dc.contributor.author |
Yusuf, Abdullahi Ahmed
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Frank, Erik T.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Fombong, Ayuka T.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Pirk, Christian Walter Werner
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Crewe, Robin M.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Schmitt, Thomas
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Strube-Bloss, Martin
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Gordon, Ian
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|
dc.contributor.author |
Torto, Baldwyn
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2021-02-26T06:01:32Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2020-10 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
Visual and olfactory communications are vital for coordinated group hunting in most animals. To hunt for prey, the group-raiding termite specialist ant Megaponera analis, which lacks good vision, must first confirm the presence or absence of conspecific raiders. Here, we show that M. analis uses olfactory cues for intraspecific communication and showed greater preference for conspecific odors over clean air (blank) or odors from its termite prey. Chemical analysis of ant volatiles identified predominantly short-chained hydrocarbons. Electrophysiological analysis revealed differential sensory detection of the odor compounds, which were confirmed in behavioral olfactometric choice assays with odor bouquets collected from major and minor castes and the 2 most dominant volatiles and n-undecane n-tridecane. A comparative analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbon profile with those of the short-chained odor bouquet of different populations shows a high divergence in the long-chained profile and a much-conserved short-chained odor bouquet. This suggests that there is less selection pressure for divergence and individual recognition in the short- than the long-chained odor profiles. We conclude that olfactory communication serves as an alternative to visual or sound communication, especially during group raids in M. analis when ants are not in direct contact with one another. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.department |
Zoology and Entomology |
en_ZA |
dc.description.embargo |
2021-09-01 |
|
dc.description.librarian |
hj2021 |
en_ZA |
dc.description.sponsorship |
The Dutch SII project 2004/09 Activity No. 10799 to icipe. DAAD in-region scholarship, University of Pretoria, South African National Research Foundation’s CPRR , the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Georg Foster HERMES Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers, Tandem Research Fellowship and the South African NRF’s Development funding for Y-rated researchers. |
en_ZA |
dc.description.uri |
http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.citation |
Abdullahi A Yusuf, Erik T Frank, Ayuka T Fombong, Christian W W Pirk, Robin M Crewe, Thomas Schmitt, Martin Strube-Bloss, Ian Gordon, Baldwyn Torto, Odor-Mediated Group Organization and Coordination in the Termite-Raiding Ant Megaponera analis (Mayr), Chemical Senses, Volume 45, Issue 8, October 2020, Pages 635–644, https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjaa058. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
0379-864X (print) |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
1464-3553 (online) |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.1093/chemse/bjaa058 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78851 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_ZA |
dc.publisher |
Oxford University Press |
en_ZA |
dc.rights |
© The Author 2020. Published by 2020 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Chemical Senses following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is : Odor-Mediated Group Organization and Coordination in the Termite-Raiding Ant Megaponera analis (Mayr), Chemical Senses, Volume 45, Issue 8, October 2020, Pages 635–644, https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjaa058, is available online at: http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org. |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Cuticular hydrocarbons |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Foraging |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Group hunt |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Olfactory communication |
en_ZA |
dc.subject |
Matabele ant (Pachycondyla analis) |
en_ZA |
dc.title |
Odor-mediated group organisation and coordination in the termite raiding ant Megaponera analis (Mayr) |
en_ZA |
dc.type |
Postprint Article |
en_ZA |