科學家發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些化學物質(zhì),，它們能表明一只螞蟻還活著、并阻止它的同事把它丟到蟻群的墓地,。此前的研究認為,，螞蟻把死去的同事從蟻群中移除是因為螞蟻尸體中降解產(chǎn)物的積累。然而,，Dong-Hwan Choe及其同事認為,，螞蟻處置組在一只螞蟻死后1小時內(nèi)就采取了行動，這遠遠早于降解的化學產(chǎn)物能夠散發(fā)出來的時間,。
這組科學家發(fā)現(xiàn),，移除死螞蟻的化學信號總是存在，但是被其他化學物質(zhì)抑制,，而這些化學物質(zhì)在螞蟻死后很快就消失,。這組科學家使用溶劑萃取了存在于剛剛被殺死或死去1個小時的工蟻表皮中的這些化學物質(zhì)。當涂抹了這些萃取物的螞蟻蛹被放在外面的時候——工蟻通常會回收蛹并把它們送回蟻巢中——只有那些涂抹了來自剛剛被殺死的螞蟻的萃取物的蛹被忽略了,，沒有被搬走,。而其他的蛹被扔進了蟻群的垃圾堆。色譜和質(zhì)譜分析表明了dolichodial和iridomyrmecin這兩種化合物的存在,?；畹墓は佋诒砥ぶ蟹置谶@些化合物。但是這組作者發(fā)現(xiàn),，如果不持續(xù)更新,，在40分鐘內(nèi)dolichodial和iridomyrmecin或者將揮發(fā)，或者將變得失去活性,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PNAS May 4, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0901270106
Chemical signals associated with life inhibit necrophoresis in Argentine ants
Dong-Hwan Choe,1, Jocelyn G. Millar and Michael K. Rust
One of the most conspicuous and stereotyped activities of social insects such as ants and honey bees is necrophoresis, the removal of dead colony members from the nest. Previous researchers suggested that decomposition products such as fatty acids trigger necrophoric behavior by ant workers. However, fatty acids elicit both foraging and necrophoric responses, depending on the current nest activities (e.g., feeding or nest maintenance). Furthermore, workers often carry even freshly killed workers (dead for <1 h) to refuse piles before significant decomposition has a chance to occur. Here, we show that the cuticular chemistry of Argentine ant workers, Linepithema humile, undergoes rapid changes after death. When the workers are alive or freshly killed, relatively large amounts of 2 characteristic ant-produced compounds, dolichodial and iridomyrmecin, are present on the ants' cuticle. However, these compounds disappear from the cuticle within about 1 h after death. We demonstrate how this phenomenon supports an alternative mechanism of ant necrophoresis in which the precise recognition and rapid removal of dead nestmates are elicited by the disappearance of these chemical signals associated with life.
