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Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Disruption is Mediated by Trail Concentration

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Abstract

Argentine ant trail pheromone disruption, using continuous release of the trail pheromone compound (Z)-9-hexadecanal, reduces the incidence of trails and foraging rates of field populations. However, little is known about the concentrations of pheromone required for successful disruption. We hypothesized that higher pheromone quantities would be necessary to disrupt larger ant populations. To test this, we laid a 30-cm long base trail of (Z)-9-hexadecanal on a glass surface at low and high rates (1 and 100 pg/cm) (Trail 1), and laid a second, shorter trail (Trail 2, 10 cm long, located 1.5 cm upwind) near the middle of Trail 1 at six rates (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 pg/cm). We then recorded and digitized movements of individual ants following Trail 1, and derived a regression statistic, r 2, as an index of trail integrity, and also recorded arrival success at the other end of the trail (30 cm) near a food supply. Disruption of trails required 100 fold more pheromone upwind, independent of base-trail concentration. This implies that in the field, trail disruption is likely to be less successful against high ant-trail densities (greater concentration of trail pheromone), and more successful against newly formed or weak trails, as could be expected along invasion fronts.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by the New Zealand Ministry for Science and Innovation (CO6X0811 and C06X0601). We thank members of our advisory panel Dr. Chris Green (Dept. of Conservation), Mr. M. Harre (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) and Dr. Nick Waipara (Auckland Regional Council) for support. Dr Alisdair Noble provided statistical advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, PB 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand

    David Maxwell Suckling, Lloyd D. Stringer & Joshua E. Corn

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  1. David Maxwell Suckling
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  2. Lloyd D. Stringer
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  3. Joshua E. Corn
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Correspondence to David Maxwell Suckling.

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Supplemental Fig. A

Experimental layout of glass (solid rectangle) and synthetic (Z)-9-hexadecenal trails, with actual ant trail (on Trail 1; no trail 2 present) overlaid, to show walking behavior (close up on left). Trail 1 was tested at two concentrations and Trail 2 was tested at six concentrations and an untreated control. (DOCX 124 kb)

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Suckling, D.M., Stringer, L.D. & Corn, J.E. Argentine Ant Trail Pheromone Disruption is Mediated by Trail Concentration. J Chem Ecol 37, 1143–1149 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-011-0019-0

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