Summary
The behaviour ofCataglyphis cursor workers towards queens at 15 days, one month or two months after worker emergence was tested. Workers reared entirely with their own maternal queen were tested with this queen or with an unfamiliar alien queen. Workers transferred within 48 h of emerging to a new definitive nest with an alien queen were tested with this queen or with the original maternal queen. The degree of attraction to each of these queens and the workers' behavioural repertoire were measured and analysed. The results showed the following: 1) The attractiveness of queens and the workers' queen recognition behaviour were linked. 2) Although unfamiliar alien queens hardly attract workers, familiar alien queens were as attractive as maternal queens, and induced the same strongly marked and unique worker response, indicating that workers learn queen attractant cues in the days immediately after emergence. 3) Agonistic reactions were observed, but workers continued to be attracted to their maternal queen even after developing an attraction response to an alien queen with which they had been reared. These results agree with the proposal that queens produce two kinds of pheromones, those that attract workers and those that mediate recognition of queens by workers. These results show the ability of workers to discriminate between queens. Workers are attracted to any queen, but recognize as nestmates only maternal or alien queens with which they have been maintained. 4) The differential in worker attraction and recognition from 15 days to 2 months and its modifications by post-imaginal experience illustrate worker behavioural ontogeny, which is a basis of social discrimination.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berton, F., 1989.Les effets de l'orphelinage chez la fourmi Cataglyphis cursor: Organisation des sociétés sans reine et signification de la parthénogenèse thélytoque. Thèse Doct. Univ. Tours.
Berton, F., A. Lenoir, A. -M. Le Roux and G. Le Roux, 1989. Attractivité de la reine homocolonialeCataglyphis cursor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Modifications du répertoire comportemental après orphelinage.Actes Coll. Ins. Soc. 5:145–152.
Berton, F., A. Lenoir, G. Le Roux and A. -M. Le Roux. 1991.Orphaning effect on queen attractant power and worker behavioral repertoire in Cataglyphis cursor ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), submitted.
Blum, M. S., 1987. The basis and evolutionary significance of recognitive olfactory acuity in insect societies. In:From Individual to Collective Behavior in Social Insects (J. M. Pasteels and J. L. Deneubourg, Eds.). Experientia Supplementum, vol. 54, p. 277–293.
Brian, M. V., 1973. Queen recognition by brood rearing workers of the antMyrmica rubra L.Anim. Behav. 21:691–698.
Brian, M. V., 1986. Bonding between workers and queens in the ant genusMyrmica.Anim. Behav. 34:1135–1145.
Brian, M. V., 1988. Queen selection by worker groups of the antMyrmica rubra.Anim. Behav. 50:914–925.
Cagniant, H., 1973. Apparition d'ouvrières à partir d'oeufs pondus par des ouvrières chez la fourmiCataglyphis cursor Fonsc. (Hyménoptères, Formicidae).C. R. Acad. Sc. Paris, D 227:2197–2198.
Cammaerts, M. C. and R. Cammaerts, 1984. Adoption ou élimination de reines étrangères par les ouvrières deMyrmica rubra L. (Formicidae). Devenir des sociétés orphelines.Ann. Sc. Nat. Zool. 6:207–220.
Carlin, N. F. and P. H. Schwartz, 1989. Pre-imaginal experience and nestmate brood recognition in the carpenter ant,Camponotus floridanus.Anim. Behav. 38:89–95.
Delage, B., 1968. Recherches sur les fourmis moissonneuses du Bassin Aquitain: Ethologie, Physiologie de l'Alimentation.Ann. Sci. Nat. 10:197–265.
De Vroey, C. and J. M. Pasteels, 1978. Agonistic behaviour ofMyrmica rubra L.Ins. Soc. 25: 247–265.
Edwards, J. P. and J. Chambers, 1984. Identification and source of a queen specific chemical in the Pharaoh's antMonomorium pharaonis.J. Chem. Ecol. 10:1731–1748.
Emerson, A. E., 1938. Termite nest, a study of the phylogeny of behavior.Ecol. Monogr. 8:247–284.
Fletcher, D. J. C., 1987. Recognition of actual and potential female reproductives in colonies of social Hymenoptera. In:From individual to collective behavior in Social Insects (Pasteels J. M. et Deneubourg J. L., Eds.). Experientia Supplementum, vol. 54, p. 365–378.
Fowler, H. G. and R. B. Roberts, 1982. Entourage pheromone in Carpenter ant,Camponotus pennsylvanicus, (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queens.J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 55:568–570.
Franks, N. R., M. S. Blum, R. -K. Smith and A. B. Allies, 1990. Behavior and chemical disguise of cuckoo antLeptothorax kutteri in relation to its hostLeptothorax acervorum.J. Chem. Ecol. 16:1431–1444.
Glancey, B. M., 1980. Biological studies of the queen pheromone of the red imported fire ant. In: Ecological Animal Control by Habitat Management.The Fire Ant Problem 7:149–154.
Isingrini, M., A. Lenoir and P. Jaisson, 1985. Preimaginal learning as a basis of colony-brood recognition in the antCataglyphis cursor.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:8545–8547.
Jaisson, P., 1985. Social Behaviour. In:Comprehensive Insect Physiology (Biochemistry and Pharmacology) (G. A. Kerkut and L.I. Gilbert, Eds.). Pergamon Press, 15, pp. 673–694.
Jouvenaz, D. P., W. A. Banks and C. S. Lofgren, 1974. Fire ants: Attraction of workers to queen secretions.Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 67:442–444.
Keller, L. and L. Passera, 1989. Influence of the number of queens on nestmate recognition and attractiveness of queens to workers in the Argentine Ant,Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr).Anim. Behav. 37:733–740.
Kolmes, S. A. and M. L. Winston, 1988. Division of labour among worker honey bees in demographically manipulated colonies.Ins. Soc. 35:262–210.
Lenoir, A., 1987. Factors determining polyethism in social insects.Experientia Supplementum, Behavior in Social Insects. 54:219–240.
Mabelis, A. A., 1979. Nest splitting by the red wood ant (Formica polyctena Forster).Neth. J. Zool. 29:109–125.
Morel, L., 1983. Relation entre comportement agressif et privation sociale chez les jeunes immatures de la fourmiCamponotus vagus Scop.C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 296:449–452.
Nowbahari, E., A. Lenoir, J. -L. Clement, C. Lange, A. G. Bagneres and C. Joulie, 1990.Individual, Geographical and Experimental Variation of Cuticular Hydrocarbons of the ant Cataglyphis cursor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Their use in nest and subspecies recognition. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 18 p.
Siegel, S., 1956.Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. International Student Edition, 312 p.
Stumper, R., 1956. Etudes myrmécologiques. LXXVII. Les sécrétions attractives des reines de fourmis.Mitt. Schweiz Ent. Ges. 29:373–380.
Vander Meer, R. K., B. M. Glancey, A. Glover, J. H. Tumlinson and J. Rocca, 1980. The poison sac of red imported fire ant queens: Source of a pheromone attractant.Ann. Ent. Soc. America 73:609–612.
Wallis, D. I., 1962. Aggressive behaviour in the antFormica fusca.Anim. Behav. 10:267–274.
Watkins, J. F. and T. W. Cole, 1966. The Attraction of Army Ant Workers to secretions of their Queens.Texas J. Sci. 18:254–265.
Wheeler, W. M., 1928.The Social Insects. Their origin and evolution. Kegan Paul Trench Trubner and Co. London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berton, F., Lenoir, A., Nowbahari, E. et al. Ontogeny of queen attraction to workers in the antCataglyphis cursor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ins. Soc 38, 293–305 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01314915
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01314915