Chemical ecology of Argentine ant aggression

January 24, 2018
By Dong Hwan Choe

Kevin paper image1 — Macro close-up of a dark ant grasping a reddish ant’s head, possibly during fighting or predation, with fine hairs and mandibles clearly visible.

Kevin paper image2 — Line graph showing chemical analysis with peaks labeled n-C12, Dol, and Irid; compares aggression-related compounds in Argentine ants versus control groups of Argentine and harvester ants across retention time.

One of dissertation chapters of Kevin Welzel (former PhD student in Choe Laboratory) is now officially published.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19435-6

Check out following news article to learn more about the research.

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For Global Invasion, Argentine Ants Use Chemical Weapons

Compounds produced by Argentine ants are used to recruit nestmates and incapacitate opponents

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — From their native home on the banks of South America's Paraná River, Argentine ants have conquered six continents and many oceanic islands. Their success is explained by several factors: they have more than one queen per colony, making them difficult to eradicate, and they adapt to changes in their environments by living transiently rather than building permanent nests.

Argentine ants are also highly aggressive, out-competing existing ant species for food and other resources. In a paper published today in Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of California, Riverside show how Argentine ants use chemical secretions as weapons in their interactions with harvester ants, which are native to California. The findings could help in the development of new pest control strategies.

To continue read the full article, click here.