| Title: | GC-MS for characterization and identification of ant semiochemicals |
| Address: | "School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. dorit.eliyahu@asu.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1559-6095 (Electronic) 1559-6095 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Living in a predominantly dark environment, ants rely mostly on chemical signals for communication. Trail and alarm pheromones are the most widely studied and best characterized of all ant semiochemicals, but other such compounds can influence a variety of other behaviors, including reproductive activities, sexual development, nest mate and caste recognition, and defense. A typical worker body contains more than 10 different semiochemical-producing glands, and the surface of the cuticle is covered with lipids that serve as recognition signals. The methods of choice for collection and identification of ant semiochemicals should be determined based on results of behavioral analyses. These can indicate the source (e.g., glandular, cuticular) and the nature (volatile vs. nonvolatile) of the chemical. This protocol presents a number of different methods for collecting lipid semiochemicals. These can be followed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) to better characterize, and possibly identify, the semiochemical in question" |
| Keywords: | Animals Ants/anatomy & histology/*physiology Biology/*methods Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/*methods Pheromones/chemistry/*isolation & purification Solvents/chemistry; |
| Notes: | "MedlineEliyahu, Dorit eng 2010/02/12 Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2009 Jul; 2009(7):pdb.prot5249. doi: 10.1101/pdb.prot5249" |
