Journal
INSECT SCIENCE
Volume 21, Issue 5, Pages 647-658Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12076
Keywords
Formica polyctena; GABA; glutamate; interspecific differences; Myrmica ruginodis; queen
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland) [N N303 307533, N N303 595439]
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (Warsaw, Poland)
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Presence of amino acid neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) in ant brains was reported in very few studies. To learn more about factors influencing GABA and Glu levels in ant brains, we applied high-performance liquid chromatography to measure levels of these compounds in single brains of workers of 2 ant species, Myrmica ruginodis (subfamily Myrmicinae) and Formica polyctena (subfamily Formicinae) taken from queenright/queenless colony fragments and tested in dyadic aggression tests consisting of an encounter with a nestmate, an alien conspecific or a small cricket. Brain glutamate levels were higher than those of GABA in both tested species. Brain GABA levels (in mu mol/brain) and GABA : Glu ratio were higher in M. ruginodis (a submissive species) than in E polyctena (a dominant, aggressive species) in spite of smaller brain weight of M. ruginodis. Brain glutamate levels (in mu mol/brain) did not differ between the tested species, which implies that glutamate concentration (in mu mol/mg of brain tissue) was higher in M. ruginodis. Queen absence was associated with increased worker brain GABA levels in F. polyctena, but not in M. ruginodis. No significant effects of opponent type were discovered. As GABA agonists enhance friendly social behavior in rodents, we hypothesize that elevated brain GABA levels of orphaned workers of E polyctena facilitate the adoption of a new queen. This is the first report providing information on GABA and glutamate levels in single ant brains and documenting the effects of queen presence/absence on brain levels of amino acid neurotransmitters in workers of social Hymenoptera.
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