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Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour
Coordinated social behaviour is fundamental for ant ecological success. However, even distantly-related organisms, such as plants, have evolved the ability to manipulate ant collective performances to their own advantage. In the parasitic system encompassing Maculinea butterflies, Myrmica ants, and...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Public Library of Science
2018
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306168/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30586439 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209047 |
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author | Mannino, Giuseppe Abdi, Gholamreza Maffei, Massimo Emilio Barbero, Francesca |
author_facet | Mannino, Giuseppe Abdi, Gholamreza Maffei, Massimo Emilio Barbero, Francesca |
author_sort | Mannino, Giuseppe |
collection | PubMed |
description | Coordinated social behaviour is fundamental for ant ecological success. However, even distantly-related organisms, such as plants, have evolved the ability to manipulate ant collective performances to their own advantage. In the parasitic system encompassing Maculinea butterflies, Myrmica ants, and Origanum vulgare plants, the ant-plant interaction elicits the release of a volatile terpenoid compound (carvacrol) which is used by the gravid butterfly to locate the ideal oviposition site. Here we show that this ant-plant association is maintained by the effect of O. vulgare terpenoids on ant behaviour and that food plants might gain protection by Myrmica ants by chemically manipulating workers to forage in their surroundings. The variation in the locomotor ability of three ant species (Formica cinerea, Tetramorium caespitum, and Myrmica scabrinodis) was studied after treatment with the two major O. vulgare terpenoid volatile compounds (i.e., carvacrol and thymol). The brain levels of three biogenic amines (dopamine, tyramine and serotonin) were analysed in ants exposed to the O. vulgare terpenoids by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Carvacrol and thymol increased the locomotor activity of all ant species tested, but if blended reduced the movement propensity of Myrmica scabrinodis. Dopamine and tyramine production was positively correlated with the worker locomotor activity. In Myrmica ants, both brain biogenic ammines were negatively correlated with the aggressive behaviour. Blends of O. vulgare volatiles affected the locomotor ability while increased the aggressiveness of Myrmica workers by altering the aminergic regulation in the ant brains. This behavioural manipulation, might enhance partner fidelity and plant protection. Our findings provide new insights supporting a direct role of plant volatiles in driving behavioural changes in social insects through biogenic amine modulation. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-6306168 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2018 |
publisher | Public Library of Science |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-63061682019-01-08 Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour Mannino, Giuseppe Abdi, Gholamreza Maffei, Massimo Emilio Barbero, Francesca PLoS One Research Article Coordinated social behaviour is fundamental for ant ecological success. However, even distantly-related organisms, such as plants, have evolved the ability to manipulate ant collective performances to their own advantage. In the parasitic system encompassing Maculinea butterflies, Myrmica ants, and Origanum vulgare plants, the ant-plant interaction elicits the release of a volatile terpenoid compound (carvacrol) which is used by the gravid butterfly to locate the ideal oviposition site. Here we show that this ant-plant association is maintained by the effect of O. vulgare terpenoids on ant behaviour and that food plants might gain protection by Myrmica ants by chemically manipulating workers to forage in their surroundings. The variation in the locomotor ability of three ant species (Formica cinerea, Tetramorium caespitum, and Myrmica scabrinodis) was studied after treatment with the two major O. vulgare terpenoid volatile compounds (i.e., carvacrol and thymol). The brain levels of three biogenic amines (dopamine, tyramine and serotonin) were analysed in ants exposed to the O. vulgare terpenoids by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Carvacrol and thymol increased the locomotor activity of all ant species tested, but if blended reduced the movement propensity of Myrmica scabrinodis. Dopamine and tyramine production was positively correlated with the worker locomotor activity. In Myrmica ants, both brain biogenic ammines were negatively correlated with the aggressive behaviour. Blends of O. vulgare volatiles affected the locomotor ability while increased the aggressiveness of Myrmica workers by altering the aminergic regulation in the ant brains. This behavioural manipulation, might enhance partner fidelity and plant protection. Our findings provide new insights supporting a direct role of plant volatiles in driving behavioural changes in social insects through biogenic amine modulation. Public Library of Science 2018-12-26 /pmc/articles/PMC6306168/ /pubmed/30586439 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209047 Text en © 2018 Mannino et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
spellingShingle | Research Article Mannino, Giuseppe Abdi, Gholamreza Maffei, Massimo Emilio Barbero, Francesca Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title | Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title_full | Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title_fullStr | Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title_full_unstemmed | Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title_short | Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
title_sort | origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour |
topic | Research Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306168/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30586439 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209047 |
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