A brood pheromone released by larvae of clonal raider ants temporarily suppresses egg-laying in adult ants
Adults and larvae of the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi.
© Anna Schroll
To the Point
- Volatile brood pheromone: The larvae of the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi produce a specific volatile compound (methyl-3-ethyl-2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate, MEHMP) that suppresses egg-laying in adult workers. Synthetic MEHMP inhibits reproduction in adult ants even without physical contact.
- Active passive members of the colony: The larvae actively control adult behavior by synchronizing brood care and reproduction through chemical communication.
The Lise Meitner Group Social Behavior, led by Yuko Ulrich, is conducting research on a special ant species: the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi. This ant species does not have queens. Instead, all workers are capable of reproducing asexually without mating, a process known as parthenogenesis.
In most social insect species, however, the queens lay the eggs while the workers care for the brood. These roles are clearly defined, with no alternation between egg-laying and brood care. In contrast, all females in Ooceraea biroi are capable of both reproduction and brood care, and the colonies alternate between these two phases. "We wanted to know which factors regulate the reproductive cycle - that is, the alternation between egg-laying and caring for offspring - in our ant system," explains lead author Baptiste Piqueret.
