Chemical Approach to Understanding Species and Recognition System of Social Instect

分析了蚂蚁的种化学基础和近亲（巢）识别系统。结果如下：(1)除1个特例外，约50种日本蚂蚁表皮烃组成具有种特异性。蚂蚁的物种识别信号应该是表皮的碳氢化合物组成。(2)奴隶主和奴隶的角质层碳氢化合物组成完全相同。这可能是它们之间发生共生的原因。(3)在同一种不同菌落成员间，角质层烃谱（各峰的相对强度）各不相同，同一菌落成员具有相同的CHP。蚁群依赖的表皮烃谱（CHP）可能是蚁群气味的来源。(4)蜂王的存在极大地影响了CHP在群体成员中的身份认同。(5)蜂王可以将工蜂紧紧聚集在自己周围，这一现象对CHP的认同起着重要作用。

Chemical bases of spesies and kin(nestmate)recognition system of ants were analyzed. The results are as follows.(1)The cuticular hydrocarbon composition of about 50 spesies of Japanese ants were species specific except for one special case. The species recognition signal of ants should be cuticular hydrocarbon composition.(2)The cuticular hydrocarbon compositions of the slave keeper and the slave are exactly identical. This might be the reason why the synbiosis between them occurs.(3)Among same species but different colony members, the cuticular hydrocarbon profile(the relative intensity of each peaks)changes one by one and the same colony members have identical CHP. The colony dependent cuticular hydrocarbon profiles(CHP)should be the origin of colony odor of ants.(4)The presence of queen dramatically affects the identity of the CHP among the colony members.(5)The queen can aggregate the workers tightly around her, and the phemomena performs the important role for the identity of CHP.