| three new species and reassessment of the rare neotropical ant genus leptanilloides (hymenoptera, formicidae, leptanilloidinae). | we describe three new species of the neotropical ant genus leptanilloides: leptanilloides gracilissp. n. based on workers from mexico and guatemala, leptanilloides erinyssp. n. based on workers and a gyne from ecuador, and leptanilloides femoralissp. n. based on workers from venezuela. the description of leptanilloides gracilis is a northern extension of the known range of the genus, now numbering eleven described species. we also describe and discuss three unassociated male morphotypes from cen ... | 2011 | 22140337 |
| Chemometric analysis of Hymenoptera toxins and defensins: A model for predicting the biological activity of novel peptides from venoms and hemolymph. | When searching for prospective novel peptides, it is difficult to determine the biological activity of a peptide based only on its sequence. The "trial and error" approach is generally laborious, expensive and time consuming due to the large number of different experimental setups required to cover a reasonable number of biological assays. To simulate a virtual model for Hymenoptera insects, 166 peptides were selected from the venoms and hemolymphs of wasps, bees and ants and applied to a mathem ... | 2011 | 21855589 |
| Aspects of reproductive ecology of Clusia valerioi Standl. and Clusia peninsulae Hammel (sp. nov.), two Central American species of Clusiaceae with resin flowers. | Clusia valerioi Standl. and C. peninsulae Hammel, sp. nov. (formally established in the Appendix), two Central American species of Clusiaceae offering resin as a floral reward, were studied in the Piedras Blancas National Park, SW Costa Rica. Basic data on phenology, flower structure, course of anthesis, flower visitors, flower visitation and pollination processes, fruit development and seed dispersal are communicated. Resin collection and pollen release are reported and documented in greater de ... | 2012 | 21972795 |
| Interactions Between Extrafloral Nectaries, Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Other Natural Enemies Affect Biological Control of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on Peach (Rosales: Rosaceae). | Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are reported to benefit some plants when ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) use their secretions and fend off herbivores, but in some cases resulting competitive interactions may reduce biological control of specific herbivores. This research examined the interactions between ants and other natural enemies associated with the EFNs of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batcsh] and the implications for biological control of a key pest, the oriental fruit moth [Grapholita molesta ... | 2011 | 22182610 |
| Just follow your nose: homing by olfactory cues in ants. | How is an ant-equipped with a brain that barely exceeds the size of a pinhead-capable of achieving navigational marvels? Even though evidences suggest that navigation is a multimodal process, ants heavily depend on olfactory cues-of pheromonal and non-pheromonal nature-for foraging and orientation. Recent studies have directed their attention to the efficiency of pheromone trail networks. Advances in neurophysiological techniques make it possible to investigate trail pheromone processing in the ... | 2011 | 22137100 |
| A single Streptomyces symbiont makes multiple antifungals to support the fungus farming ant Acromyrmex octospinosus. | Attine ants are dependent on a cultivated fungus for food and use antibiotics produced by symbiotic Actinobacteria as weedkillers in their fungus gardens. Actinobacterial species belonging to the genera Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces and Amycolatopsis have been isolated from attine ant nests and shown to confer protection against a range of microfungal weeds. In previous work on the higher attine Acromyrmex octospinosus we isolated a Streptomyces strain that produces candicidin, consistent with an ... | 2011 | 21857911 |
| Detection and Identification of Species-Specific Bacteria Associated with Synanthropic Mites. | Internal bacterial communities of synanthropic mites Acarus siro, Dermatophagoides farinae, Lepidoglyphus destructor, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Astigmata) were analyzed by culturing and culture-independent approaches from specimens obtained from laboratory colonies. Homogenates of surface-sterilized mites were used for cultivation on non-selective agar and DNA extraction. Isolated bacteria were identified by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. PCR amplified 16S rRNA genes were analyzed b ... | 2011 | 22057398 |
| floral odor bouquet loses its ant repellent properties after inhibition of terpene biosynthesis. | in their natural environment, plants are synchronously confronted with mutualists and antagonists, and thus benefit from signals that contain messages for both functional groups of interaction partners. floral scents are complex blends of volatiles of different chemical classes, including benzenoids and terpenoids. it has been hypothesized that benzenoids have evolved as pollinator attracting signals, while monoterpenoids serve as defensive compounds against antagonists. in order to test this hy ... | 2011 | 22160332 |
| The indirect consequences of a mutualism: comparing positive and negative components of the net interaction between honeydew-tending ants and host plants. | 1. In ecological webs, net indirect interactions between species are composed of interactions that vary in sign and magnitude. Most studies have focused on negative component interactions (e.g. predation, herbivory) without considering the relative importance of positive interactions (e.g. mutualism, facilitation) for determining net indirect effects. 2. In plant/arthropod communities, ants have multiple top-down effects via mutualisms with honeydew-producing herbivores and harassment of and pre ... | 2011 | 22098489 |
| first evidence of an intimate symbiotic association between fungi and larvae in basal attine ants. | the most conspicuous ants in all of tropical america are those that belong to the tribe attini which cultivate fungus. the objective of the present study is to verify the alterations that occur in the cuticle of the worker larvae from myrmicocrypta, mycetarotes and trachymyrmex with the purpose of trying to establish the degree of this association. attine ants from the atta genus were used as a control group. the analysis of histological sections showed results about the distribution of the cell ... | 2012 | 22056909 |
| flying drosophila orient to sky polarization. | insects maintain a constant bearing across a wide range of spatial scales. monarch butterflies and locusts traverse continents [1, 2], and foraging bees and ants travel hundreds of meters to return to their nests [1, 3, 4], whereas many other insects fly straight for only a few centimeters before changing direction. despite this variation in spatial scale, the brain region thought to underlie long-distance navigation is remarkably conserved [5, 6], suggesting that the use of a celestial compass ... | 2011 | 22177905 |
| knowledgeable individuals lead collective decisions in ants. | self-organisation underlies many collective processes in large animal groups, where coordinated patterns and activities emerge at the group level from local interactions among its members. although the importance of key individuals acting as effective leaders has recently been recognised in certain collective processes, it is widely believed that self-organised decisions are evenly shared among all or a subset of individuals acting as decision-makers, unless there are significant conflicts of in ... | 2011 | 21865517 |
| effectiveness of seed dispersal by ants in a neotropical tree. | seed dispersal and subsequent recruitment is the template on which forest regeneration takes place. hence, considering the scale over which ecological processes occur is key for understanding the overall impact of various dispersal agents. to explore leafcutter ant (atta colombica) dispersal effectiveness in space and time, seed movement and subsequent recruitment of a large-seeded predominately vertebrate-dispersed tree, simarouba amara (aubl. simaroubaceae), was investigated on barro colorado ... | 2011 | 21910841 |
| presence and distribution of the endosymbiont wolbachia among solenopsis spp. (hymenoptera: formicidae) from brazil and its evolutionary history. | wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect arthropods. its prevalence among ants of the genus solenopsis is high. in the present study, the presence and distribution of these endosymbionts was examined among populations of solenopsis spp. from brazil. a phylogenetic analysis based on the wsp gene was conducted to infer the evolutionary history of wolbachia infections within the populations surveyed. a high frequency of wolbachia bacteria was observed among the genus solenopsis, 51 ... | 2012 | 22266203 |
| hydrocarbon signatures of egg maternity, caste membership and reproductive status in the common wasp. | in most ants, bees, and wasps, the workers are capable of challenging the reproductive monopoly of the queen by laying unfertilized, male eggs. an important mechanism that can resolve this conflict is policing, whereby the queen or workers prevent successful worker reproduction by selectively eating worker-laid eggs or by attacking egg-laying workers. egg policing by workers has been shown to occur in several social wasp species, but the information used by worker wasps to discriminate between q ... | 2012 | 22234429 |
| a life history continuum in the males of a neotropical ant assemblage: refuting the sperm vessel hypothesis. | animal lifespans range from a few days to many decades, and this life history diversity is especially pronounced in ants. queens can live for decades. males, in contrast, are often assumed to act as ephemeral sperm delivery vessels that die after a brief mating flight-a view developed from studies of lekking species in temperate habitats. in a tropical ant assemblage, we found that males can live days to months outside the nest, a trait hypothesized to be associated with female calling, another ... | 2012 | 22274637 |
| the impacts of invaders: basal and acute stress glucocorticoid profiles and immune function in native lizards threatened by invasive ants. | as anthropogenic stressors increase exponentially in the coming decades, native vertebrates will likely face increasing threats from these novel challenges. the success or failure of the primary physiological mediator of these stressors-the hpa axis-will likely involve numerous and chaotic outcomes. among the most challenging of these new threats are invasive species. these have the capacity to simultaneously challenge the hpa axis and the immune system as they are often associated with, or the ... | 2011 | 22226759 |
| the nest architecture of three species of north florida aphaenogaster ants. | abstract the architecture of the subterranean nests of aphaenogaster floridana smith (hymenoptera: formicidae), a. treatae forel and a. ashmeadi (emery), was studied from plaster, wax, or metal casts. after structural features were quantified from digital images, the entombed ants were retrieved from the plaster by dissolution or wax casts by melting and counted. nests of all three species were rather simple, small and vertical, with horizontal chambers connected by vertical shafts. shafts des ... | 2011 | 22221290 |
| emerging topics in epigenetics: ants, brains, and noncoding rnas. | one of the greatest wonders in biology is the high degree of molecular organization and complexity achieved by multicellular life forms, which are typically composed by hundreds of cell types, each with a unique identity and function and all sharing the same genome. long-term maintenance of these distinct cell identities requires epigenetic signals, molecular signatures that regulate gene expression and can be inherited during cell division. some epigenetic signals also appear to have an intimat ... | 2012 | 22239229 |
| discovery dominance tradeoff: the case of pheidole subarmata and solenopsis geminata (hymenoptera: formicidae) in neotropical pastures. | interspecific competition has been shown to play a role in the structure of ant communities. however, the role of foraging behavior and the type of competition that results from this behavior has been less investigated. here we present results from baiting experiments at various scales to determine the degree of exploitative and interference competition between two neotropical ants (hymenoptera: formicidae) in pastures in the atlantic coast of nicaragua. results suggest that the coexistence of ... | 2011 | 22251712 |
| sampling efficacy for the red imported fire ant solenopsis invicta (hymenoptera: formicidae). | cost-effective detection of invasive ant colonies before establishment in new ranges is imperative for the protection of national borders and reducing their global impact. we examined the sampling efficiency of food-baits and pitfall traps (baited and nonbaited) in detecting isolated red imported fire ant (solenopsis invicta buren) nests in multiple environments in gainesville, fl. fire ants demonstrated a significantly higher preference for a mixed protein food type (hotdog or ground meat comb ... | 2011 | 22251738 |
| the combined effects of exogenous and endogenous variability on the spatial distribution of ant communities in a forested ecosystem (hymenoptera: formicidae). | spatial patterns observed in ecosystems have traditionally been attributed to exogenous processes. recently, ecologists have found that endogenous processes also have the potential to create spatial patterns. yet, relatively few studies have attempted to examine the combined effects of exogenous and endogenous processes on the distribution of organisms across spatial and temporal scales. here we aim to do this, by investigating whether spatial patterns of under-story tree species at a large spa ... | 2011 | 22251718 |
| a morphologically specialized soldier caste improves colony defense in a neotropical eusocial bee. | division of labor among workers is common in insect societies and is thought to be important in their ecological success. in most species, division of labor is based on age (temporal castes), but workers in some ants and termites show morphological specialization for particular tasks (physical castes). large-headed soldier ants and termites are well-known examples of this specialization. however, until now there has been no equivalent example of physical worker subcastes in social bees or wasps. ... | 2012 | 22232688 |
| testing the directed dispersal hypothesis: are native ant mounds (formica sp.) favorable microhabitats for an invasive plant? | ant-mediated seed dispersal may be a form of directed dispersal if collected seeds are placed in a favorable microhabitat (e.g., in or near an ant nest) that increases plant establishment, growth, and/or reproduction relative to random locations. we investigated whether the native ant community interacts with invasive leafy spurge (euphorbia esula) in a manner consistent with predictions of the directed dispersal hypothesis. resident ants quickly located and dispersed 60% of experimentally offer ... | 2012 | 22231374 |
| between a rock and a hard place: impact of nest selection behavior on the altitudinal range of an alpine ant, formica neorufibarbis. | formica neorufibarbis emery is a dominant alpine ant in north america. above timberline, colonies nest under rocks, placing brood against the rock surface to warm during the day. we tested the hypothesis that nest rock preference represents a mechanism of behavioral thermoregulation and used a demographic model to explore its impact on the species' altitudinal range. under sunny conditions rocks provide warm microclimates. across a 400-m altitudinal gradient from below timberline to high alpine ... | 2011 | 22251630 |
| a model of ant route navigation driven by scene familiarity. | in this paper we propose a model of visually guided route navigation in ants that captures the known properties of real behaviour whilst retaining mechanistic simplicity and thus biological plausibility. for an ant, the coupling of movement and viewing direction means that a familiar view specifies a familiar direction of movement. since the views experienced along a habitual route will be more familiar, route navigation can be re-cast as a search for familiar views. this search can be performed ... | 2012 | 22241975 |
| shuffling leaf litter samples produces more accurate and precise snapshots of terrestrial arthropod community composition. | understanding the accuracy of sampling techniques is critical to accurate interpretation of local and global ecological patterns. over the past 20 yr, winkler leaf litter extractors have become one of the most common techniques used to collect terrestrial arthropods. although the original description of this technique recommends the use of disturbance during extraction to increase extraction efficiency, most published studies do not follow this recommendation. here we test experimentally how di ... | 2011 | 22217769 |
| gsm 900 mhz radiation inhibits ants' association between food sites and encountered cues. | the kinetics of the acquisition and loss of the use of olfactory and visual cues were previously obtained in six experimental colonies of the ant myrmica sabuleti meinert 1861, under normal conditions. in the present work, the same experiments were conducted on six other naive identical colonies of m. sabuleti, under electromagnetic radiation similar to those surrounding gsm and communication masts. in this situation, no association between food and either olfactory or visual cues occurred. afte ... | 2012 | 22268919 |
| occurrence of fipronil and its biologically active derivatives in urban residential runoff. | insecticides are commonly used around homes for controlling insects such as ants, termites, and spiders. such uses have been linked to pesticide contamination and toxicity in urban aquatic ecosystems. fipronil is a relatively new and popular urban-use insecticide that has acute toxicity to arthropods at low-ppb levels. in this study, we collected runoff water from 6 large communities, each consisting of 152 to 460 single-family homes, in sacramento county and orange county, california, and evalu ... | 2012 | 22242791 |
| the argentine ant persists through unfavorable winters via a mutualism facilitated by a native tree. | mutualisms and facilitations can fundamentally change the relationship between an organism's realized and fundamental niche. invasive species may prove particularly suitable models for investigating this relationship as many are dependent on finding new partners for successful establishment. we conducted field-based experiments testing whether a native tree facilitates the successful survival of the invasive argentine ant, linepithema humile (mayr), through unfavorable winter conditions in the ... | 2011 | 22251714 |
| bacteria associated with gut lumen of camponotus japonicus mayr. | camponotus ants harbor the obligate intracellular endosymbiont blochmannia in their midgut bacteriocytes, but little is known about intestinal bacteria living in the gut lumen. in this paper we reported the results of a survey of the intestinal microflora of camponotus japonicus mayr based on small-subunit rrna genes (16s rrnas) polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis of worker guts. from 107 clones, 11 different restriction fragment-length polymorphism ... | 2011 | 22217755 |
| worker division of labor and endocrine physiology are associated in the harvester ant, pogonomyrmex californicus. | in pogonomyrmex californicus harvester ants, an age-associated division of labor occurs in the worker caste, in which young workers perform in-nest tasks and older workers forage for food. here, we tested whether this behavioral division is age based or age flexible, and whether it coincides with differential expression of systemic hormones with known roles in behavioral regulation. whole-body content of juvenile hormone (jh) and ecdysteroids was determined in workers from (1) age-typical coloni ... | 2012 | 22246254 |
| colony variation in the collective regulation of foraging by harvester ants. | this study investigates variation in collective behavior in a natural population of colonies of the harvester ant, pogonomyrmex barbatus. harvester ant colonies regulate foraging activity to adjust to current food availability; the rate at which inactive foragers leave the nest on the next trip depends on the rate at which successful foragers return with food. this study investigates differences among colonies in foraging activity and how these differences are associated with variation among col ... | 2011 | 22479133 |
| increased host aggression as an induced defense against slave-making ants. | slave-making ants reduce the fitness of surrounding host colonies through regular raids, causing the loss of brood and frequently queen and worker death. consequently, hosts developed defenses against slave raids such as specific recognition and aggression toward social parasites, and indeed, we show that host ants react more aggressively toward slavemakers than toward nonparasitic competitors. permanent behavioral defenses can be costly, and if social parasite impact varies in time and space, i ... | 2011 | 22476194 |
| occurrence of pre-nucleolar bodies and 45s rdna location on the chromosomes of the ant mycocepurus goeldii (forel) (formicidae, myrmicinae, attini). | the ant mycocepurus goeldii (forel) is known for having a relict karyotype with low chromosome number and the present study help the understanding of this ant cytogenetics by describing the occurrence of pre-nucleolar bodies in their chromosomes using impregnation with silver nitrate (ag-nor) and the location of 45s rdna sites by means of the fish (fluorescent in situ hybridization) technique. several spots were observed surrounding all chromosomes when submitted to the ag-nor technique. these u ... | 2011 | 22458441 |
| visual input and path stabilization in walking ants. | most animals use vision to navigate the outside world. eyes are the sensory organs for visual perception and can vary in their form, structure and function to suit the visual requirement of the individual species. in insects, mainly the two compound eyes but also the less-conspicuous ocelli are in charge for visual input. much knowledge has been obtained about compound eyes but little is known about the role of ocelli in walking insects. recently it has been shown that ant ocelli contribute to e ... | 2011 | 22446548 |
| new findings in insect fungiculture: have ants developed non-food, agricultural products? | the interaction between allomerus plant-ants and an ascomycete fungus growing on and strengthening their galleries is not opportunistic. we previously demonstrated that this association is highly specific as only one fungal species represented by a few haplotypes was found associated with the ants. we also discovered that the ants' behavior revealed a major investment in manipulating and enhancing the growth of their associated fungus. we have growing evidence that this specificity is consistent ... | 2011 | 22446539 |
| microbiomes of ant castes implicate new microbial roles in the fungus-growing ant trachymyrmex septentrionalis. | fungus-growing ants employ several defenses against diseases, including disease-suppressing microbial biofilms on their integument and in fungal gardens. here, we compare the phenology of microbiomes in natural nests of the temperate fungus-growing ant trachymyrmex septentrionalis using culture-dependent isolations and culture-independent 16s-amplicon 454-sequencing. 454-sequencing revealed diverse actinobacteria associated with ants, including most prominently solirubrobacter (12.2-30.9% of seq ... | 2011 | 22355719 |
| [characteristics of floor litter and soil arthropod community in different types ot subtropical forest in ailao mountain of yunnan, southwest china]. | by using line transect method, an investigation was conducted on the floor litter and soil arthropod community in a mid mountain wet evergreen broad-leaved forest, a mossy dwarf forest, and a populus bonatii forest in ailao mountain of yunnan in april (dry and hot season), june (rainy season), and december (dry and cold season), 2005. in both dry and rainy seasons, the existing floor litter mass, c storage, and c/n ratio in the three forests all increased in the order of mossy dwarf forest > p. ... | 2011 | 22303681 |
| lack of interactions between fire ant control products and white grubs (coleoptera: scarabaeidae) in turfgrass. | insecticides are widely used to manage turfgrass pest such as white grubs (coleoptera: scarabaeidae). red imported fire ants, solenopsis invicta (buren) are important predators and pests in managed turfgrass. we tested the susceptibility of white grub life stages (adults, egg, and larvae) to predation by s. invicta and determined if insecticides applied for control of s. invicta would result in locally greater white grub populations. field trials over 2 yr evaluated bifenthrin, fipronil, and hyd ... | 2011 | 22299364 |
| ant mimicry lessens predation on a north american jumping spider by larger salticid spiders. | ant-like appearance (myrmecomorphy) has evolved >70 times in insects and spiders, accounting for >2,000 species of myrmecomorphic arthropods. most myrmecomorphic spiders are considered to be batesian mimics; that is, a palatable spider avoids predation through resemblance to an unpalatable ant-although this presumption has been tested in relatively few cases. here we explicitly examined the extent to which peckhamia picata (salticidae), a north american ant-mimicking jumping spider, is protected ... | 2011 | 22251733 |
| atta sexdens (l.) (hymenoptera: formicidae) demography in the colombian amazon: an evaluation of the palatable forage hypothesis. | this study tested expectations of the palatable forage hypothesis for atta sexdens (l.). literature records on atta and acromyrmex nest density in the neotropics were analyzed and a. sexdens demographical aspects were studied in six transects located along the colombian amazon river. literature research results did not show that atta and acromyrmex nest densities are consistently higher in disturbed habitats. in transects, 56 active and 182 inactive nests were found in 2008. higher active nest n ... | 2011 | 22251676 |
| cascading indirect effects in a coffee agroecosystem: effects of parasitic phorid flies on ants and the coffee berry borer in a high-shade and low-shade habitat. | nonconsumptive effects (nce) of parasites on hosts vary with habitat complexity thereby modifying trait-mediated effects on lower trophic levels. in coffee agroecosystems, pseudacteon sp. phorid fly parasites negatively affect azteca instabilis f. smith ants via nce thereby indirectly benefiting prey. it is unknown how differences in habitat complexity influence azteca-phorid interactions or how phorids affect the coffee berry borer (hypothenemus hampei ferrari), an important pest of coffee (cof ... | 2011 | 22251635 |
| the role of symbiont genetic distance and potential adaptability in host preference towards pseudonocardia symbionts in acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants. | fungus-growing ants display symbiont preference in behavioral assays, both towards the fungus they cultivate for food and actinobacteria they maintain on their cuticle for antibiotic production against parasites. these actinobacteria, genus pseudonocardia henssen (pseudonocardiacea: actinomycetales), help defend the ants' fungal mutualist from specialized parasites. in acromyrmex mayr (hymenoptera: formicidae) leaf-cutting ants, individual colonies maintain either a single or a few strains of ps ... | 2011 | 22225537 |
| influences on the structure of suburban ant (hymenoptera: formicidae) communities and the abundance of tapinoma sessile. | urbanization can alter the organization of ant communities and affect populations of urban pest ants. in this study, we sampled ant communities in urban and suburban yards to understand the habitat factors that shape these communities and influence the abundance of a common pest species, tapinoma sessile (say). we used pitfall traps to sample ant communities and a combination of pitfall traps and baiting to collect t. sessile at 24 sites in knoxville, tn. in total, we collected 46 ant species. a ... | 2011 | 22217754 |
| ants & the art of war. | | 2011 | 22214134 |
| raft formation by the red imported fire ant, solenopsis invicta. | the raft behavior of the invasive red imported fire ant, solenopsis invicta buren (hymenoptera: formicidae), has been documented for over a century. however, no rigorous tests have been performed elucidating the structure, limits, and important characteristics of this behavior. rafting makes s. invicta competitive in both native and foreign environments. further understanding of this behavior will provide critical advancement to the comprehension of this ant's global invasion ecology. though spe ... | 2011 | 22950473 |
| ant-diaspore interactions during secondary succession in the atlantic forest of brazil. | animal-plant interactions are important for the recovery of diversity and processes in secondary forests, which increasingly dominate the tropical landscape. we used a combination of observational and experimental approaches to study the interactions of ants with diaspores across a successional gradient of forests in southern brazil, from august 2007 to april 2008. in addition to diaspore removal rates, we assessed the species richness, diversity and behaviour of ants interacting with diaspores, ... | 2012 | 23894957 |
| studies on oecophylla smaragdina as a bio-control agent against pentatomid bug infesting on pongamia tree. | weaver ants, (oecophylla smaragdina) have been found to predate on pentatomid bug (cyclopelta siccifolia) infesting pongamia pinnata tree in mid-western ghat region of shimoga district, karnataka. the present study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of weaver ants, that are abundant on p. pinnata trees, to control the pentatomid bugs. consistent and systematic field surveillance was carried out for a period of two months, march and july 2010. this showed that the number of pentatomid bugs ... | 2012 | 23741809 |
| investigation of the properties and potential medical applications of natural silk fibers produced by eupackardia calleta. | silk has been considered biocompatible and used for medical applications for centuries. however, most of the silk currently used is produced by the domesticated silkworm, bombyx mori. recently, it has been demonstrated that silk produced by saturniidae insects such as antheraea mylitta, phylisomia ricini, and antheraea pernyi had unique properties and suitable for medical applications. therefore, efforts are being made to identify and study the structure and properties of silks produced by wild ... | 2012 | 23565687 |
| anaphylaxis to weaver ant eggs: a case report. | the weaver ants (oecophyllas maragdina), the tropical ants commonly found in asia and australia, can produce eggs which become the expensive delicacies for thai people especially in the northern and northeastern part of thailand. anaphylactic reaction can occur from the most common triggers of ingested foods and drugs. some hidden and newly recognized foods are now described as the triggers of anaphylaxis. this is the case report of anaphylaxis to the weaver ant eggs of after ingesting them for ... | 2012 | 23513482 |
| non-enzymatic hydrolysis of rna in workers of the ant nylanderia pubens. | during preparation of total rna from nylanderia pubens (forel) (hymenoptera: formicidae) workers for use in expression library construction, severe rna degradation consistently occurred. this degradation was masked by spectrophotometric analysis but clearly evident by microfluidic-based assay. although not specifically identified, the degrading entity was endogenous and localized to the abdomen (terminal abdominal segments) of adult ants. rna degradation was not observed in preparations of larva ... | 2012 | 23461820 |
| behavioral strategies of phorid parasitoids and responses of their hosts, the leaf-cutting ants. | host-searching and oviposition behaviors of parasitoids, and defensive responses of the hosts, are fundamental in shaping the ecology of host-parasitoid interactions. in order to uncover key behavioral features for the little known interactions between phorid parasitoids (diptera: phoridae) and their leaf-cutting ant hosts (formicidae: attini), host-related behavioral strategies (i.e., host searching and oviposition) for 13 phorid species, and host defensive responses (i.e., hitchhikers and part ... | 2012 | 23448343 |
| ant distribution in relation to ground water in north florida pine flatwoods. | longleaf pine savannas are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, yet are understudied. ants are a functionally important and diverse group of insects in these ecosystems. it is largely unknown how local patterns of species diversity and composition are determined through the interaction of this dominant animal group with abiotic features of longleaf pine ecosystems. here we describe how an important abiotic variable, depth to water table, relates to ant species distributions at loc ... | 2012 | 23445122 |
| seasonal dynamics of ant community structure in the moroccan argan forest. | in this study we describe the structure and composition of ant communities in the endemic moroccan argan forest, using pitfall traps sampling technique throughout the four seasons between may 2006 and february 2007. the study focused on two distinct climatic habitats within the essaouira argan forest, a semi-continental site at lahssinate, and a coastal site at boutazarte. thirteen different ant species were identified, belonging to seven genera. monomorium subopacum smith and tapinoma simrothi ... | 2012 | 23421815 |
| field trapping the little fire ant, wasmannia auropunctata. | two detection methods for the little fire ant, wasmannia auropunctata (roger) (hymenoptera: formicidae), both employing the pheromone attractant 2,5-dimethyl-3-(2-methylbutyl)pyrazine (2-mebu-dimepy), were compared with peanut butter based detection, in order to evaluate differences in species specificity and detection reliability. trapping was conducted using a transect through a macadamia orchard on the island of hawaii. the transect consisted of a series of three-tree plots, each plot contain ... | 2012 | 23421782 |
| dynamics and shape of large fire ant rafts. | to survive floods, fire ants link their bodies together to build waterproof rafts. such rafts can be quite large, exceeding 100,000 individuals in size. in this study, we make two improvements on a previously reported model on the construction rate of rafts numbering between 3,000 and 10,000 individuals. that model was based upon experimental observations of randomly-directed linear ant trajectories atop the raft. here, we report anomalous behavior of ants atop larger rafts of up to 23,000 ants. ... | 2012 | 23336030 |
| genetic evidence for multiple invasions of the eastern subterranean termite into canada. | social insects are among the world's most successful species at invading new environments. their characteristic division of labor can influence their capacity to colonize new habitats, often with negative ecological or economic impact. the social hymenoptera (i.e., ants, bees, and wasps), are well studied in this regard, but much less is known about the invasive biology of termites (isoptera). in this study we use province-wide sampling and a population genetic analysis to infer the minimum numb ... | 2012 | 23321118 |
| the ant, aphaenogaster picea, benefits from plant elaiosomes when insect prey is scarce. | myrmecochory is a facultative, mutualistic interaction in which ants receive a protein-rich food reward (elaiosome) in return for dispersing plant seeds. in north american northeastern hardwood forests, aphaenogaster ants are the primary genus dispersing myrmecochorous plants. in these forests, myrmecochores occur in plant guilds of understory spring ephemerals or seasonal greens. this mutualism has been demonstrated for aphaenogaster rudis (emery) and individual plant species, but it has not be ... | 2012 | 23321086 |
| common garden experiments reveal uncommon responses across temperatures, locations, and species of ants. | population changes and shifts in geographic range boundaries induced by climate change have been documented for many insect species. on the basis of such studies, ecological forecasting models predict that, in the absence of dispersal and resource barriers, many species will exhibit large shifts in abundance and geographic range in response to warming. however, species are composed of individual populations, which may be subject to different selection pressures and therefore may be differentiall ... | 2012 | 23301168 |
| a veritable menagerie of heritable bacteria from ants, butterflies, and beyond: broad molecular surveys and a systematic review. | maternally transmitted bacteria have been important players in the evolution of insects and other arthropods, affecting their nutrition, defense, development, and reproduction. wolbachia are the best studied among these and typically the most prevalent. while several other bacteria have independently evolved a heritable lifestyle, less is known about their host ranges. moreover, most groups of insects have not had their heritable microflora systematically surveyed across a broad range of their t ... | 2012 | 23284655 |
| nutritional benefits of crematogaster mimosae ants and acacia drepanolobium gum for patas monkeys and vervets in laikipia, kenya. | patas monkeys (erythrocebus patas) are midsized primates that feed extensively on the gum of acacia drepanolobium and the ants are housed in swollen thorns of this acacia. their diet resembles that expected more of smaller bodied primates. patas monkeys are also more like smaller bodied primates in reproducing at high rates. we sought to better understand the convergence of patas monkeys with smaller bodied primates by comparing their feeding behavior on ants and gum with that of closely related ... | 2012 | 23280312 |
| do host species evolve a specific response to slave-making ants? | | 2012 | 23276325 |
| division of labor and structural plasticity in an extrinsic serotonergic mushroom body neuron in the ant pheidole dentata. | worker polyphenisms in ants enable insightful analyses of neuronal underpinnings of division of labor, a crucial aspect of animal social organization. in the ant pheidole dentata, which has a dimorphic worker caste, serotonin titer increases in the brain with age, modulating pheromonal recruitment communication and foraging, behaviors characteristic of mature individuals. serotonin-immunoreactive (5ht-ir) neurons are found in the mushroom bodies (mb) and may modulate multi-sensory information pr ... | 2012 | 23274482 |
| current-reinforced random walks for constructing transport networks. | biological systems that build transport networks, such as trail-laying ants and the slime mould physarum, can be described in terms of reinforced random walks. in a reinforced random walk, the route taken by 'walking' particles depends on the previous routes of other particles. here, we present a novel form of random walk in which the flow of particles provides this reinforcement. starting from an analogy between electrical networks and random walks, we show how to include current reinforcement. ... | 2012 | 23269849 |
| laccase detoxification mediates the nutritional alliance between leaf-cutting ants and fungus-garden symbionts. | leaf-cutting ants combine large-scale herbivory with fungus farming to sustain advanced societies. their stratified colonies are major evolutionary achievements and serious agricultural pests, but the crucial adaptations that allowed this mutualism to become the prime herbivorous component of neotropical ecosystems has remained elusive. here we show how coevolutionary adaptation of a specific enzyme in the fungal symbiont has helped leaf-cutting ants overcome plant defensive phenolic compounds. ... | 2012 | 23267060 |