Devo ficar ou devo ir? Influência de pistas químicas na tomada de decisão em formigas

Abstract

When an insect walks, it leaves chemical clues derived from arolium, a structure of the tarsus. These clues can contain important information about other species that occur in your community and thus mediate interactions of competition, predation and provide information about resources with ants from your own colony. There are still few species studied and little is known about the behavior of ants through these signals and how they are used to measure their interactions. Therefore, here we evaluate which behavioral strategy of different species of ants (Odontomachus brunneus, Neoponera villosa and Cephalotes borgmeieri) was adopted when confronted with chemical footprints left by other ants, as well as to identify their compounds and their relationship with the cuticular hydrocarbon profile. The behavioral experiments were carried out using a Y maze, where in one of the arms there were chemical footprints of its own species or of other species; and the other Y arm was free of footprints. The chemical compounds of the footprints and cuticle were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Here we show that ants detect and respond to the chemical trails of other ants, following co specifics and avoiding those of other species. Ants of all species followed footprints of individuals of the same species, nest companions and non-nest companions, however, Neoponera villosa avoided the footprints of Cephalotes borgmeieri possibly because it does not have overlapping food niche and C. borgmeieri avoided the footprints of all other species, as this is a small and stingless ant, should avoid competitors with high potential for injury. Cuticle and footprint chemical compositions are related to each other and specific to each species.