Efeito do Ambiente Sobre a Composição de Hidrocarbonetos Cuticulares em Formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are essential components of the insect epicuticle, playing a central role in preventing desiccation, protecting against pathogens, and mediating intraspecific recognition, particularly colony recognition. In the present study, we investigated, from an ecological and physiological perspective, how environmental factors modulate the composition of CHCs in ants. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate how environmental variations over time, including different fire regimes, influence the qualitative and quantitative composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in ant species throughout an annual cycle. To address these questions, chromatographic analyses were employed to identify and quantify cuticular compounds. The results indicate that climatic factors and environmental disturbances, such as fire, play a determining role in modulating the chemical composition of the ant cuticle. In the context of climate change and the intensification of ecological disturbances, understanding these mechanisms is essential for predicting the adaptive responses of ant populations.