The workers of Temnothorax species are generally small. Colonies are typically monogynous, although facultative polygyny has been documented in several species. Colony populations are usually quite small, often with less than 100 workers. However, several studies have found colonies of some species to be widely dispersed with several to many satellite nests. Many species are arboreal, living within hollow stems, old beetle or termite galleries, or in galls. Temnothorax species appear to be trophic generalists, feeding on a wide variety of scavenged items, including the elaiosomes of seeds. None have been documented to be active or aggressive predators.[4]
Phylogeneticsedit
Recent molecular phylogenetic studies show that the genera Chalepoxenus, Myrmoxenus and Protomognathus are nested within Temnothorax, and that the latter is distinct from the more distantly related genera Formicoxenus, Leptothorax and Harpagoxenus. Species in these 'satellite' genera live as social parasites within the nests of other species of Temnothorax.[4]
Social behaviorsedit
As Temnothorax colonies are small and easy to maintain in a laboratory environment, they are often used to study social behaviour in ants.[1]Temnothorax have been used to show displays of social structures through communication, colony responsibility, and influence.
Communication among ants has been observed[by whom?] and assumed to be entirely influenced through substrate-bound odor cues. However, this previous determined social factor has been disproved among the Temnothorax as recorded in the study conducted by Sean R Bowens, Daniel P Glatt, and Stephen C Pratt. Their study observed the navigational influences during emigration. The study consisted of forcing emigration in a colony to a new nest and change the visual and odor cues to the old nest. The new nest was rotated 60 degrees around the old nest in order to keep the visual cues but expel odor cues. The ants were then observed by their success in finding their way back to the old nest. When the odor cues were obstructed but the visual cues were not the ants did not have a problem locating the old nest. The study then changed to remove both the odor and visual cues. When this was done the ants showed disoriented behavior when searching for the old nest. Lastly, the study observed the ants when the visual cue was obstructed but not the odor cues. It was discovered that when the visual cues were obstructed and the ant had only odor cues to use for navigation the ants continued to display disoriented behavior and not only could not find the old nest, they walked in the opposite direction from it. This has led the study to conclude that among Temnothorax this species relies on visual cues rather than odor cues, and it is now assumed that odor cues are simply used to mark territory.[5]
Among the Temnothorax it has been studied as to how effectively the queen of a colony can dominate the reproductive decisions of her workers. In a study completed by Elisabeth Brunner, Johannes Kroiss, Andreas Trindl, and Jürgen Heinze, the queens of different colonies among similar species were observed in their influence over the reproduction of male workers; and whether or not the queen was manipulating their reproduction through active suppression or by implanting an honest signal of pheromones to broadcast fertility status. The study looked at queens in a mixed-species colonies and in colonies of the same species and at the cast-specific patterns of the cuticular hydrocarbons present. In the mixed- species colonies the queens were not able to completely suppress the reproduction of the male workers. In the colonies consisting of the same species the queen was able to suppress the male workers. It could be that the chemical profiles of the cuticular hydrocarbons differentiated between the queens of separate species. However, since the queens were still able to suppress the male workers somewhat, this supports the hypothesis that queens use an honest signal to manipulate the reproduction of male workers.[6]
In a study completed by Anna Dornhaus, Jo-Anne Holley, and Nigel R. Franks, the communal responsibilities within the colonies of Temnothorax were observed to determine if the size of a colony influences the division of labor among workers. By studying 11 colonies of both large and small population sizes (a small colony to consist of 200 to 400 individuals and a large colony to consist of 500 to 700 individuals) with approximately less than 1100 individually marked worker ants the researchers were able to determine how tasks were divided and the proportion of how many workers were active or inactive in the completion of tasks. The researchers charted seven different task required to be done during the emigration process from an old nest to a new one: scouting, brood transport, adult transport, collection of food which was separated into two tasks for collecting dead flies (Drosophila) and collecting honey solution, collection of sand materials for wall building, and the actual task of wall building. It was observed that between the sizes of the large and small colonies the ratio of active and non-active works was consistent, with the larger colonies having a slightly higher ratio of active workers but not enough to be statistically significant. It was also observed that among active and inactive workers it was consistent that usually less than 25% and never more than 50% of the workers were active. This could be that the non-active workers were completing tasks that were not being observed. Specialization of tasks was also not determined by colony size. However of the active workers it was shown that there was a disproportion of the rate at which active workers complete tasks with typically a few individuals doing more of the work than the other active workers. These ratios were also consistent in times when either a high or low phase of activity was required to complete emigration to the new nest.[7]
^ abcMyrmoxenus (including its junior synonymsEpimyrma and Myrmetaerus) was synonymized under Temnothorax by Ward et al. (2015),[2] but the change was not accepted by Heinze et al. (2015) due to insufficient available data.[3]
Referencesedit
^ abcCsősz S, Heinze J, Mikó I (2015-11-04). "Taxonomic Synopsis of the Ponto-Mediterranean Ants of Temnothorax nylanderi Species-Group". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140000. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1040000C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140000. PMC4633182. PMID 26536033.
^Ward PS, Brady SG, Fisher BL, Schultz TR (July 2014). "The evolution of myrmicine ants: phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Systematic Entomology. 40 (1): 61–81. Bibcode:2015SysEn..40...61W. doi:10.1111/syen.12090. ISSN 1365-3113. S2CID 83986771.
^Heinze J, Buschinger A, Poettinger T, Suefuji M (2015). "Multiple Convergent Origins of Workerlessness and Inbreeding in the Socially Parasitic Ant Genus Myrmoxenus". PLOS ONE. 10 (7): e0131023. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1031023H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131023. PMC4519230. PMID 26221735.
^ abSnelling RR, Borowiec ML, Prebus MM (2014). "Studies on California ants: a review of the genus Temnothorax (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". ZooKeys (372): 27–89. Bibcode:2014ZooK..372...27S. doi:10.3897/zookeys.372.6039. PMC3909803. PMID 24493957.
^Bowens SR, Glatt DP, Pratt SC (May 9, 2013). "Visual navigation during colony emigration by the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus [corrected]". PLOS ONE. 8 (5): e64367. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...864367B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064367. PMC3650068. PMID 23671713.
^Brunner E, Kroiss J, Trindl A, Heinze J (March 2011). "Queen pheromones in Temnothorax ants: control or honest signal?". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 55. Bibcode:2011BMCEE..11...55B. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-55. PMC3060118. PMID 21356125.
^Dornhaus A, Holley JA, Franks NR (2009). "Larger colonies do not have more specialized workers in the ant Temnothorax albipennis". Behavioral Ecology. 20 (5): 922–929. doi:10.1093/beheco/arp070.
Further readingedit
"Genus: Temnothorax". antweb.org. AntWeb. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose: Snelling RR, Borowiec ML, Prebus MM (2014). "Studies on California ants: a review of the genus Temnothorax (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)". ZooKeys (372): 27–89. Bibcode:2014ZooK..372...27S. doi:10.3897/zookeys.372.6039. PMC3909803. PMID 24493957. Please check the source for the exact licensing terms.
External linksedit
Media related to Temnothorax at Wikimedia Commons
January 01, 1970
temnothorax, genus, ants, subfamily, myrmicinae, contains, more, than, species, affinis, belgium, scientific, classification, domain, eukaryota, kingdom, animalia, phylum, arthropoda, class, insecta, order, hymenoptera, family, formicidae, subfamily, myrmicina. Temnothorax is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae It contains more than 380 species 1 Temnothorax Temnothorax affinis Belgium Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Order Hymenoptera Family Formicidae Subfamily Myrmicinae Tribe Crematogastrini Genus TemnothoraxMayr 1861 Type species Temnothorax recedensNylander 1856 Diversity 1 380 species Synonyms Antillaemyrmex Mann 1920 Chalepoxenus Menozzi 1923 Croesomyrmex Mann 1920 Dichothorax Emery 1895 Epimyrma Emery 1915 a Icothorax Hamann amp Klemm 1967 Leonomyrma Arnol di 1968 Macromischa Roger 1863 Myrafant Smith M R 1950 Myrmammophilus Menozzi 1925 Myrmetaerus Soudek 1925 a Myrmoxenus Ruzsky 1902 a Protomognathus Wheeler W M 1905 Temnothorax schaumii Maryland Contents 1 Biology 2 Phylogenetics 3 Social behaviors 4 Selected species 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksBiology editThe workers of Temnothorax species are generally small Colonies are typically monogynous although facultative polygyny has been documented in several species Colony populations are usually quite small often with less than 100 workers However several studies have found colonies of some species to be widely dispersed with several to many satellite nests Many species are arboreal living within hollow stems old beetle or termite galleries or in galls Temnothorax species appear to be trophic generalists feeding on a wide variety of scavenged items including the elaiosomes of seeds None have been documented to be active or aggressive predators 4 Phylogenetics editRecent molecular phylogenetic studies show that the genera Chalepoxenus Myrmoxenus and Protomognathus are nested within Temnothorax and that the latter is distinct from the more distantly related genera Formicoxenus Leptothorax and Harpagoxenus Species in these satellite genera live as social parasites within the nests of other species of Temnothorax 4 Social behaviors editAs Temnothorax colonies are small and easy to maintain in a laboratory environment they are often used to study social behaviour in ants 1 Temnothorax have been used to show displays of social structures through communication colony responsibility and influence Communication among ants has been observed by whom and assumed to be entirely influenced through substrate bound odor cues However this previous determined social factor has been disproved among the Temnothorax as recorded in the study conducted by Sean R Bowens Daniel P Glatt and Stephen C Pratt Their study observed the navigational influences during emigration The study consisted of forcing emigration in a colony to a new nest and change the visual and odor cues to the old nest The new nest was rotated 60 degrees around the old nest in order to keep the visual cues but expel odor cues The ants were then observed by their success in finding their way back to the old nest When the odor cues were obstructed but the visual cues were not the ants did not have a problem locating the old nest The study then changed to remove both the odor and visual cues When this was done the ants showed disoriented behavior when searching for the old nest Lastly the study observed the ants when the visual cue was obstructed but not the odor cues It was discovered that when the visual cues were obstructed and the ant had only odor cues to use for navigation the ants continued to display disoriented behavior and not only could not find the old nest they walked in the opposite direction from it This has led the study to conclude that among Temnothorax this species relies on visual cues rather than odor cues and it is now assumed that odor cues are simply used to mark territory 5 Among the Temnothorax it has been studied as to how effectively the queen of a colony can dominate the reproductive decisions of her workers In a study completed by Elisabeth Brunner Johannes Kroiss Andreas Trindl and Jurgen Heinze the queens of different colonies among similar species were observed in their influence over the reproduction of male workers and whether or not the queen was manipulating their reproduction through active suppression or by implanting an honest signal of pheromones to broadcast fertility status The study looked at queens in a mixed species colonies and in colonies of the same species and at the cast specific patterns of the cuticular hydrocarbons present In the mixed species colonies the queens were not able to completely suppress the reproduction of the male workers In the colonies consisting of the same species the queen was able to suppress the male workers It could be that the chemical profiles of the cuticular hydrocarbons differentiated between the queens of separate species However since the queens were still able to suppress the male workers somewhat this supports the hypothesis that queens use an honest signal to manipulate the reproduction of male workers 6 In a study completed by Anna Dornhaus Jo Anne Holley and Nigel R Franks the communal responsibilities within the colonies of Temnothorax were observed to determine if the size of a colony influences the division of labor among workers By studying 11 colonies of both large and small population sizes a small colony to consist of 200 to 400 individuals and a large colony to consist of 500 to 700 individuals with approximately less than 1100 individually marked worker ants the researchers were able to determine how tasks were divided and the proportion of how many workers were active or inactive in the completion of tasks The researchers charted seven different task required to be done during the emigration process from an old nest to a new one scouting brood transport adult transport collection of food which was separated into two tasks for collecting dead flies Drosophila and collecting honey solution collection of sand materials for wall building and the actual task of wall building It was observed that between the sizes of the large and small colonies the ratio of active and non active works was consistent with the larger colonies having a slightly higher ratio of active workers but not enough to be statistically significant It was also observed that among active and inactive workers it was consistent that usually less than 25 and never more than 50 of the workers were active This could be that the non active workers were completing tasks that were not being observed Specialization of tasks was also not determined by colony size However of the active workers it was shown that there was a disproportion of the rate at which active workers complete tasks with typically a few individuals doing more of the work than the other active workers These ratios were also consistent in times when either a high or low phase of activity was required to complete emigration to the new nest 7 Selected species editTemnothorax albipennis Temnothorax americanus Temnothorax brunneus Temnothorax corsicus Temnothorax curvispinosus Temnothorax exilis Temnothorax fragosus Temnothorax gallae Temnothorax inquilinus Temnothorax kutteri Temnothorax lichtensteini Temnothorax longispinosus Temnothorax muellerianus Temnothorax nylanderi Temnothorax pilagens Temnothorax rugatulus Temnothorax sentosus Temnothorax tarbinskii Temnothorax texanus Temnothorax tramieri Temnothorax unifasciatus Temnothorax zabeliniNotes edit a b c Myrmoxenus including its junior synonyms Epimyrma and Myrmetaerus was synonymized under Temnothorax by Ward et al 2015 2 but the change was not accepted by Heinze et al 2015 due to insufficient available data 3 References edit a b c Csosz S Heinze J Miko I 2015 11 04 Taxonomic Synopsis of the Ponto Mediterranean Ants of Temnothorax nylanderi Species Group PLOS ONE 10 11 e0140000 Bibcode 2015PLoSO 1040000C doi 10 1371 journal pone 0140000 PMC 4633182 PMID 26536033 Ward PS Brady SG Fisher BL Schultz TR July 2014 The evolution of myrmicine ants phylogeny and biogeography of a hyperdiverse ant clade Hymenoptera Formicidae Systematic Entomology 40 1 61 81 Bibcode 2015SysEn 40 61W doi 10 1111 syen 12090 ISSN 1365 3113 S2CID 83986771 Heinze J Buschinger A Poettinger T Suefuji M 2015 Multiple Convergent Origins of Workerlessness and Inbreeding in the Socially Parasitic Ant Genus Myrmoxenus PLOS ONE 10 7 e0131023 Bibcode 2015PLoSO 1031023H doi 10 1371 journal pone 0131023 PMC 4519230 PMID 26221735 a b Snelling RR Borowiec ML Prebus MM 2014 Studies on California ants a review of the genus Temnothorax Hymenoptera Formicidae ZooKeys 372 27 89 Bibcode 2014ZooK 372 27S doi 10 3897 zookeys 372 6039 PMC 3909803 PMID 24493957 Bowens SR Glatt DP Pratt SC May 9 2013 Visual navigation during colony emigration by the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus corrected PLOS ONE 8 5 e64367 Bibcode 2013PLoSO 864367B doi 10 1371 journal pone 0064367 PMC 3650068 PMID 23671713 Brunner E Kroiss J Trindl A Heinze J March 2011 Queen pheromones in Temnothorax ants control or honest signal BMC Evolutionary Biology 11 1 55 Bibcode 2011BMCEE 11 55B doi 10 1186 1471 2148 11 55 PMC 3060118 PMID 21356125 Dornhaus A Holley JA Franks NR 2009 Larger colonies do not have more specialized workers in the ant Temnothorax albipennis Behavioral Ecology 20 5 922 929 doi 10 1093 beheco arp070 Further reading edit Genus Temnothorax antweb org AntWeb Retrieved 5 July 2014 nbsp This article incorporates text from a scholarly publication published under a copyright license that allows anyone to reuse revise remix and redistribute the materials in any form for any purpose Snelling RR Borowiec ML Prebus MM 2014 Studies on California ants a review of the genus Temnothorax Hymenoptera Formicidae ZooKeys 372 27 89 Bibcode 2014ZooK 372 27S doi 10 3897 zookeys 372 6039 PMC 3909803 PMID 24493957 Please check the source for the exact licensing terms External links edit nbsp Media related to Temnothorax at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Temnothorax amp oldid 1214904058, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
