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Behav Processes

Title:		How to coexist with fire ants: the roles of behaviour and cuticular compounds
Author(s):		Roux O; Rossi V; Cereghino R; Compin A; Martin JM; Dejean A;
Address:		"CNRS, Ecologie des Forets de Guyane (UMR-CNRS 8172), 97387 Kourou Cedex, France"
Journal Title:		Behav Processes
Year:		2013
Volume:		20130430
Issue:
Page Number:		51 - 57
DOI:		10.1016/j.beproc.2013.04.014
ISSN/ISBN:		1872-8308 (Electronic) 0376-6357 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Because territoriality is energetically costly, territorial animals frequently respond less aggressively to neighbours than to strangers, a reaction known as the 'dear enemy phenomenon' (DEP). The contrary, the 'nasty neighbour effect' (NNE), occurs mainly for group-living species defending resource-based territories. We studied the relationships between supercolonies of the pest fire ant Solenopsis saevissima and eight ant species able to live in the vicinity of its nests plus Eciton burchellii, an army ant predator of other ants. The workers from all of the eight ant species behaved submissively when confronted with S. saevissima (dominant) individuals, whereas the contrary was never true. Yet, S. saevissima were submissive towards E. burchellii workers. Both DEP and NNE were observed for the eight ant species, with submissive behaviours less frequent in the case of DEP. To distinguish what is due to chemical cues from what can be attributed to behaviour, we extracted cuticular compounds from all of the nine ant species compared and transferred them onto a number of S. saevissima workers that were then confronted with untreated conspecifics. The cuticular compounds from three species, particularly E. burchellii, triggered greater aggressiveness by S. saevissima workers, while those from the other species did not"
Keywords:		Aggression/drug effects/*physiology Animals Ants/drug effects/*physiology *Dominance-Subordination Pheromones/pharmacology/*physiology *Territoriality Aggressiveness Cuticular hydrocarbons Dear enemy phenomenon Nasty neighbour effect Species coexistence S;
Notes:		"MedlineRoux, Olivier Rossi, Vivien Cereghino, Regis Compin, Arthur Martin, Jean-Michel Dejean, Alain eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Netherlands 2013/05/07 Behav Processes. 2013 Sep; 98:51-7. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.04.014. Epub 2013 Apr 30"