| Title: | Thigmotaxis Mediates Trail Odour Disruption |
| Author(s): | Stringer LD; Corn JE; Sik Roh H; Jimenez-Perez A; Manning LM; Harper AR; Suckling DM; |
| Address: | "The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, PB 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand. Better Border Biosecurity, Auckland, New Zealand. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, Building 733, Auckland, New Zealand. Division of Applied Life Science (BK21+ program), Gyeongsang National University, 501 Jinju-daero, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 660-701, Republic of Korea. Laboratorio de Ecologia Quimica, Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bioticos, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Calle Ceprobi No. 8, San Isidro, Yautepec, 62731, Morelos, Mexico. The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, PB 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand. Max.Suckling@plantandfood.co.nz. Better Border Biosecurity, Auckland, New Zealand. Max.Suckling@plantandfood.co.nz. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus, Building 733, Auckland, New Zealand. Max.Suckling@plantandfood.co.nz" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-017-01958-z |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Disruption of foraging using oversupply of ant trail pheromones is a novel pest management application under investigation. It presents an opportunity to investigate the interaction of sensory modalities by removal of one of the modes. Superficially similar to sex pheromone-based mating disruption in moths, ant trail pheromone disruption lacks an equivalent mechanistic understanding of how the ants respond to an oversupply of their trail pheromone. Since significant compromise of one sensory modality essential for trail following (chemotaxis) has been demonstrated, we hypothesised that other sensory modalities such as thigmotaxis could act to reduce the impact on olfactory disruption of foraging behaviour. To test this, we provided a physical stimulus of thread to aid trailing by Argentine ants otherwise under disruptive pheromone concentrations. Trail following success was higher using a physical cue. While trail integrity reduced under continuous over-supply of trail pheromone delivered directly on the thread, provision of a physical cue in the form of thread slightly improved trail following and mediated trail disruption from high concentrations upwind. Our results indicate that ants are able to use physical structures to reduce but not eliminate the effects of trail pheromone disruption" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Ants/*physiology Behavior, Animal/physiology Feeding Behavior/physiology Odorants/*analysis Taxis Response/*physiology Touch/*physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineStringer, Lloyd D Corn, Joshua E Sik Roh, Hyun Jimenez-Perez, Alfredo Manning, Lee-Anne M Harper, Aimee R Suckling, David M eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2017/05/12 Sci Rep. 2017 May 10; 7(1):1670. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01958-z" |
