Ant-aphid association: role of aphid alarm pheromone.
When attacked by predators, aphids secrete alarm pheromones that cause nearby aphids to disperse. Ant-associated (myrmecophilous) aphid species disperse less readily than nonmyrmecophilous species. The ant Formica subsericea responds to aphid alarm pheromone in a way that is beneficial to the aphid. These findings support our hypothesis that myrmecophilous aphids depend more on ants for protection from predators than on their own dispersive powers.
D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001042:Aphids / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
D010675:Pheromones