Article
Entomology
Konrad Sebastian Frahnert, Karsten Seidelmann
Summary: Osmia cornuta is a solitary mason bee that utilizes natural existing cavities for nest construction, with females using a combination of visual and olfactory cues to recognize their own nest. The scent tags used by the bees are a mixture of body-derived substances enriched by external components, allowing for distinguishable but not perfectly matched individual odor bouquets. These scent tags, dominated by alkanes and alkenes, provide information not only on nest occupancy but also on species affiliation and constitution of the nest owner.
Article
Ecology
Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, Tom Wenseleers, Cintia Akemi Oi
Summary: Juvenile hormone (JH) influences multiple physiological traits in insects, including caste determination, chemical compound production, and behavioral maturation. This study demonstrates that JH plays a similar role in fertility and fertility cue production in female German wasps (Vespula germanica) as previously shown in a related species (Vespula vulgaris).
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Martino Maggioni, Oana Catalina Moldoveanu, Erika Zamponi, Marino Quaranta, Elisa Monterastelli, Francesca Romana Dani
Summary: In this study, we investigated the chemical integration between two cuckoo-bees, Stelis nasuta and Coelioxys aurolimbata, with their host Megachileparietina. We found that the lipids in the epicuticle and Dufour's gland secretion of the three species had species-specific mixtures, which may contribute to protecting the eggs against dehydration. However, we found no evidence of mandibular glands in male parasites contributing to female chemical mimicry.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, Tom Wenseleers, Cintia Akemi Oi
Summary: Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are crucial for chemical communication in social insects, such as wasps. This study found caste-specific differences in CHCs, egg surface, and Dufour's gland composition among four wasp species. The presence of specific hydrocarbons in queen-laid eggs and Dufour's gland suggests their role as putative fertility signals regulating reproductive labor division.
Article
Entomology
Rafael Carvalho da Silva, Cintia Akemi Oi, Fabio Santos do Nascimento
Summary: Chemical communication is important in social insect colonies, and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are widely studied as key compounds. This study investigated the similarity between egg surface compounds and CHCs or Dufour's gland secretions in two wasp species, supporting the hypothesis that these compounds originate from the Dufour's gland.
NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Irene Villalta, Cristela Sanchez Oms, Elena Angulo, Carlos R. Molinas-Gonzalez, Severine Devers, Xim Cerda, Raphael Boulay
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paloma Alvarez-Blanco, Juli Broggi, Xim Cerda, Oscar Gonzalez-Jarri, Elena Angulo
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Julie K. Sheard, Annika S. Nelson, Jeppe D. Berggreen, Raphael Boulay, Robert R. Dunn, Nathan J. Sanders
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Paloma Alvarez-Blanco, Xim Cerda, Abraham Hefetz, Raphael Boulay, Alejandro Berto-Moran, Carmen Diaz-Paniagua, Alain Lenoir, Johan Billen, H. Christoph Liedtke, Kamlesh R. Chauhan, Ganga Bhagavathy, Elena Angulo
Summary: Invasive Argentine ants, despite lacking a functional sting, deploy defensive compounds against competitors and adversaries that can be toxic to native amphibians. Through experiments, researchers found that these ants can spray venom containing iridomyrmecin onto juvenile amphibians, causing toxic effects in the brain, kidney, and liver tissues, which vary depending on the species. This highlights the potential threat these ants pose to amphibians and underscores the need for further exploration of their impacts within their invasive range.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Fernando Amor, Xim Cerda, Raphael Boulay
Summary: The study found a male-biased sex investment ratio in the Cataglyphis tartessica ant species in Donana National Park, Spain, suggesting queen control over sexual production. Additionally, the species exhibits split sex (gyne-male) production during its reproductive period.
JOURNAL OF INSECT BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Sanchez-Garcia, Xim Cerda, Elena Angulo
Summary: Temperature and competition are two main factors determining ant community assemblages. Temperature has different effects on ant activity in different habitats and modulates competitive interactions.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Swetashree Kolay, Raphael Boulay, Elena Angulo, Patrizia d'Ettorre, Xim Cerda
Summary: This study investigated the variation in behavior and resource acquisition efficiency among different colonies of a thermophilic ant species in two close but different habitats. The study found that colonies in grassland were more active than those in woodland, despite comparable levels of exploration between the two habitats. However, there was no clear influence of personality traits on the efficiency of resource acquisition, and risk-prone colonies that were more active and exploratory did not forage more efficiently than risk-averse ones.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Isabel Salado, Paloma Alvarez-Blanco, Raphael Boulay, Olivier Blight, Silvia Abril, Xim Cerda, Elena Angulo
Summary: By studying the variability, it has been discovered that the venom of the Argentine ant may have contributed to the invasion success of European supercolonies. The study found that the Main supercolony had the lowest amount of venom, while the Corsican and Catalonian supercolonies had the highest.
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Manuel Vidal-Cordero, Elena Angulo, Francisco P. Molina, Raphael Boulay, Xim Cerda
Summary: Wildfires have a significant impact on the composition and structure of animal communities, particularly those associated with vegetation and soil, such as bees and ants. This study found that both ant and bee communities showed increased taxonomic richness after fire, but the functional composition of the communities changed. The effects of fire on ants varied depending on the time since the fire.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Juncal Espinosa, Tatek Dejene, Mercedes Guijarro, Xim Cerda, Javier Madrigal, Pablo Martin-Pinto
Summary: More than a decade of fire suppression has put Spain's National Parks at extreme risk of uncontrolled wildfires. Prescribed burning can mitigate the risk but may affect soil properties and nutrient availability. This study in Donana Biological Reserve found that prescribed burning had no significant effect on total fungal richness and abundance, but did impact fungal community composition through changes in soil pH and nutrient content.
