Abstract
Territorial boundaries between conspecific social insect colonies are maintained through a highly developed nestmate recognition system modulated by heritable and, in some instances, nonheritable cues. Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, use both genetic and environmentally derived cues to discriminate nestmates from nonnestmates. We explored the possibility that intraspecific aggression in the Argentine ant might diminish when colonies shared a common diet. After segregating recently field-collected colony pairs into high or moderate aggression categories, we examined the effect of one of three diets: two hydrocarbon-rich insect prey, Blattella germanica and Supella longipalpa, and an artificial (insect-free) diet, on the magnitude of aggression loss. Aggression diminished between colony pairs that were initially moderately aggressive. However, initially highly aggressive colony pairs maintained high levels of injurious aggression throughout the study, independent of diet type. Each diet altered the cuticular hydrocarbon profile by contributing unique, diet-specific cues. We suggest that acquisition of common exogenous nestmate recognition cues from shared food sources may diminish aggression and promote fusion in neighboring colonies of the Argentine ant.
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Acknowledgments
We thank C. Apperson, C. Schal, E. Vargo, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript, G. Blomquist for providing hydrocarbon standards and for technical input, A. Carper for technical assistance, C. Brownie and J. Smith for statistical advice, and D. Dillingham, G. Kirby, and D. Suiter for help in locating ant colonies. This study was supported by the Blanton J. Whitmire Endowment at North Carolina State University.
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Buczkowski, G., Kumar, R., Suib, S.L. et al. Diet-Related Modification of Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile, Diminishes Intercolony Aggression. J Chem Ecol 31, 829–843 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-3547-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-3547-7