Title
Chemical mediation between allomerus demerarae wheeler, 1935 (hymenoptera: Formicidae) and cordia nodosa lam. (boraginaceae)
Other title
Mediación química entre allomerus demerarae wheeler, 1935 (hymenoptera: Formicidae) y cordia nodosa lam. (boraginaceae).
Date Issued
2006
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Sociedad Colombiana de Entomologia
Abstract
The chemical interactions between "patrolling" and "domatia" workers of Allomerus demerarae Wheeler, 1935 and the plant myrmecophylic Cordia nodosa Lam were investigated. Differences between the intensity of attraction of ants toward the volatile compounds of four chemical stimuli were determined: extracts of young leaves, of mature leaves, of C. nodosa inflorescences and of A. demerarae eggs-larvae. In 2002, plants and ants were collected at the tourist lodge "Libertador Jungle Lodge" located in the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve, Madre de Dios, Peru. In this symbiosis, chemical mediation has been demonstrated to make the behavior of A. demerarae effective. The results showed that volatile compounds emitted by young leaves are sufficient to prompt the protective patrolling behavior of A. demerarae workers. In contrast, "domatia" worker ants showed a greater attraction to A. demerarae eggs-larvae and C. nodosa flowers. Results suggest the existence of polyethism in A. demerarae colonies in which two worker groups with different functions have been identified. On the basis of these results, two subcastes are suggested, "nursery ants", which are found inside domatia and are in charge of the behavior of "castration" of C. nodosa flowers, and "patrolling ants", which were observed on young leaves.
Start page
85
End page
92
Volume
32
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias de las plantas, Botánica Protección y nutrición de las plantas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-79960406007
Source
Revista Colombiana de Entomologia
ISSN of the container
0120-0488
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus