Mechanism of task recognition in the division of labor of social insects

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18610
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Kwansei Gakuin University (2017); Kobe University (2015-2016)
• Principal Investigator: Hojo Masaru 関西学院大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (70722122)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 社会性昆虫 / ケミカルコミュニケーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Social insects have sophisticated societies in which local interactions among individuals facilitate the coordination of group-level activity, and chemical communication is essential for coordination of complex organization, such as a division of labor, in ant societies. To understand behavioral and molecular basis of division of labor, we analyzed regulation of foraging tasks in a carpenter ant. We found that ant colonies regulate the foraging tasks depending on the presence of foragers, and the workers discriminate their tasks based on the differences of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Analyses of antennal transcriptome data revealed the specific odorant receptor sub-family which is highly expressed in the female antennae. Electrophysiological experiments suggested that these receptors respond toward the cuticular hydrocarbon components.

Free Research Field

化学生態学