Ant nestmate and non-nestmate discrimination by a chemosensory sensillum.
In animal societies, chemical communication plays an important role in conflict and cooperation. For ants, cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) blends produced by non-nestmates elicit overt aggression. We describe a sensory sensillum on the antennae of the carpenter ant Camponotus japonicus that functions in nestmate discrimination. This sensillum is multiporous and responds only to non-nestmate CHC blends. This suggests a role for a peripheral recognition mechanism in detecting colony-specific chemical signals.
Ozaki
Mamiko
M
Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Textile Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan. mamiko@kit.ac.jp
Wada-Katsumata
Ayako
A
Fujikawa
Kazuyo
K
Iwasaki
Masayuki
M
Yokohari
Fumio
F
Satoji
Yuji
Y
Nisimura
Tomoyosi
T
Yamaoka
Ryohei
R
D000374:Aggression; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D012679:Sense Organs / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D019476:Insect Proteins