POSTPHARYNGEAL GLANDS IN HYMENOPTERA AND FILTERING APPARATUS EFFICIENCY IN FORMICIDAE

• Grant number: 11/11507-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2011
• End date: March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Applied Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Odair Correa Bueno
• Grantee: Viviane Cristina Tofolo Chaud
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The postpharyngeal glands and the filtering apparatus are structures comprising the digestive system of ants. The first structure plays a very important role in social communication between nestmates and, until not long ago, was considered exclusive to Formicidae. Nevertheless, it has been recently found in solitary wasps (Apoidea), exhibiting morphological and chemical differences. The latter structure presents a region specialized in the retention of solid food microparticles called infrabuccal pocket. Its efficiency varies from species to species and it is not yet possible to relate it to morphological or behavioral characteristics of ants, such as head size or trophallaxis. Considering the lack of comparative studies regarding these structures, this work is intended to provide: a) a comparative analysis of the efficiency of the filtering apparatus in Formicidae by determining the size of the microparticles that are retained in the filters located in the infrabuccal pocket of the ants; b) a comparative analysis of the presence, morphology and chemical composition of the contents of the post-pharyngeal glands in Formicidae and in solitary wasps belonging to Vespoidea, in order to determine their functions and clarify the changes that occurred during their evolution in the various groups. The results obtained will contribute to a deeper knowledge of the morphology and feeding behavior of the main species of ants present in fragments of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) in the region of Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. They will also help determine the changes that occurred in the post-pharyngeal glands of solitary wasps and ants from a functional and morphological point of view, besides elucidating their origin.