Evaluating the exogenous and endogenous mechanisms influencing variability of cuticular hydrocarbons in Neotropical social insects

• Grant number: 15/25301-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2016
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Santos do Nascimento
• Grantee: Fábio Santos do Nascimento
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Ribeirão Preto
• Associated researchers: Aline Candida Ribeiro Andrade e Silva ; Ivelize Cunha Tannure-Nascimento

Abstract

Cuticular hydrocarbons are one of the main chemical compounds used for communication by social insects. These substances have been indicated as responsible by the nestmate recognition within nests as well as involved in many other behavioral mechanisms of communicaton. Understanding how these compounds help to meadiate interactions between individuals is a challenge for behavioral and chemical biologists. Most studies have been conducted in temperate environments with insects from these areas. Neotropical social insects such as polistine wasps, ponerine ants and euglossine bees (Euglossa) have been revealed as important biological systems to understand the evolution of social behavior. These groups present graded variation of sociality (from solitary to complex eusociality) and morpho-physiology. Also they present variable bionomic aspects such as temporary colonies, solitary foundation to swarm behavior, some of them have no typical queens (Dinoponera) or conspicuous intercaste size variation, which provide ideal conditions to investigate how cuticular chemical communication mediates social regulation of their colonies. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to evaluate how chemical cuticular profiles reflect biological aspects such as reproduction, physiology under a comparative approach. This proposal is motivated by previous results obtained by a former project (proc. 2010/10027-5) that made it possible to establish a new line of research on the behavioral mediators and chemical signalling in the institution. (AU)

Scientific publications

(17)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREIRA SOARES, EVA RAMONA; BATISTA, NATHAN RODRIGUES; SOUZA, RAFAEL DA SILVA; TORRES, VIVIANA DE OLIVEIRA; LIMA CARDOSO, CLAUDIA ANDREA; NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS; ANTONIALLI-JUNIOR, WILLIAM FERNANDO. Variation of cuticular chemical compounds in three species of Mischocyttarus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) eusocial wasps. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia, v. 61, n. 3, p. 224-231, JUL-SEP 2017. (15/25301-9)

SILVA-JUNIOR, EDUARDO A.; RUZZINI, ANTONIO C.; PALUDO, CAMILA R.; NASCIMENTO, FABIO S.; CURRIE, CAMERON R.; CLARDY, JON; PUPO, MONICA T.. Pyrazines from bacteria and ants: convergent chemistry within an ecological niche. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 8, FEB 7 2018. (12/22487-6, 12/24204-1, 15/25301-9, 14/24330-2, 13/50954-0, 13/04092-7)

SANTOS, A. B.; NASCIMENTO, F. S.. Do Distinct Biomes Influence the Cuticular Chemical Profile in Orchid Bees?. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY, v. 46, n. 2, p. 335-342, APR 2017. (10/19449-0, 15/25301-9)

GRUETER, C.; WUEST, M.; CIPRIANO, A. P.; NASCIMENTO, F. S.. Tandem Recruitment and Foraging in the Ponerine Ant Pachycondyla harpax (Fabricius). Neotropical Entomology, v. 47, n. 6, p. 742-749, DEC 2018. (15/25301-9)

ANDENA, S. R.; MATEUS, S.; NASCIMENTO, F. S.; CARPENTER, J. M.. Description of a new species of Metapolybia, a Neotropical genus of social wasps, from the Amazon Forest. Sociobiology, v. 66, n. 2, p. 377-380, JUN 2019. (15/25301-9)

FERREIRA-CALIMAN, M. J.; GALASCHI-TEIXEIRA, J. S.; DO NASCIMENTO, F. S.. A scientific note on reproductive diapause in Melipona marginata. Insectes Sociaux, v. 64, n. 2, p. 297-301, MAY 2017. (15/25301-9)

ASSIS, DIEGO S.; SCHULTZ, TED; BRODOWSKI, SKYLAR; NEWSOME, G. ASHER; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. The Laboratory Environment Affects the Volatiles of Fungus Gardens in the Colonies of Fungus-farming Ants. Sociobiology, v. 72, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2025-03-01. (15/17358-0, 21/10639-5, 21/05598-8, 17/18974-2, 15/25301-9)

DE SOUZA, ANDRE RODRIGUES; MARQUES TEIXEIRA, GABRAZANE VENANCIO; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. Individually distinctive facial patterning without a signal value: a case of `missing' social knowledge in the paper wasp Polistes versicolor?. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 71, n. 10, OCT 2017. (15/25301-9, 15/05302-0)

DE SOUZA, ANDRE RODRIGUES; LINO-NETO, JOSE; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. Pushing Wasps to Work: Decentralized Aggression Induces Increased Activity in the Paper Wasp Polistes versicolor. Journal of Insect Behavior, v. 30, n. 4, p. 360-373, JUL 2017. (15/25301-9, 15/05302-0)

DE SOUZA, ANDRE RODRIGUES; SIMOES, TALITTA GUIMARAES; RANTALA, MARKUS J.; SANTOS, EDUARDO FERNANDO; LINO-NETTO, JOSE; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. Sexual ornaments reveal the strength of melanization immune response and for longevity of male paper wasps. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY, v. 109, p. 163-168, AUG-SEP 2018. (15/25301-9, 15/05302-0)

VOLLET-NETO, AYRTON; OLIVEIRA, RICARDO C.; SCHILLEWAERT, SHARON; ALVES, DENISE A.; WENSELEERS, TOM; NASCIMENTO, FABIO S.; IMPERATRIZ-FONSECA, VERA L.; RATNIEKS, FRANCIS L. W.. Diploid Male Production Results in Queen Death in the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona depilis. Journal of Chemical Ecology, v. 43, n. 4, p. 403-410, APR 2017. (12/11144-0, 15/25301-9)

OLIVEIRA, RICARDO CALIARI; VOLLET-NETO, AYRTON; OI, CINTIA AKEMI; VAN ZWEDEN, JELLE S.; NASCIMENTO, FABIO; BRENT, COLIN SULLIVAN; WENSELEERS, TOM. Hormonal pleiotropy helps maintain queen signal honesty in a highly eusocial wasp. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 7, MAY 10 2017. (15/25301-9)

PALUDO, CAMILA RAQUEL; PISHCHANY, GLEB; ANDRADE-DOMINGUEZ, ANDRES; SILVA-JUNIOR, EDUARDO AFONSO; MENEZES, CRISTIANO; NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS; CURRIE, CAMERON R.; KOLTER, ROBERTO; CLARDY, JON; PUPO, MONICA TALLARICO. Microbial community modulates growth of symbiotic fungus required for stingless bee metamorphosis. PLoS One, v. 14, n. 7, JUL 25 2019. (13/07600-3, 13/50954-0, 12/24204-1, 15/25301-9, 12/22487-6, 14/23532-0)

ROLDAO-SBORDONI, Y. S.; NASCIMENTO, F. S.; MATEUS, S.. Estimating colonies of Plebeia droryana (Friese, 1900) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini): adults, brood and nest structure. Sociobiology, v. 65, n. 2, p. 273-277, JUN 2018. (15/25301-9)

ASSIS, DIEGO SANTANA; RODRIGUES CAMARGO, GIOVANNI ABRAMI; BARRIOS, KATTY; TANNURE-NASCIMENTO, IVELIZE C.; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. Neighbor colonies affect level of foraging in the generalist ant Pheidole oxyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST, v. 104, n. 2, p. 71-76, JUN 2021. (15/17358-0, 15/25301-9)

DE SOUZA, ANDRE RODRIGUES; MARQUES TEIXEIRA, GABRAZANE VENANCIO; DO NASCIMENTO, FABIO SANTOS. Individually distinctive facial patterning without a signal value: a case of 'missing' social knowledge in the paper wasp Polistes versicolor?. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 71, n. 10, p. 12-pg., 2017-10-01. (15/05302-0, 15/25301-9)

GRUTER, CHRISTOPH; SEGERS, FRANCISCA H. I. D.; SANTOS, LUANA L. G.; HAMMEL, BENEDIKT; ZIMMERMANN, UWE; NASCIMENTO, FABIO S.. Enemy recognition is linked to soldier size in a polymorphic stingless bee. BIOLOGY LETTERS, v. 13, n. 10, OCT 1 2017. (15/25301-9)