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Biol Lett

Title:		A social insect fertility signal is dependent on chemical context
Author(s):		Smith AA; Millar JG; Suarez AV;
Address:		"Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA smithaa@illinois.edu. Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA"
Journal Title:		Biol Lett
Year:		2015
Volume:		11
Issue:		1
Page Number:		20140947 -
DOI:		10.1098/rsbl.2014.0947
ISSN/ISBN:		1744-957X (Electronic) 1744-9561 (Print) 1744-9561 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Identifying group members and individuals' status within a group are fundamental tasks in animal societies. For ants, this information is coded in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile. We manipulated profiles of the ant Odontomachus brunneus to examine whether the releaser and primer effects of fertility signals are dependent on chemical context. Fertility status is signalled through increased abundance of (Z)-9-nonacosene (Z9 : C29). Across the ant's distribution, populations have distinct hydrocarbon profiles but the fertility signal is conserved. Foreign queens and fertility-signal-treated workers from the same population, sharing a similar chemical background, elicited releaser effects from workers, whereas queens and fertility-signal-treated workers from different populations did not. Z9 : C29 presented without chemical background did not elicit releaser effects. A primer-effect experiment found that Z9 : C29, presented without a chemical background, did not inhibit worker reproduction. Our results demonstrate that a familiar chemical background is necessary for appropriate responses to fertility signals"
Keywords:		Animals Ants/*physiology Female Fertility/physiology Hydrocarbons/metabolism Integumentary System/*physiology Pheromones/*metabolism Reproduction/physiology cuticular hydrocarbon fertility signal queen pheromone;
Notes:		"MedlineSmith, Adrian A Millar, Jocelyn G Suarez, Andrew V eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2015/01/23 Biol Lett. 2015 Jan; 11(1):20140947. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0947"