日本弓背蚁不同品级外分泌腺形态、功能分化及生态适应性研究

蚂蚁是高度进化的群居性社会昆虫，在漫长进化中产生了发达而多样的外分泌腺。这些腺体分泌的化学物质是蚁巢社群信息联系和劳动分工的重要基础。但关于蚁科昆虫外分泌腺的形态与功能分化研究非常有限，相关腺体在同种蚂蚁不同品级间的分化研究更是匮乏，尤其外分泌腺在大的地理空间尺度（不同气候带）的生态适应性演化还是未知。本项目拟在前期研究基础上，以在中国广泛分布且品级分化显著的日本弓背蚁为研究对象，对其不同品级的外分泌腺进行比较形态学和超微结构研究，明晰相关腺体在各个品级的形态分化；采用气相色谱-质谱联用技术对主要腺体的分泌物化学组成进行研究，明确主要腺体的特征性化学成分及变化规律；利用谱系地理学研究方法开展主要腺体的形态功能分化与气候、海拔、植被等地理环境间的联系，揭示其生态适应性演化特点和规律。研究结果有望为蚁科昆虫的劳动分工、品级分化、化学通讯及生态适应性演化机制研究提供新的重要信息。

Ants are the most highly eusocial insects which have a complicated system of exocrine glands over long evolution. The complex societies and labor division of ants rely on sophisticated chemical communication based on the amazing exocrine system. However, studies on morphological differentiation of exocrine glands in different ant species and even different castes within a species are quite limited, and particularly it remain unknown how exocrine glands adapt to the large geospatial scale (climate gradient) yet. For the current project we focus on the most common exocrine glands of a widespread ant species Camponotus japonicus (Formicidae, Formicinae) in China, which shows significant morphological diversification in workers. We are taking our work further to investigate the morphological differentiation and ultrastructure of the most common exocrine glands in different castes. The chemical components, bioactivity and functions of these exocrine glands will be investigated using GC-MS method combined with the application of multiple bioassays, in order to explore the characteristic components and dynamics of the excretion in main exocrine glands. The genealogical geography is used to investigate the relationship between the functional morphology of exocrine glands with the geographical conditions such as climate, elevation and vegetation, and to reveal their ecological adaptation in C. japonicus. The results will hopefully provide new information for studies on labor division, caste differentiation, chemical communication and ecological adaptation in ants.