In his introduction to this detailed survey of knowledge of insect societies, the author points out that research on insect sociology has proceeded in three phases, the natural history phase, the physiological phase and the population-biology phase. Advances in the first two phases have permitted embarkation in the third phase on a more rigorous theory of social evolution based on population genetics and writing this book, the author wished to relate the three phases of research on insects and to express insect sociology as population biology. A glossary of terms, a considerable bibliography and a general index are included. Other CABI sites 

The Insect Societies

Synthetic routes to tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, and spiroketal units of polyether antibiotics and a survey of spiroketals of other natural products

The estimated 6000 species of Lycaenidae account for about one third of all Papilionoidea. The majority of lycaenids have associations with ants that can be facultative or obligate and range from mutualism to parasitism. Lycaenid larvae and pupae employ complex chemical and acoustical signals to manipulate ants. Cost/benefit analyses have demonstrated multiple trade-offs involved in myrmecophily. Both demographic and phylogenetic evidence indicate that ant association has shaped the evolution of obligately associated groups. Parasitism typically arises from mutualism with ants, and entomophagous species are disproportionately common in the Lycaenidae compared with other Lepidoptera. Obligate associations are more common in the Southern Hemisphere, in part because highly ant-associated lineages make up a larger proportion of the fauna in these regions. Further research on phylogeny and natural history, particularly of the Neotropical fauna, will be necessary to understand the role ant association has played in the evolution of the Lycaenidae.

The ecology and evolution of ant association in the lycaenidae (lepidoptera)

Folsomia candida Willem 1902, a member of the order Collembola (colloquially called springtails), is a common and widespread arthropod that occurs in soils throughout the world. The species is parthenogenetic and is easy to maintain in the laboratory on a diet of granulated dry yeast. F. candida has been used as a "standard" test organism for more than 40 years for estimating the effects of pesticides and environmental pollutants on nontarget soil arthropods. However, it has also been employed as a model for the investigation of numerous other phenomena such as cold tolerance, quality as a prey item, and effects of microarthropod grazing on pathogenic fungi and mycorrhizae of plant roots. In this comprehensive review, aspects of the life history, ecology, and ecotoxicology of F. candida are covered. We focus on the recent literature, especially studies that have examined the effects of soil pollutants on reproduction in F. candida using the protocol published by the International Standards Organization in 1999.

FOLSOMIA CANDIDA (COLLEMBOLA): A “Standard” Soil Arthropod*

Males and females of nearly all animals differ in their body size, a phenomenon called sexual size dimorphism (SSD). The degree and direction of SSD vary considerably among taxa, including among populations within species. A considerable amount of this variation is due to sex differences in body size plasticity. We examine how variation in these sex differences is generated by exploring sex differences in plasticity in growth rate and development time and the physiological regulation of these differences (e.g., sex differences in regulation by the endocrine system). We explore adaptive hypotheses proposed to explain sex differences in plasticity, including those that predict that plasticity will be lowest for traits under strong selection (adaptive canalization) or greatest for traits under strong directional selection (condition dependence), but few studies have tested these hypotheses. Studies that combine proximate and ultimate mechanisms offer great promise for understanding variation in SSD and sex differences in body size plasticity in insects.

/pdf/sex-differences-in-phenotypic-plasticity-affect-variation-in-45cjtz86dd.pdf

Sex differences in phenotypic plasticity affect variation in sexual size dimorphism in insects: from physiology to evolution.

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the efficacy of seed extracts of pithraj,Aphanamixis polystachya (Wall & Parker), a locally grown plant in Bangladesh, against the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum (Herbst.). Results of three different bioassays showed that crude extracts of pithraj seeds have strong repellent effects and moderate feeding deterrent and insecticidal (direct-contact) effects on adultTribolium castaneum.

Deterrent and insecticidal effects of extracts of pithraj, Aphanamixis polystachya (Meliaceae), against Tribolium castaneum in storage

The compositions of the alarm pheromones of two species of grass-cutting ant, Atta bisphaerica and A. capiguara, were examined, and caste and colony variations quantified. The pheromones of A. bisphaerica and A. capiguara were remarkably similar and were composed of a complex mixture of volatiles in which 4-methyl-3-heptanone and 2-heptanone were the most abundant compounds. Small but consistent intraspecific differences were found between the worker castes and between individual colonies. The results support the view that alarm pheromones are rarely species specific. The possible importance of intercolony variation is discussed.

/pdf/mandibular-gland-chemistry-of-grass-cutting-ants-species-3as9diki5u.pdf

Mandibular gland chemistry of grass-cutting ants: species, caste, and colony variation

. The complex system of alarm communication in Oecophylla longinoda is described. The mandibular gland secretion of major workers releases in other major workers a complex pattern of behaviour, which includes components of alerting, attraction and biting. The main constituents of the secretion are hexanal and 1-hexanol, which release alerting and attraction respectively. Of the thirty or so trace components, at least two, 2-butyl-2-octenal and 3-undecanone, act as markers for attack. In combination, these components produce a sequential message in space and time, dependent on their relative proportions, volatilities and threshold concentrations for behavioural reponses.

Multicomponent alarm pheromones in the mandibular glands of major workers of the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda

Orientation in leaf-cutting ants (Formicidae: Attini)

Summary
The responses of the grass-cutting ants Atta bisphaerica (Forel) and Atta capiguara (Goncalves) to the main components of their alarm pheromones were examined in simple field bioassays. Both species react most strongly to 4-methyl-3-heptanone, which causes the full range of alarm behaviour and a large increase in the number of individuals near the sources. In later experiments with A. capiguara, this increase was found to be due primarily to attraction, with some arrestment also occurring. The ant response to 4-methyl-3-heptanone was compared with that to crushed heads and to that with whole ants with crushed heads. The pheromone 4-methyl-3-heptanone by itself stimulates the same level of attraction as crushed heads, but results in far less alarm behaviour and arrests fewer ants. Whole ants with crushed heads attract a greater number of ants than the other sources and also cause more alarm behaviour. Bodies alone attract ants, but do not result in alarm behaviour. The main component in both species is the same, supporting the view that alarm pheromones lack species specificity. However, it appears that other components may also be important either as synergists of the main compound, or by stimulating behaviours that would not be observed in its absence.

/pdf/the-response-of-grass-cutting-ants-to-natural-and-synthetic-157947qhuw.pdf

The response of grass-cutting ants to natural and synthetic versions of their alarm pheromone

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