title: Biogenic amine levels, reproduction and social dominance in the queenless ant Streblognathus peetersi.
abstract: Social harmony often relies on ritualized dominance interactions between society members, particularly in queenless ant societies, where colony members do not have developmentally predetermined castes but have to fight for their status in the reproductive and work hierarchy. In this behavioural plasticity, their social organisation resembles more that of vertebrates than that of the "classic" social insects. The present study investigates the neurochemistry of the queenless ant species, Streblognathus peetersi, to better understand the neural basis of the high behavioural plasticity observed in queenless ants. We report measurements of brain biogenic amines [octopamine, dopamine, serotonin] of S. peetersi ants; they reveal a new set of biogenic amine influences on social organisation with no common features with other "primitively organised societies" (bumble bees) and some common features with "highly eusocial" species (honey bees). This similarity to honey bees may either confirm the heritage of queenless species from their probably highly eusocial ancestors or highlight independent patterns of biogenic amine influences on the social organisation of these highly derived species.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Université François Rabelais, CNRS UMR 6035, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France. virginie.cuvillier@univ-lille1.fr
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cuvillier-Hot
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenoir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009655:Octopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001679:Biogenic Amines; D009655:Octopamine; D012701:Serotonin; D004298:Dopamine