title: Substrate temperature constrains recruitment and trail following behavior in ants.
abstract: In many ant species, foragers use pheromones to communicate the location of resources to nestmates. Mass-recruiting species deposit long-lasting anonymous chemical trails, while group-recruiting species use temporary chemical trails. We studied how high temperature influenced the foraging behavior of a mass-recruiting species (Tapinoma nigerrimum) and a group-recruiting species (Aphaenogaster senilis) through pheromone decay. First, under controlled laboratory conditions, we examined the effect of temperature on the trail pheromone of both species. A substrate, simulating soil, marked with gaster extract was heated for 10 min. at 25°, 35°, 45°, or 55 °C and offered to workers in a choice test. Heating gaster extract reduced the trail following behavior of the mass-recruiters significantly more than that of the group-recruiters. Second, analyses of the chemicals present on the substrate indicated that most T. nigerrimum gaster secretions vanished at 25 °C, and only iridodials persisted up to 55 °C. By contrast, A. senilis secretions were less volatile and resisted better to elevated temperatures to some extent. However, at 55 °C, the only chemicals that persisted were nonadecene and nonadecane. Overall, our results suggest that the foraging behavior of the group-recruiting species A. senilis is less affected by pheromone evaporation than that of the mass-recruiting species T. nigerrimum. This group-recruiting species might, thus, be particularly adapted to environments with fluctuating temperatures.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France. louise@thomasvo.net
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Oudenhove
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boulay
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenoir
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Xim
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cerda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006358:Hot Temperature; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones