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The Chemical Basis for Nestmate Recognition and Mate Discrimination in Social Insects

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Chemical Ecology of Insects 2

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the chemical basis for nestmate recognition in social insects. Animals that live in family groups are often able to discriminate family members from non-family members. For example, humans and other mammals can use a variety of cues—visual, auditory, and perhaps olfactory—to learn the identities of family members. Birds, on the other hand, rely primarily on auditory cues (Beecher, 1988). While any phenotypic trait that is associated with group membership could be utilized in nestmate recognition, studies of social insects have shown that they depend solely on olfactory cues to discriminate family members from other conspecifics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, USA

    Brian H. Smith

  2. Department of Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology, University of Colorado, USA

    Michael D. Breed

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Smith, B.H., Breed, M.D. (1995). The Chemical Basis for Nestmate Recognition and Mate Discrimination in Social Insects. In: Chemical Ecology of Insects 2. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1765-8_8

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