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Alain Lenoir - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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odour convergence and tolerance between nestmates through Trophallaxis and grooming in the ant camponotus fellah dalla torre
Insectes Sociaux, 2004Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Abraham Hefetz, Tamar Katzavgozansky, Alain LenoirAbstract:Summary. Social isolation provides a useful tool to study nestmate recognition in ants. In Camponotus fellah, reintroduction of 10-day isolated (IS) workers to their colony resulted in intensive Trophallaxis and grooming, while longer isolation periods generally provoked rejection of the IS ants. In the first experiment the behaviour of queenless (QL) and queenright (QR) workers towards 10-day IS workers was tested. Trophallaxis of QL or QR with IS workers was of similar magnitude, but was significantly higher than that among the QL or QR, or that between QL and QR workers. Allogrooming was mostly initiated by the resident non-isolated ants (QL or QR) possibly because they detected a slight mismatch between the IS ant’s odour and their own template, which represents the group odour. It appears that the presence/absence of the queen did not affect nestmate recognition cues of workers. The second experiment demonstrated that 20-day IS workers were strongly aggressed by colony guards, irrespective of whether they were QL or QR. However, if they were permitted to exchange Trophallaxis and grooming with 5 young nestmates (companion ants) for 5 days before reintroduction to their colony, aggression was greatly reduced, irrespective of the origin of the companion ants (QR or QL). Chemical analysis showed a significant divergence between the hydrocarbon profiles of IS and both QL and QR groups, but a prior contact of the IS workers with companion ants resulted in re-convergence of their profile with that of the colony. These results demonstrate that nestmate recognition cues are exchanged between workers via Trophallaxis and grooming and that they are not dominated by queen cues, two conditions that fulfil Gestalt nestmate recognition signals requirements.
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comparative dynamics of gestalt odour formation in two ant species camponotus fellah and aphaenogaster senilis hymenoptera formicidae
Physiological Entomology, 2001Co-Authors: Alain Lenoir, Abraham Hefetz, Tovit Simon, Victoria SorokerAbstract:. Ant colonies experience continuous shifts in worker populations, which may affect odour composition in the nest. A major question regarding the dynamics of gestalt formation is that of the speed at which the scent of a new individual will be incorporated into the gestalt. It is predicted from the gestalt model of colony odour that workers have to exchange recognition cues continuously to maintain themselves within the gestalt and become well integrated within their colony. Using radioactive tracers the rates of transfer were measured between a labelled donor ant and one or 10 recipient ants, as a close approximation to the within-nest situation. The labelled hydrocarbons were first transferred to a small number of individuals and progressively to all the individuals of the group so that the distribution of hydrocarbon transfer rate approached a normal distribution. Furthermore, in Camponotus fellah Dalla Torre, which performs Trophallaxis, homogeneity was reached more rapidly than in Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr, which does not show this behaviour. In the latter species, the gestalt seems to be maintained mainly by allogrooming. These experiments were accompanied by behavioural observations to ascertain the respective importance of Trophallaxis and allogrooming in the behavioural time-budget of the ants. In A. senilis, allogrooming was more frequent than in ants that trophallax, which corroborates the role of allogrooming in the establishment of the gestalt in this species.
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effects of social isolation on hydrocarbon pattern and nestmate recognition in the ant aphaenogaster senilis hymenoptera formicidae
Insectes Sociaux, 2001Co-Authors: Alain Lenoir, D Cuisset, Abraham HefetzAbstract:In the non-trophallacting ant Aphaenogaster senilis, a change over time was observed in cuticular and postpharyngeal gland hydrocarbon profiles. A change was also observed after individual social isolation. Short periods of isolation induced amicable reaction, such as allogrooming, which may have facilitated re-integration of the isolated ants into their mother colonies. Longer periods of isolation, on the other hand, caused overt aggression towards the isolated ants when reintroduced into their mother colonies, and also resulted in higher changes in cuticular hydrocarbon profile. This correlation suggests a link between these two phenomena. We suggest that in A. senilis, in the absence of cue transfer by Trophallaxis: a) colony odour constitutes a gestalt, and b) the major means of cue transfer is allogrooming. The possible evolution of allogrooming and Trophallaxis as cue transfer modalities is discussed.
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camponotus fellah colony integration worker individuality necessitates frequent hydrocarbon exchanges
Animal Behaviour, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, Alain LenoirAbstract:Abstract Our aim was to test the existence of Gestalt colony odour in Camponotus fellah . We isolated individual workers to prevent Trophallaxis, allogrooming and body contact. After 20 days, the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of the isolated ants diverged from that of the parent colony. Moreover, each isolated individual had its own specific blend. This procedure showed that after about 20 days of isolation there was a turnover of the colony odour, revealing the genetically expressed hydrocarbon profile of each individual. It also showed that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile is polymorphic, and that its homogeneity within a colony is maintained by frequent exchanges of hydrocarbons between workers. Behavioural observations of resident workers, in their nest, towards nestmates reintroduced after isolation indicated that a short isolation period (3–5 days), which induced a minor change in hydrocarbon profile, provoked frequent trophallactic solicitations. These were likely to permit the isolated ants to readjust their hydrocarbon profile to that of the ants in the mother colony. Longer isolation periods (20–40 days) induced a greater change in hydrocarbon profile and made the residents intolerant towards their introduced nestmates. Therefore, our results clearly support the existence of a Gestalt colony odour in C. fellah . They also show that since individual hydrocarbon production is dynamic, workers are obliged to exchange hydrocarbons continually (mainly by Trophallaxis) in order to be in the Gestalt, and properly integrate into the colony.
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octopamine reverses the isolation induced increase in Trophallaxis in the carpenter ant camponotus fellah
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, E J Godzinska, Alain LenoirAbstract:Social deprivation is an unusual situation for ants that normally maintain continuous contact with their nestmates. When a worker was experimentally isolated for 5 days and then reunited with a nestmate, she engaged in prolonged Trophallaxis. It is suggested that Trophallaxis allows her to restore a social bond with her nestmates and to re-integrate into the colony, particularly via the exchange of colony-specific hydrocarbons. Octopamine reduced Trophallaxis in these workers as well as hydrocarbon transfer between nestmates, but not hydrocarbon biosynthesis. Administration of serotonin to such 5-day-isolated ants had no effect on the percentage of Trophallaxis. Administration of phentolamine alone, an octopamine antagonist, had no effect, but when coadministrated with octopamine it reduced the effect of octopamine alone and restored Trophallaxis to control levels. Moreover, the observed effect of octopamine was not due to a non-specific effect on locomotor activity. Therefore, we hypothesise that octopamine mediates behaviour patterns linked to social bonding, such as Trophallaxis. On the basis of an analogy with the role of norepinephrine in vertebrates, we suggest that the levels of octopamine in the brain of socially deprived ants may decrease, together with a concomitant increase in their urge to perform Trophallaxis and to experience social contacts. Octopamine administration may reduce this social deprivation effect, and octopamine could therefore be regarded as being partly responsible for the social cohesion between nestmates in ant colonies. Summary
Abraham Hefetz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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odour convergence and tolerance between nestmates through Trophallaxis and grooming in the ant camponotus fellah dalla torre
Insectes Sociaux, 2004Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Abraham Hefetz, Tamar Katzavgozansky, Alain LenoirAbstract:Summary. Social isolation provides a useful tool to study nestmate recognition in ants. In Camponotus fellah, reintroduction of 10-day isolated (IS) workers to their colony resulted in intensive Trophallaxis and grooming, while longer isolation periods generally provoked rejection of the IS ants. In the first experiment the behaviour of queenless (QL) and queenright (QR) workers towards 10-day IS workers was tested. Trophallaxis of QL or QR with IS workers was of similar magnitude, but was significantly higher than that among the QL or QR, or that between QL and QR workers. Allogrooming was mostly initiated by the resident non-isolated ants (QL or QR) possibly because they detected a slight mismatch between the IS ant’s odour and their own template, which represents the group odour. It appears that the presence/absence of the queen did not affect nestmate recognition cues of workers. The second experiment demonstrated that 20-day IS workers were strongly aggressed by colony guards, irrespective of whether they were QL or QR. However, if they were permitted to exchange Trophallaxis and grooming with 5 young nestmates (companion ants) for 5 days before reintroduction to their colony, aggression was greatly reduced, irrespective of the origin of the companion ants (QR or QL). Chemical analysis showed a significant divergence between the hydrocarbon profiles of IS and both QL and QR groups, but a prior contact of the IS workers with companion ants resulted in re-convergence of their profile with that of the colony. These results demonstrate that nestmate recognition cues are exchanged between workers via Trophallaxis and grooming and that they are not dominated by queen cues, two conditions that fulfil Gestalt nestmate recognition signals requirements.
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comparative dynamics of gestalt odour formation in two ant species camponotus fellah and aphaenogaster senilis hymenoptera formicidae
Physiological Entomology, 2001Co-Authors: Alain Lenoir, Abraham Hefetz, Tovit Simon, Victoria SorokerAbstract:. Ant colonies experience continuous shifts in worker populations, which may affect odour composition in the nest. A major question regarding the dynamics of gestalt formation is that of the speed at which the scent of a new individual will be incorporated into the gestalt. It is predicted from the gestalt model of colony odour that workers have to exchange recognition cues continuously to maintain themselves within the gestalt and become well integrated within their colony. Using radioactive tracers the rates of transfer were measured between a labelled donor ant and one or 10 recipient ants, as a close approximation to the within-nest situation. The labelled hydrocarbons were first transferred to a small number of individuals and progressively to all the individuals of the group so that the distribution of hydrocarbon transfer rate approached a normal distribution. Furthermore, in Camponotus fellah Dalla Torre, which performs Trophallaxis, homogeneity was reached more rapidly than in Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr, which does not show this behaviour. In the latter species, the gestalt seems to be maintained mainly by allogrooming. These experiments were accompanied by behavioural observations to ascertain the respective importance of Trophallaxis and allogrooming in the behavioural time-budget of the ants. In A. senilis, allogrooming was more frequent than in ants that trophallax, which corroborates the role of allogrooming in the establishment of the gestalt in this species.
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effects of social isolation on hydrocarbon pattern and nestmate recognition in the ant aphaenogaster senilis hymenoptera formicidae
Insectes Sociaux, 2001Co-Authors: Alain Lenoir, D Cuisset, Abraham HefetzAbstract:In the non-trophallacting ant Aphaenogaster senilis, a change over time was observed in cuticular and postpharyngeal gland hydrocarbon profiles. A change was also observed after individual social isolation. Short periods of isolation induced amicable reaction, such as allogrooming, which may have facilitated re-integration of the isolated ants into their mother colonies. Longer periods of isolation, on the other hand, caused overt aggression towards the isolated ants when reintroduced into their mother colonies, and also resulted in higher changes in cuticular hydrocarbon profile. This correlation suggests a link between these two phenomena. We suggest that in A. senilis, in the absence of cue transfer by Trophallaxis: a) colony odour constitutes a gestalt, and b) the major means of cue transfer is allogrooming. The possible evolution of allogrooming and Trophallaxis as cue transfer modalities is discussed.
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camponotus fellah colony integration worker individuality necessitates frequent hydrocarbon exchanges
Animal Behaviour, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, Alain LenoirAbstract:Abstract Our aim was to test the existence of Gestalt colony odour in Camponotus fellah . We isolated individual workers to prevent Trophallaxis, allogrooming and body contact. After 20 days, the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of the isolated ants diverged from that of the parent colony. Moreover, each isolated individual had its own specific blend. This procedure showed that after about 20 days of isolation there was a turnover of the colony odour, revealing the genetically expressed hydrocarbon profile of each individual. It also showed that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile is polymorphic, and that its homogeneity within a colony is maintained by frequent exchanges of hydrocarbons between workers. Behavioural observations of resident workers, in their nest, towards nestmates reintroduced after isolation indicated that a short isolation period (3–5 days), which induced a minor change in hydrocarbon profile, provoked frequent trophallactic solicitations. These were likely to permit the isolated ants to readjust their hydrocarbon profile to that of the ants in the mother colony. Longer isolation periods (20–40 days) induced a greater change in hydrocarbon profile and made the residents intolerant towards their introduced nestmates. Therefore, our results clearly support the existence of a Gestalt colony odour in C. fellah . They also show that since individual hydrocarbon production is dynamic, workers are obliged to exchange hydrocarbons continually (mainly by Trophallaxis) in order to be in the Gestalt, and properly integrate into the colony.
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octopamine reverses the isolation induced increase in Trophallaxis in the carpenter ant camponotus fellah
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, E J Godzinska, Alain LenoirAbstract:Social deprivation is an unusual situation for ants that normally maintain continuous contact with their nestmates. When a worker was experimentally isolated for 5 days and then reunited with a nestmate, she engaged in prolonged Trophallaxis. It is suggested that Trophallaxis allows her to restore a social bond with her nestmates and to re-integrate into the colony, particularly via the exchange of colony-specific hydrocarbons. Octopamine reduced Trophallaxis in these workers as well as hydrocarbon transfer between nestmates, but not hydrocarbon biosynthesis. Administration of serotonin to such 5-day-isolated ants had no effect on the percentage of Trophallaxis. Administration of phentolamine alone, an octopamine antagonist, had no effect, but when coadministrated with octopamine it reduced the effect of octopamine alone and restored Trophallaxis to control levels. Moreover, the observed effect of octopamine was not due to a non-specific effect on locomotor activity. Therefore, we hypothesise that octopamine mediates behaviour patterns linked to social bonding, such as Trophallaxis. On the basis of an analogy with the role of norepinephrine in vertebrates, we suggest that the levels of octopamine in the brain of socially deprived ants may decrease, together with a concomitant increase in their urge to perform Trophallaxis and to experience social contacts. Octopamine administration may reduce this social deprivation effect, and octopamine could therefore be regarded as being partly responsible for the social cohesion between nestmates in ant colonies. Summary
Victoria Soroker - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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comparative dynamics of gestalt odour formation in two ant species camponotus fellah and aphaenogaster senilis hymenoptera formicidae
Physiological Entomology, 2001Co-Authors: Alain Lenoir, Abraham Hefetz, Tovit Simon, Victoria SorokerAbstract:. Ant colonies experience continuous shifts in worker populations, which may affect odour composition in the nest. A major question regarding the dynamics of gestalt formation is that of the speed at which the scent of a new individual will be incorporated into the gestalt. It is predicted from the gestalt model of colony odour that workers have to exchange recognition cues continuously to maintain themselves within the gestalt and become well integrated within their colony. Using radioactive tracers the rates of transfer were measured between a labelled donor ant and one or 10 recipient ants, as a close approximation to the within-nest situation. The labelled hydrocarbons were first transferred to a small number of individuals and progressively to all the individuals of the group so that the distribution of hydrocarbon transfer rate approached a normal distribution. Furthermore, in Camponotus fellah Dalla Torre, which performs Trophallaxis, homogeneity was reached more rapidly than in Aphaenogaster senilis Mayr, which does not show this behaviour. In the latter species, the gestalt seems to be maintained mainly by allogrooming. These experiments were accompanied by behavioural observations to ascertain the respective importance of Trophallaxis and allogrooming in the behavioural time-budget of the ants. In A. senilis, allogrooming was more frequent than in ants that trophallax, which corroborates the role of allogrooming in the establishment of the gestalt in this species.
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camponotus fellah colony integration worker individuality necessitates frequent hydrocarbon exchanges
Animal Behaviour, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, Alain LenoirAbstract:Abstract Our aim was to test the existence of Gestalt colony odour in Camponotus fellah . We isolated individual workers to prevent Trophallaxis, allogrooming and body contact. After 20 days, the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of the isolated ants diverged from that of the parent colony. Moreover, each isolated individual had its own specific blend. This procedure showed that after about 20 days of isolation there was a turnover of the colony odour, revealing the genetically expressed hydrocarbon profile of each individual. It also showed that the cuticular hydrocarbon profile is polymorphic, and that its homogeneity within a colony is maintained by frequent exchanges of hydrocarbons between workers. Behavioural observations of resident workers, in their nest, towards nestmates reintroduced after isolation indicated that a short isolation period (3–5 days), which induced a minor change in hydrocarbon profile, provoked frequent trophallactic solicitations. These were likely to permit the isolated ants to readjust their hydrocarbon profile to that of the ants in the mother colony. Longer isolation periods (20–40 days) induced a greater change in hydrocarbon profile and made the residents intolerant towards their introduced nestmates. Therefore, our results clearly support the existence of a Gestalt colony odour in C. fellah . They also show that since individual hydrocarbon production is dynamic, workers are obliged to exchange hydrocarbons continually (mainly by Trophallaxis) in order to be in the Gestalt, and properly integrate into the colony.
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octopamine reverses the isolation induced increase in Trophallaxis in the carpenter ant camponotus fellah
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2000Co-Authors: Raphael Boulay, Victoria Soroker, Abraham Hefetz, E J Godzinska, Alain LenoirAbstract:Social deprivation is an unusual situation for ants that normally maintain continuous contact with their nestmates. When a worker was experimentally isolated for 5 days and then reunited with a nestmate, she engaged in prolonged Trophallaxis. It is suggested that Trophallaxis allows her to restore a social bond with her nestmates and to re-integrate into the colony, particularly via the exchange of colony-specific hydrocarbons. Octopamine reduced Trophallaxis in these workers as well as hydrocarbon transfer between nestmates, but not hydrocarbon biosynthesis. Administration of serotonin to such 5-day-isolated ants had no effect on the percentage of Trophallaxis. Administration of phentolamine alone, an octopamine antagonist, had no effect, but when coadministrated with octopamine it reduced the effect of octopamine alone and restored Trophallaxis to control levels. Moreover, the observed effect of octopamine was not due to a non-specific effect on locomotor activity. Therefore, we hypothesise that octopamine mediates behaviour patterns linked to social bonding, such as Trophallaxis. On the basis of an analogy with the role of norepinephrine in vertebrates, we suggest that the levels of octopamine in the brain of socially deprived ants may decrease, together with a concomitant increase in their urge to perform Trophallaxis and to experience social contacts. Octopamine administration may reduce this social deprivation effect, and octopamine could therefore be regarded as being partly responsible for the social cohesion between nestmates in ant colonies. Summary
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formation of colony odor in ponerine ant pachycondyla apicalis
Journal of Chemical Ecology, 1998Co-Authors: Victoria Soroker, Dominique Fresneau, Abraham HefetzAbstract:The mechanisms operating in the formation and maintenance of colony odor in the ponerine ant Pachycondyla apicalis were studied using radioactive tracers. Using [l-14C]acetate as a precursor, the de novo biosynthesis and distribution of pentane-extractable lipids within the ant's body were followed. Twenty-four hours after injection, newly synthesized alkanes, alkenes, as well as more polar lipids were found in the postpharyngeal gland, the epicuticle, and internally. Ants that had their mouths blocked with beeswax possessed significantly less radiolabeled lipids (all classes measured) in the postpharyngeal gland but had augmented levels in the internal pool and the epicuticle. Both hydrocarbons and more polar lipids were exchanged between the respective postpharyngeal glands and the epicuticle. The transfer to postpharyngeal glands was highest when both ants had an open mouth or when the recipient ant had an open mouth but the donor's mouth was blocked. This suggests that the transfer to the postpharyngeal gland in this species is by allogrooming and not by Trophallaxis. Transfer to the cuticle was low and comparable in all treatments. Behavioral observations during the first 6 hr of the dyadic encounters and in intact colonies confirmed that the ants did not engage in Trophallaxis. The level of transfer to the postpharyngeal gland in P. apicalis was significantly lower than in representatives of other Formicidae subfamilies studied so far. We attribute this difference to the evolution of Trophallaxis in the higher Formicidae.
Walter M. Farina - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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DOI 10.1007/s00265-006-0214-0 ORIGINAL ARTICLE
2016Co-Authors: Christoph Grüter, Luis E. Acosta, Walter M. FarinaAbstract:Abstract Transfer of information about food source characteristics within insect societies is essential to colo-ny-foraging success. The food odor communicated within honeybee hives has been shown to be important for food source exploitation. When successful foragers return to the nest and transfer the collected nectar to hive mates through mouth-to-mouth contacts (Trophallaxis), potential recruits receiving these samples learn the food odor by associative learning. The food then becomes rapidly distributed among colony members, which is mainly a consequence of the numerous trophallaxes between hive-mates of all ages during food processing. We tested whether the distribution of food among hive mates causes a propagation of olfactory information within the hive. Using the proboscis extension response paradigm, we show that large proportions of bees of the age groups representing the main worker castes, 4 to 9-day-old bees (nurse-aged bees), 12 to 16-day-old bees (food processor-aged bees), and actual foragers (about 17+ day old bees) associatively learn the food odor in the course of processing food that has been collected by only a few foragers. Results further suggest that the information is shared more or less equally between bees of the three age groups. This shows that olfactory information about the flower species exploited by foragers is distributed within the entire colony and is acquired by bees of all age groups, which may influence many behaviors inside and outside the hive. Keywords Apis mellifera. Proboscis extension reflex. Information propagation. Trophallaxis. Olfactory learnin
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vibrating donor partners during Trophallaxis modulate associative learning ability of food receivers in the stingless bee melipona quadrifasciata
Learning and Motivation, 2015Co-Authors: Sofia Mc I Cabe, Michael Hrncir, Walter M. FarinaAbstract:Abstract Multiple sensory modalities within a communication context lead to an increased responsiveness of the receptor. Due to this increase in attention when exposed to multiple stimuli, it is possible that the learning ability of a receiver is modulated through communication signals. Stingless bees (Apidae; Meliponini) are a good model to use in order to investigate communication systems because they display a much wider behavioural repertoire regarding foraging and communication than the thoroughly studied honeybee Apis mellifera . Similar to honeybees, meliponine bees show appetitive unconditioned responses (extension of the proboscis after contacting sugar with the antennae) that may be conditioned to odour. Such associative learning events take place within the nest, for instance, when a successful forager unloads the nectar collected in the field to receiver partners (Trophallaxis). During these contacts, receivers obtain multimodal information about the collected resource, such as its sugar content, its specific scent, and, in case of several meliponine species such as Melipona quadrifasciata , thoracic pulsed vibrations produced by the food donors. These vibrations correlate with the profitability of the resource exploited by the forager. With this in mind, we asked whether and to what extent food receivers in stingless bee colonies ( M. quadrifasciata ) integrate this multimodal information – vibratory–olfactory–gustatory – while receiving food from foragers. We found that the scented food elicited stronger vibrations (longer and more frequent vibrations with an overall higher duty cycle) than unscented food of equal sugar content. We also observed a positive correlation between the amount of vibrations a bee received during Trophallaxis and its subsequent learning performance in a proboscis extension response conditioning procedure. Our findings suggest that the vibrations during Trophallaxis affect the receiver's behaviour by modulating its ability to establish the food-odour association.
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crop scents affect the occurrence of Trophallaxis among forager honeybees
Journal of Comparative Physiology A-neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology, 2003Co-Authors: M Gil, Walter M. FarinaAbstract:Previous evidence indicates that the recognition of the nectar delivered by forager honeybees within the colony may have been a primitive method of communication on food resources. Thus, the association between scent and reward that nectar foragers establish while they collect on a given flower species should be retrieved during Trophallaxis, i.e., the transfer of liquid food by mouth, and, accordingly, foraging experience could affect the occurrence of these interactions inside the nest. We used experimental arenas to analyze how crop scents carried by donor bees affect Trophallaxis among foragers, i.e., donors and receivers, which differ in their foraging experience. Results showed that whenever the foragers had collected unscented sugar solution from a feeder the presence of scents in the solution carried by donors did not affect the occurrence of Trophallaxis nor its dynamics. In contrast, whenever the foragers had previous olfactory information, new scents present in the crop of the donors negatively affected the occurrence, but not the dynamics of Trophallaxis. Thus, the association learned at the food source seems to be retrieved during Trophallaxis, and it is possible that known scents present in the mouthparts of nest-mates may operate as a triggering stimulus to elicit trophallactic behavior within the hive.
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Trophallaxis in the honeybee apis mellifera l the interaction between flow of solution and sucrose concentration of the exploited food sources
Animal Behaviour, 2000Co-Authors: Alejandro J Wainselboim, Walter M. FarinaAbstract:Forager bees arriving at the hive after visiting a nectar source, unload the collected liquid food to recipient hivemates through mouth-to-mouth contact (Trophallaxis). We analysed whether the main characteristics that define nectar in energetic terms, that is, rate of production (flow of solution), sucrose concentration and rate of sucrose production (sucrose flow) influence trophallactic behaviour. Individual bees trained to feed at a regulated-flow feeder offering sucrose solution were captured once the foraging visit was complete and placed in an acrylic arena with a recipient bee that had not been fed. The rate at which liquid was transferred during the subsequent trophallactic contact (transfer rate) was analysed as a function of the different solution flows and sucrose concentrations offered at the feeder. A relationship was found between transfer rate during Trophallaxis and the flow of solution previously presented at the feeder. This relationship was independent of sucrose concentration when above a certain threshold value (ca. 22% weight on weight). We also analysed whether the rate of sucrose deliverance of the food source (sucrose flow) influenced the rate at which the solution was transferred. No clear relationship was found between the rate of sucrose deliverance during trophallactic events (sucrose transfer rate) and the sucrose flow presented at the feeder. The possibility that Trophallaxis could be a communication channel through which quantitative information on food source profitability is transmitted among hivemates is discussed. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Adria C Leboeuf - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Trophallaxis the functions and evolution of social fluid exchange in ant colonies hymenoptera formicidae
Myrmecological News, 2021Co-Authors: Mariepierre Meurville, Adria C LeboeufAbstract:Trophallaxis is a complex social fluid exchange emblematic of social insects and of ants in particular. Trophallaxis behaviors are present in approximately half of all ant genera, distributed over 11 subfamilies. Across biological life, intra- and inter-species exchanged fluids tend to occur in only the most fitness-relevant behavioral contexts, typically transmitting endogenously produced molecules adapted to exert influence on the receiver’s physiology or behavior. Despite this, many aspects of Trophallaxis remain poorly understood, such as the prevalence of the different forms of Trophallaxis, the components transmitted, their roles in colony physiology and how these behaviors have evolved. With this review, we define the forms of Trophallaxis observed in ants and bring together current knowledge on the mechanics of Trophallaxis, the contents of the fluids transmitted, the contexts in which Trophallaxis occurs and the roles these behaviors play in colony life. We identify six contexts where Trophallaxis occurs: nourishment, short- and long-term decision making, immune defense, social maintenance, aggression, and inoculation and maintenance of the gut microbiota. Though many ideas have been put forth on the evolution of Trophallaxis, our analyses support the idea that stomodeal Trophallaxis has become a fixed aspect of colony life primarily in species that drink liquid food and, further, that the adoption of this behavior was key for some lineages in establishing ecological dominance. Trophallaxis plays a vital role in colony physiology, nutrient distribution, and communication, and doing so underscores the necessity of understanding this complicated suite of behaviors in all of its manifestations.Open access, licensed under CC BY 4.0. © 2020 The Author(s).DOI: 10.25849/myrmecol.news_031:001 Pages: 1-30 Volume: 31 Year: 2021 Journal: Myrmecol. News
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oral transfer of chemical cues growth proteins and hormones in social insects
eLife, 2016Co-Authors: Adria C Leboeuf, Colin S Brent, Andre Nicolau Aquime Goncalves, Laure Menin, Oksana Ribagrognuz, Akiko Koto, Zamira Guerra Soares, Patrice Waridel, Daniel Ortiz, Eyal PrivmanAbstract:Ants, bees and other social insects live in large colonies where all the individuals work together to gather food, rear young and defend the colony. This level of cooperation requires the insects in the colony to be able to communicate with each other. Most social insects share fluid mouth-to-mouth with other individuals in their colony. This behavior, called Trophallaxis, allows these species to pass around food, both between adults, and between adults and larvae. Trophallaxis therefore creates a network of interactions linking every member of the colony. With this in mind, LeBoeuf et al. investigated whether Trophallaxis may also be used by ants to share information relevant to the colony as a form of chemical communication. The experiments show that in addition to food, carpenter ants also pass small ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, chemical signals that help them recognize nestmates, and many proteins that appear to be involved in regulating the growth of ants. LeBoeuf et al. also found that trophallactic fluid contains juvenile hormone, an important regulator of insect growth and development. Adding juvenile hormone to the food that adult ants pass to the larvae made it twice as likely that the larvae would survive to reach adulthood. This indicates that proteins and other molecules transferred mouth-to-mouth over this social network could be used by the ants to regulate how the colony develops. The next steps following on from this work will be to investigate the roles of the other components of trophallactic fluid, and to examine how individual ants adapt the contents of the fluid in different social and environmental conditions. Another challenge will be to determine how specific components passed to larvae in this way can control their growth and development.
