織りアリ: 社会的確立と領土の維持

B Hölldobler, E O Wilson

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|March 4, 1977

まとめ

アフリカの織りは,新たに発見された直腸腺と胸腺を使って,新しい空間や戦闘地帯に巣仲間の徴募のための匂いの跡を敷きます. これらの腺はまた,侵入者との遭遇や長期のストレス状態を管理するのに役立ちます.

科学分野:

エントモロジーエントモロジー学
動物の行動動物の行動
化学エコロジー化学エコロジー

背景:

アフリカの織り (Oecophylla longinoda) は,複雑な社会的行動を示しています.
巣仲間の募集と領土防衛は,アリコロニーの生存に不可欠です.
O. longinoda の化学通信の特定のメカニズムは完全に理解されていません.

研究の目的:

Oecophylla longinoda.の化学通信に関与する新しい腺を特定し,特徴づけること.
巣仲間の募集と防衛行動におけるこれらの腺の役割を明らかにする.
空間的指向とアラーム応答に使用される化学信号を理解する.

主な方法:

O. longinoda. 労働者の直腸と腹部の解剖学的調査.
化学刺激に対するアリの反応を観察するための行動分析.
募集と防衛に関与するフェロモンの源と機能の特定.

主要な成果:

匂いの痕跡をつくるのに用いられた,以前は認識されていなかった筋肉化された直腸腺の発見.
吸引剤-抑止剤フェロモンの配給に関与する腹部胸部に新しい胸腺を特定した.
直腸腺の分泌物によって,巣の仲間が空き地や戦闘地帯に招集されることを示した.
胸腺の分泌物が侵入者との遭遇時に休息クラスターを形成するために使用されている証拠.

結論:

Oecophylla longinodaは,精巧な化学的コミュニケーションのために,直腸腺と胸腺という新たに特定された2つの腺を使用しています.
これらの腺は,コロニーの組織,宇宙探査,防衛において,異なるが互補的な役割を果たしている.
この発見は,織りの化学的生態学と社会的行動に関する新しい洞察を明らかにしています.

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