Abstract
In mutualisms, partner discrimination is often the most important challenge for interacting organisms. The interaction between ants and aphids is a model system for studying mutualisms; ants are provided with honeydew by aphids and, in turn, the ants offer beneficial services to the aphids. To establish and maintain this system, ants must discriminate mutualistic aphid species correctly. Although recent studies have shown that ants recognize aphids as mutualistic partners based on their cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), it was unclear which CHCs are involved in recognition. Here, we tested whether the n-alkane or methylalkane fraction, or both, of aphid CHCs were utilized as partner recognition cues by measuring ant aggressiveness toward these fractions. When workers of Tetramorium tsushimae ants were presented with dummies coated with n-alkanes of their mutualistic aphid Aphis craccivora, ants displayed higher levels of aggression than to dummies treated with total CHCs or methyl alkanes of A. craccivora; responses to dummies treated with n-alkanes of A. craccivora were similar to those to control dummies or dummies treated with the CHCs of the non-mutualistic aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. By contrast, ants exhibited lower aggression to dummies treated with either total CHCs or the methylalkane fraction of the mutualistic aphid than to control dummies or dummies treated with CHCs of the non-mutualistic aphid. These results suggest that T. tsushimae ants use methylalkanes of the mutualistic aphid’s CHCs to recognize partners, and that these ants do not recognize aphids as partners on the basis of n-alkanes.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Jocelyn G. Millar of the University of California, Riverside for reviewing the manuscript, Kazuki Tsuji of the University of the Ryukyus for constructive comments, and Shigeru Matsuyama of the University of Tsukuba and Harunobu Shibao of the University of Tokyo for technical advices. This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant No. 17 J04148 to MH and 16 K14865 to KN).
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Sakata, I., Hayashi, M. & Nakamuta, K. Tetramorium tsushimae Ants Use Methyl Branched Hydrocarbons of Aphids for Partner Recognition. J Chem Ecol 43, 966–970 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0891-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0891-3