1st Place: Do surface semiochemicals mediate object recognition and ensuing behavioral decisions by ants?

Monday, November 14, 2022

8:24 AM – 8:36 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 111/112

Presenting Author(s)

Jenelle C. Breen

Undergraduate Student
Simon Fraser University
Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada

Co-Author(s)

Asim Renyard

PhD Candidate
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
RG

Regine Gries

Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
GG

Gerhard Gries

Professor
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Ants pick up various types of objects and carry them to, or from, their nests. While ants carry brood, insect prey, dead insects and seed elaiosomes to their nest, they remove deceased nestmates from their nest. Ants must discern between these objects and then decide where to take them. Semiochemicals (message-bearing chemical), such as oleic acid, present on object surfaces are already known to induce pick-up behavior by ants. Here we tested the hypothesis that ants recognize surface semiochemicals of objects and then decide where to take these objects. Using the carpenter ant, Camponotus modoc, as a model species, we presented ant colonies with pieces of perlite that were coated with surface extracts of insect prey, seed elaiosomes, or deceased nestmates, predicting that perlites coated with extracts of prey and elaiosomes are taken to the nest and perlites coated with extract of deceased nestmates are taken to the colonies’ midden. Data collections were ongoing at the time abstract submission was due.