Glândulas intramandibulares de Formicidae (Ponerinae, Myrmicinae): desenvolvimento e seus componentes químicos

• Autor(a) principal: Martins, Luiza Carla Barbosa
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: LOCUS Repositório Institucional da UFV
• Texto Completo: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/899
• topic: Formicidae; Casta; Desenvolvimento pós-embrionário; Histologia; Histoquímica; Glândula exócrina; Glândula intramandibular; Comunicação química; Formicidae; Caste; Post-embryonic development; Histology; Histochemical; Exocrine gland; Intramandibular glands; Chemical communication; CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS

In ants there are several exocrine glands that vary in their structure, chemical and functional aspects, and the abundance of exocrine glands may be animportant point of their biological success. This work investigated intramandibular glands of "primitive" ants included in the Tribe Ponerini (Ponerinae) and derived Attini (Myrmicinae) including their development in immature, diferentiation between caste and identification of chemical components, contributing to understand the mechanisms involved in the communication of ants as well as to elucidate the function of the intramandibular glands thet is still unknown. The study of the post-embryonic development of the intramandibular glands was performed in Pachycondyla verenae, while the study on the leaf-cutter ant Atta laevigata investigated the occurrence of intramandibular glands in the castes of queen, worker and soldier. The study of the chemical components present in the mandible and body occurred in Pachycondyla villosa. Ants in the study, epidermal secretory cells were found in class I, unicellular glands in class III and epithelial cells with secretory reservoir. The epidermal cells secretory of class I and unicellular glands of class III were found in P.verenae. These glands differentiate during pupation, and their development begins in pink-eyed pupa and is complete in black-eyed pupae. Unlike the gland class that was found in Pachycondyla, the intramandibular glands in A. laevigata, did have in epidermal secretory cells of class I, but had unicellular glands of class III and epidermal cells secretory with reservoir. The morphological, histochemical and morphometric study of the intramandibular glands in A. laevigata supported the hypothesis that these glands are involved directly in the division of labor between castes, and consequently in their chemical communication. The behavioral analyses indicate that chemicals substances from the intramandibular glands of P. villosa are involved in the recognition of nestmates, and the presence of hydrocarbons and cholesterol and the sitosterol found in the mandible of queen may be associated with the profile of caste, likely to be the sitosterol plays role as a flag of fertility and/or a possible source of the hormone. The knowledge of ontogeny, morphology, physiology and chemical composition of the intramandibular glands of ants can contribute to the elucidation of the mechanisms that involve the exocrine system and its relationship with the behavioral aspects and phylogenetic in different subfamilies of Formicidae. It is possible to infer that the intramandibular glands of different tribes and caste produce substances of different natures, indicating different functions, depending on the chemical nature of cellular components.