutter ants, we estimate the phylogeny of fungi cultivated by fungus-growing (attine) ants, including fungal cultivars from (i) the entire leafcutter range from southern South America to southern North America, (ii) all higher-attine ant lineages (leafcutting genera Atta, Acromyrmex; nonleafcutting genera Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex) and (iii) all lower-attine lineages. Higher-attine fungi form two clades, Clade-A fungi (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, formerly Attamyces) previously thought to be cultivated only by leafcutter ants, and a sister clade, Clade-B fungi, previously thought to be cultivated only by Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex ants. Contradicting this traditional view, we find that (i) leafcutter ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-A fungi because some leafcutter species ranging across South America cultivate Clade-B fungi; (ii) Trachymyrmex ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-B fungi because some Trachymyrmex species cultivate Clade-A fungi and other Trachymyrmex species cultivate fungi known so far only from lower-attine ants; (iii) in some locations, single higher-attine ant species or closely related cryptic species cultivate both Clade-A and Clade-B fungi; and (iv) ant-fungus co-evolution among higher-attine mutualisms is therefore less specialized than previously thought. Sympatric leafcutter ants can be ecologically dominant when cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi, sustaining with either cultivar-type huge nests that command large foraging territories; conversely, sympatric Trachymyrmex ants cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi can be locally abundant without achieving the ecological dominance of leafcutter ants. Ecological dominance of leafcutter ants therefore does not depend primarily on specialized fungiculture of L. gongylophorus (Clade-A), but must derive from ant-fungus synergisms and unique ant adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich G Mueller
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Melissa R Kardish
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Heather D Ishak
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - April M Wright
- Department of Biological Science, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana
| | - Scott E Solomon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas.,Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Sofia M Bruschi
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.,Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexis L Carlson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Maurício Bacci
- Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
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8
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Hager FA, Kirchner L, Kirchner WH. Directional vibration sensing in the leafcutter ant Atta sexdens. Biol Open 2017; 6:1949-1952. [PMID: 29247049 PMCID: PMC5769659 DOI: 10.1242/bio.029587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Leafcutter ants communicate with the substrate-borne component of the vibratory emission produced by stridulation. Stridulatory signals in the genus Atta have been described in different behavioural contexts, such as foraging, alarm signalling and collective nest building. Stridulatory vibrations are employed to recruit nestmates, which can localize the source of vibration, but there is little information about the underlying mechanisms. Our experiments reveal that time-of-arrival delays of the vibrational signals are used for tropotactic orientation in Atta sexdens. The detected time delays are in the same range as the time delays detected by termites. Chemical communication is also of great importance in foraging organization, and signals of different modalities may be combined in promoting the organization of collective foraging. Here we show that the tropotactic orientation to vibrational signals interacts with chemical communication signals. Summary: Leafcutter ants communicate via substrate vibrations. Here we show that time delays between legs are used for orientation in a foraging context and that alarm pheromones interfere by changing the social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix A Hager
- Ruhr University Bochum, Biology and Biotechnology, 44780 Bochum, Germany .,Taita Taveta University, School of Agriculture Earth and Environmental Sciences, 80300 Voi, Kenya
| | - Lea Kirchner
- Ruhr University Bochum, Biology and Biotechnology, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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9
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Schönrogge K, Barbero F, Casacci L, Settele J, Thomas J. Acoustic communication within ant societies and its mimicry by mutualistic and socially parasitic myrmecophiles. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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10
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Feinerman O, Korman A. Individual versus collective cognition in social insects. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:73-82. [PMID: 28057830 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.143891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The concerted responses of eusocial insects to environmental stimuli are often referred to as collective cognition at the level of the colony. To achieve collective cognition, a group can draw on two different sources: individual cognition and the connectivity between individuals. Computation in neural networks, for example, is attributed more to sophisticated communication schemes than to the complexity of individual neurons. The case of social insects, however, can be expected to differ. This is because individual insects are cognitively capable units that are often able to process information that is directly relevant at the level of the colony. Furthermore, involved communication patterns seem difficult to implement in a group of insects as they lack a clear network structure. This review discusses links between the cognition of an individual insect and that of the colony. We provide examples for collective cognition whose sources span the full spectrum between amplification of individual insect cognition and emergent group-level processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofer Feinerman
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Amos Korman
- Institut de Recherche en Informatique Fondamentale (IRIF), CNRS and University Paris Diderot, Paris 75013, France
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11
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Abstract
A wide variety of insects use spatial memories in behaviours like holding a position in air or flowing water, in returning to a place of safety, and in foraging. The Hymenoptera, in particular, have evolved life-histories requiring reliable spatial memories to support the task of provisioning their young. Behavioural experiments, primarily on social bees and ants, reveal the mechanisms by which these memories are employed for guidance to spatial goals and suggest how the memories, and the processing streams that use them, may be organized. We discuss three types of memory-based guidance which, together, can explain a large part of observed insect spatial behaviour. Two of these, alignment image-matching and positional image-matching, are based on an insect's remembered views of its surroundings: The first uses views to keep to a familiar heading and the second to head towards a familiar place. The third type of guidance is based on a process of path integration by which an insect monitors its distance and direction from its nest through odometric and compass information. To a large degree, these guidance mechanisms appear to involve modular computational systems. We discuss the lack of evidence for cognitive maps in insects, and in particular the evidence against a map based on path integration, in which view-based and path integration memories might be combined. We suggest instead that insects have a collective of separate guidance systems, which cooperate and train each other, and together provide reliable guidance over a range of conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Collett
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Perry Rd, Exeter EX4 4QG, Devon, UK.
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12
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Oberst S, Baro EN, Lai JCS, Evans TA. Quantifying ant activity using vibration measurements. PLoS One 2014; 9:e90902. [PMID: 24658467 PMCID: PMC3962336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant behaviour is of great interest due to their sociality. Ant behaviour is typically observed visually, however there are many circumstances where visual observation is not possible. It may be possible to assess ant behaviour using vibration signals produced by their physical movement. We demonstrate through a series of bioassays with different stimuli that the level of activity of meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus) can be quantified using vibrations, corresponding to observations with video. We found that ants exposed to physical shaking produced the highest average vibration amplitudes followed by ants with stones to drag, then ants with neighbours, illuminated ants and ants in darkness. In addition, we devised a novel method based on wavelet decomposition to separate the vibration signal owing to the initial ant behaviour from the substrate response, which will allow signals recorded from different substrates to be compared directly. Our results indicate the potential to use vibration signals to classify some ant behaviours in situations where visual observation could be difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Oberst
- Acoustics & Vibration Unit, School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Enrique Nava Baro
- Acoustics & Vibration Unit, School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Departamento de Ingeniera de Comunicaciones, Escuela Tecnica Supérior de Ingeniería Telecomunicación, Campus de Teatinos s/n, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Joseph C. S. Lai
- Acoustics & Vibration Unit, School of Engineering and Information Technology, University of New South Wales Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Theodore A. Evans
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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13
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Hager FA, Kirchner WH. Vibrational long-distance communication in the termites Macrotermes natalensis and Odontotermes sp. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 216:3249-56. [PMID: 23926309 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.086991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Fungus-growing higher termites build long subterranean galleries that lead outwards from the nest to foraging sites. When soldiers are disturbed, they tend to drum with their heads against the substrate and thereby create vibrational alarm signals. The present study aimed at describing these acoustic signals, how they are elicited, produced and perceived, and how these signals propagate within the galleries and nests over long distances in two termite species of the Southern African savannah, Macrotermes natalensis and an Odontotermes sp. The signals consist of trains of pulses with a pulse repetition rate of 10-20 Hz. The galleries have physical features that promote vibrational communication and are used as channels for long-distance communication. In M. natalensis, the signal propagation velocity is ~130 m s(-1) and the signals are attenuated by ~0.4 dB per centimetre distance. Nestmates are extremely sensitive to these vibrations with a behavioural threshold amplitude of 0.012 m s(-2). Workers respond by a fast retreat into the nest and soldiers are recruited to the source of vibration. Soldiers also start to drum with a reaction time of about 0.3 s, thereby amplifying the intensity of the signal. This social long-distance communication through chains of signal-reamplifying termites results in a relatively slow propagation (1.3 m s(-1)) of the signal without decrement over distances of several metres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix A Hager
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Bochum, Germany
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14
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Polidori C, Ruffato G, Borruso L, Settanni C, Pavan G. Stridulatory organ and distress call in males and females of a small velvet ant (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). BIOACOUSTICS 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2012.736241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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15
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Social waves in giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) elicit nest vibrations. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:595-609. [PMID: 23722559 PMCID: PMC3696463 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1056-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Revised: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) nest in the open and have developed a wide array of strategies for colony defence, including the Mexican wave-like shimmering behaviour. In this collective response, the colony members perform upward flipping of their abdomens in coordinated cascades across the nest surface. The time–space properties of these emergent waves are response patterns which have become of adaptive significance for repelling enemies in the visual domain. We report for the first time that the mechanical impulse patterns provoked by these social waves and measured by laser Doppler vibrometry generate vibrations at the central comb of the nest at the basic (=‘natural’) frequency of 2.156 ± 0.042 Hz which is more than double the average repetition rate of the driving shimmering waves. Analysis of the Fourier spectra of the comb vibrations under quiescence and arousal conditions provoked by mass flight activity and shimmering waves gives rise to the proposal of two possible models for the compound physical system of the bee nest: According to the elastic oscillatory plate model, the comb vibrations deliver supra-threshold cues preferentially to those colony members positioned close to the comb. The mechanical pendulum model predicts that the comb vibrations are sensed by the members of the bee curtain in general, enabling mechanoreceptive signalling across the nest, also through the comb itself. The findings show that weak and stochastic forces, such as general quiescence or diffuse mass flight activity, cause a harmonic frequency spectrum of the comb, driving the comb as an elastic plate. However, shimmering waves provide sufficiently strong forces to move the nest as a mechanical pendulum. This vibratory behaviour may support the colony-intrinsic information hypothesis herein that the mechanical vibrations of the comb provoked by shimmering do have the potential to facilitate immediate communication of the momentary defensive state of the honeybee nest to the majority of its members.
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16
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Pielström S, Roces F. Vibrational communication in the spatial organization of collective digging in the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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17
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Ferreira RS, Poteaux C, Delabie JHC, Fresneau D, Rybak F. Stridulations reveal cryptic speciation in neotropical sympatric ants. PLoS One 2010; 5:e15363. [PMID: 21203529 PMCID: PMC3008743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2010] [Accepted: 11/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The taxonomic challenge posed by cryptic species underlines the importance of using multiple criteria in species delimitation. In the current paper we tested the use of acoustic analysis as a tool to assess the real diversity in a cryptic species complex of Neotropical ants. In order to understand the potential of acoustics and to improve consistency in the conclusions by comparing different approaches, phylogenetic relationships of all the morphs considered were assessed by the analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b. We observed that each of the cryptic morph studied presents a morphologically distinct stridulatory organ and that all sympatric morphs produce distinctive stridulations. This is the first evidence of such a degree of specialization in the acoustic organ and signals in ants, which suggests that stridulations may be among the cues used by these ants during inter-specific interactions. Mitochondrial DNA variation corroborated the acoustic differences observed, confirming acoustics as a helpful tool to determine cryptic species in this group of ants, and possibly in stridulating ants in general. Congruent morphological, acoustic and genetic results constitute sufficient evidence to propose each morph studied here as a valid new species, suggesting that P. apicalis is a complex of at least 6 to 9 species, even if they present different levels of divergence. Finally, our results highlight that ant stridulations may be much more informative than hitherto thought, as much for ant communication as for integrative taxonomists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronara Souza Ferreira
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, LEEC EA 4443, Université Paris 13, Villetaneuse, France.
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18
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Johnson BR. Task partitioning in honey bees: the roles of signals and cues in group-level coordination of action. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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19
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Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants harvest fresh vegetation that they then use as food for symbiotic fungi. When cutting leaf fragments, the ants produce high-frequency vibrations with a specialized organ located on the gaster. This stridulation behavior is synchronized with movements of the mandible, generating complex vibrations of the mandibles. The high vibrational acceleration of the mandible (up to three times the gravitational force at peak acceleration at about 1000 hertz) appears to stiffen the material to be cut. An identical effect is achieved when soft material is sectioned with a vibratome. This hypothesis is supported by experiments simulating the cutting process with vibrating isolated mandibles: When tender leaves were cut, the vibration of the mandible reduced force fluctuations and thus permitted a smoother cut to be made.
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20
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Barbero F, Bonelli S, Thomas JA, Balletto E, Schönrogge K. Acoustical mimicry in a predatory social parasite of ants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 212:4084-90. [PMID: 19946088 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.032912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rapid, effective communication between colony members is a key attribute that enables ants to live in dominant, fiercely protected societies. Their signals, however, may be mimicked by other insects that coexist as commensals with ants or interact with them as mutualists or social parasites. We consider the role of acoustics in ant communication and its exploitation by social parasites. Social parasitism has been studied mainly in the butterfly genus Maculinea, the final instar larvae of which are host-specific parasites of Myrmica ants, preying either on ant grubs (predatory Maculinea) or being fed by trophallaxis (cuckoo Maculinea). We found similar significant differences between the stridulations of model queen and worker ant castes in both Myrmica sabuleti and Myrmica scabrinodis to that previously reported for Myrmica schencki. However, the sounds made by queens of all three Myrmica species were indistinguishable, and among workers, stridulations did not differ significantly in two of three species-pairs tested. Sounds recorded from the predatory caterpillars and pupae of Maculinea arion had similar or closer patterns to the acoustics of their host Myrmica sabuleti than those previously reported for the cuckoo Maculinea rebeli and its host Myrmica schencki, even though Maculinea rebeli caterpillars live more intimately with their host. We conclude that chemical mimicry enables Maculinea larvae to be accepted as colony members by worker ants, but that caterpillars and pupae of both predatory and cuckoo butterflies employ acoustical mimicry of queen ant calls to elevate their status towards the highest attainable position within their host's social hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Barbero
- Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy
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Grasso DA, Mori A, Le Moli F. Recruitment and trail communication in two species ofMessorants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/11250009909356280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Inta R, Lai JCS, Fu EW, Evans TA. Termites live in a material world: exploration of their ability to differentiate between food sources. J R Soc Interface 2007; 4:735-44. [PMID: 17360255 PMCID: PMC2373396 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2007.0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Drywood termites are able to assess wood size using vibratory signals, although the exact mechanism behind this assessment ability is not known. Important vibratory characteristics such as the modal frequencies of a wooden block depend on its geometry and boundary conditions; however, they are also dependent on the material characteristics of the block, such as mass, density and internal damping. We report here on choice experiments that tested the ability of the drywood termite Cryptotermes secundus to assess wooden block size using a solid wooden block paired with a composite block, the latter made of either wood and aluminium or wood and rubber. Each composite block was constructed to match mass or low-frequency vibratory modes (i.e. fundamental frequency) of the solid wooden block. The termites always chose the blocks with more wood; they moved to the solid wooden blocks usually within a day and then tunnelled further into the solid wooden block by the end of the experiment. Termites offered composite blocks of wood and rubber matched for mass were the slowest to show a preference for the solid wooden block and this preference was the least definitive of any treatment, which indicated that mass and/or damping may play a role in food assessment. This result clearly shows that the termites were not fooled by composite blocks matched for mass or frequency, which implies that they probably employ more than a single simple measure in their food assessment strategy. This implies a degree of sophistication in their ability to assess their environment hitherto unknown. The potential importance of alternative features in the vibrational signals is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ra Inta
- School of Aerospace, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia.
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Castellanos I, Barbosa P. Evaluation of predation risk by a caterpillar using substrate-borne vibrations. Anim Behav 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Boomsma JJ, Franks NR. Social insects: from selfish genes to self organisation and beyond. Trends Ecol Evol 2006; 21:303-8. [PMID: 16769429 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2006.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2005] [Revised: 02/28/2006] [Accepted: 04/03/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Selfish gene and self-organisation approaches have revolutionised the study of social insects and have provided unparalleled insights into the highly sophisticated nature of insect social evolution. Here, we briefly review the core programs and interfaces with communication and recognition studies that characterise these fields today, and offer an interdisciplinary future perspective for the study of social insect evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacobus J Boomsma
- Institute of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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DeVries PJ, Penz CM. Entomophagy, Behavior, and Elongated Thoracic Legs in the Myrmecophilous Neotropical Butterfly Alesa amesis (Riodinidae)1. Biotropica 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2000.tb00519.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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26
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Evans TA, Lai JCS, Toledano E, McDowall L, Rakotonarivo S, Lenz M. Termites assess wood size by using vibration signals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:3732-7. [PMID: 15734796 PMCID: PMC553312 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0408649102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Contrary to the common perception that termites are indiscriminant eaters, termites choose their food carefully; however, the methods by which they choose food are not well understood. Using choice experiments and recordings of termites feeding on wooden blocks of different sizes, we show that worker drywood termites (Cryptotermes domesticus) use the resonant frequency of a block of wood to assess its size. Drywood termites showed differences in their response to vibration recordings of termites compared with artificially generated signals, suggesting that they can discriminate the source of vibration. Furthermore, fewer workers matured into neotenic reproductives when recorded termite signals were played, suggesting that vibration signals play an important role in termite communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore A Evans
- Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia.
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Cokl A, Virant-Doberlet M. Communication with substrate-borne signals in small plant-dwelling insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2002; 48:29-50. [PMID: 12414736 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.48.091801.112605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Vibratory signals of plant-dwelling insects, such as land bugs of the families Cydnidae and Pentatomidae, are produced mainly by stridulation and/or vibration of some body part. Signals emitted by the vibratory mechanisms have low-frequency characteristics with a relatively narrow frequency peak dominant around 100 Hz and differently expressed frequency modulation and higher harmonics. Such spectral characteristics are well tuned to the transmission properties of plants, and the low attenuation enables long-range communication on the same plant under standing wave conditions. Frequencies of stridulatory signals extend up to 10 kHz. In some groups, vibratory and stridulatory mechanisms may be used simultaneously to produce broadband signals. The subgenual organ, joint chordotonal organs, campaniform sensilla and mechanoreceptors, such as the Johnston's organ in antennae, are used to detect these vibratory signals. Species-specific songs facilitate mate location and recognition, and less species-specific signals provide information about enemies or rival mates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Cokl
- Department of Invertebrate Physiology, National Institute of Biology, Vecna pot 111, P.O.Box 141, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Roces F, Tautz J. Ants are deaf. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2001; 109:3080-3083. [PMID: 11425153 DOI: 10.1121/1.1370085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
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32
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Schilman PE, Lazzari CR, Manrique G. Comparison of disturbance stridulations in five species of triatominae bugs. Acta Trop 2001; 79:171-8. [PMID: 11369310 DOI: 10.1016/s0001-706x(01)00095-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It has been observed that Triatoma infestans and Rhodnius prolixus females stridulate to reject copulatory attempts performed by males. In addition, triatomines stridulate when disturbed or handled. In the present study, the temporal structure and frequency spectra of vibrational signals produced by mechanically disturbed T. infestans, T. sordida, T. guasayana, R. prolixus and Dipetalogaster maxima were analysed and compared. The inter-ridge distances of the prosternal stridulatory organ of the same species were also measured. The frequency spectra and repetition rates were similar, despite individuals of these five species have different sizes, their stridulatory grooves have different inter-ridge distances, and also their vibratory signals exhibited different temporal patterns. The hypothesis that disturbance stridulations are non-specific signals and could function to deter predators was discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P E Schilman
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut, Zoologie II, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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Abstract
In this study the substrate-borne stridulatory vibrations produced by Rhodnius prolixus females were recorded and analysed in two different behavioural contexts. In the context of sexual communication females spontaneously stridulated to reject copulatory attempts performed by males. These male-deterring stridulations were fully effective: out of 61 attempts, no copulation occurred. These stridulations consisted of short series of repetitive syllables, each one composed by a single chirp. In the context of defensive behaviour, bugs stridulated if they were clasped or restrained. These disturbance stridulations consisted of long series of repetitive syllables, each one composed by a series of short chirps and a long one. Male-deterring and disturbance stridulations differed in their temporal pattern and frequency spectra, having a main carrier frequency of about 1500 and 2200 Hz, respectively. As no differences in the inter-ridge distances along the whole stridulatory organ were found, the differences in the frequency between both signals could be explained on the basis of a different velocity of rubbing of the proboscis against the prosternal stridulatory organ. It was found that R. prolixus and the related species Triatoma infestans rubbed only the central region of the stridulatory groove (around 1/3 of the total length) to produce disturbance stridulations. The results are discussed in relation to previous work on vibrational sensitivity in R. prolixus and are also compared with results reported for T. infestans.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Manrique
- Departamento de Cs. Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Hickling R, Brown RL. Analysis of acoustic communication by ants. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2000; 108:1920-1929. [PMID: 11051518 DOI: 10.1121/1.1290515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
An analysis is presented of acoustic communication by ants, based on near-field theory and on data obtained from the black imported fire ant Solenopsis richteri and other sources. Generally ant stridulatory sounds are barely audible, but they occur continuously in ant colonies. Because ants appear unresponsive to airborne sound, myrmecologists have concluded that stridulatory signals are transmitted through the substrate. However, transmission through the substrate is unlikely, for reasons given in the paper. Apparently ants communicate mainly through the air, and the acoustic receptors are hairlike sensilla on the antennae that respond to particle sound velocity. This may seem inconsistent with the fact that ants are unresponsive to airborne sound (on a scale of meters), but the inconsistency can be resolved if acoustic communication occurs within the near field, on a scale of about 100 mm. In the near field, the particle sound velocity is significantly enhanced and has a steep gradient. These features can be used to exclude extraneous sound, and to determine the direction and distance of a near-field source. Additionally, we observed that the tracheal air sacs of S. richteri can expand within the gaster, possibly amplifying the radiation of stridulatory sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Hickling
- National Center for Physical Acoustics, University of Mississippi, University 38677, USA
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Travassos MA, Pierce NE. Acoustics, context and function of vibrational signalling in a lycaenid butterfly-ant mutualism. Anim Behav 2000; 60:13-26. [PMID: 10924199 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Juveniles of the Australian common imperial blue butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras, produce substrate-borne vibrational signals in the form of two kinds of pupal calls and three larval calls. Pupae stridulate in the presence of conspecific larvae, when attended by an ant guard, and as a reaction against perturbation. Using pupal pairs in which one member was experimentally muted, pupal calls were shown to be important in ant attraction and the maintenance of an ant guard. A pupa may use calls to regulate levels of its attendant ants and to signal its potential value in these mutualistic interactions. Therefore substrate-borne vibrations play a significant role in the communication between J. evagoras and its attendant ants and pupal calls appear to be more than just signals acting as a predator deterrent. Similarly, caterpillars make more sound when attended by Iridomyrmex anceps, suggesting that larval calls may be important in mediating ant symbioses. One larval call has the same mean dominant frequency, pulse rate, bandwidth and pulse length as the primary signal of a pupa, suggesting a similarity in function. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- MA Travassos
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
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DeVries PJ, Penz CM. Entomophagy, Behavior, and Elongated Thoracic Legs in the Myrmecophilous Neotropical Butterfly Alesa amesis (Riodinidae)1. Biotropica 2000. [DOI: 10.1646/0006-3606(2000)032[0712:ebaetl]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Cokl A, Virant-Doberlet M, McDowell A. Vibrational directionality in the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), is mediated by female song. Anim Behav 1999; 58:1277-1283. [PMID: 10600150 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that male southern green stink bugs, Nezara viridula (L.), use substrate-borne songs to locate females. We recorded the responses of bugs on plants to the vibrations caused by a prerecorded female song and by an artificial sound. The female song caused males to walk, to respond with the calling and courtship songs and to approach the source of the song with characteristic search behaviour at junctions between branches on the plants. At a junction, a searching male stopped, stretched his legs and antennae and compared the vibratory signals on the two branches, with different combinations of legs and antennae. The males then left the junction and approached the source of the vibration. Males located the loudspeaker significantly more frequently in the presence than in the absence of vibratory stimuli on cyperus, Cyperus alternifolius L., and beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L. Vibrational directionality was also elicited by artificial pure tones whose spectral and temporal parameters were similar to those of natural female song. Females showed no reaction to vibratory stimulation and no vibrational directionality. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying vibrational directionality in the light of expected signal changes during transmission through plants. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cokl
- Laboratory for Neurobiology, National Institute of Biology
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Devries PJ, Poinar GO. Ancient butterfly–ant symbiosis: direct evidence from Dominican amber. Proc Biol Sci 1997. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1997.0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- P. J. Devries
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - G. O. Poinar
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
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Menzel JG, Tautz J. Functional morphology of the subgenual organ of the carpenter ant. Tissue Cell 1994; 26:735-46. [DOI: 10.1016/0040-8166(94)90056-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/1994] [Accepted: 04/21/1994] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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