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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Chemical Communication in the Gregarious Psocid Cerastipsocus sivorii (Psocoptera: Psocidae)

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Author(s):
Buzatto, Bruno A. [1] ; Requena, Gustavo S. [2] ; Machado, Glauco [2]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Programa Posgrad Ecol, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ecol, Inst Biociencias, Programa Posgrad Ecol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
Document type: Journal article
Source: Journal of Insect Behavior; v. 22, n. 5, p. 388-398, SEP 2009.
Web of Science Citations: 1
Abstract

The objectives of this study were: (1) to test the existence of an aggregation pheromone in the gregarious psocid Cerastipsocus sivorii; (2) to compare the attractiveness of odors from different aggregations; (3) to test whether nymphs are able to chemically recognize damage-released alarm signals. In a choice experiment conducted in the laboratory, we showed that psocids are able to detect chemical cues from groups of conspecifics. Laboratory experiments also showed that nymphs are capable of chemically recognizing the aggregations where they came from. Finally, in a field experiment, most aggregations dispersed when exposed to the body fluids of a crushed conspecific, but no aggregations dispersed upon exposure to a crushed termite. The implications of these results for the evolution of sociality in psocopterans are discussed. (AU)