| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 生物學系 === 104 === Tropical fire ant (TFA), Solenopsis geminata is one of the invasive ants in Taiwan. S. geminata has polymorphism in worker sizes, caste and division of labor. In social insects, the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play an important role in chemical communication, including serve as nestmate and caste recognition. In this study, the cuticular hydrocarbons of S. geminata were identified by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) from different worker sizes (major, medium and minor), labor (nurses, foragers and dead workers), and life cycle (larvae and pupae). The extracts are analyzed by GC-MS to investigate the labor division and roles of worker by the proportion of CHCs. The GC-MS results include two major venom alkaloids corresponding to cis C11 and trans C11. In addition, there are six major compounds of cuticular hydrocarbons which are 5-, 4-Me C20, C21, 5-Me C21, 4-Me C21, 7, 6, 5-Me C22 and 5-Me C23. The results show that the proportion of CHC compositions of major, medium and minor works is different. The comparison of CHCs compositions of larvae and pupae from four fire ant colonies excavated from four locations in Taiwan are similar. The results reveal that medium, minor, nurse and forager contains similar the proportion of CHC compositions. Results of this study demonstrate that the difference in the proportions of CHC compositions in different worker sizes, caste and division of labor in S. geminata.
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