Abstract.
A chemically defined diet is a powerful tool for the study of nutritional physiology. We have developed a simple, standardized diet for Rhytidoponera ants to facilitate experiments on nutrititional regulation and nutrient balancing in these ants. Colonies of Rhytidoponera metallica were fed with a standardized diet, containing a 1:2 ratio of total proteins to digestible carbohydrates. After 8 weeks, colony performance (number of brood raised, the mass of pupae, and the mortality of workers) was superior to that of colonies fed with Bhatkar-Whitcomb diet and similar to colonies fed with Drosophila and honey-water.
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Received 10 March 2008; revised 1 May 2008; accepted 6 May 2008.
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Dussutour, A., Simpson, S.J. Description of a simple synthetic diet for studying nutritional responses in ants. Insect. Soc. 55, 329–333 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-008-1008-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-008-1008-3