Number of the records: 1
Identification of a queen primer pheromone in higher termites
- 1.0563357 - ÚOCHB 2023 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Dolejšová, Klára - Křivánek, Jan - Štáfková, Jitka - Horáček, Natan - Havlíčková, Jana - Roy, V. - Kalinová, B. - Roy, A. - Kyjaková, Pavlína - Hanus, Robert
Identification of a queen primer pheromone in higher termites.
Communications Biology. Roč. 5, č. 1 (2022), č. článku 1165. E-ISSN 2399-3642
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA22-28470S
Institutional support: RVO:61388963
Keywords : termites * higher termites * queen pheromone * asexual queen succession * (3R,6E)-nerolidol
OECD category: Zoology
Impact factor: 5.9, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-04163-5
It is long established that queens of social insects, including termites, maintain their reproductive dominance with queen pheromones. Yet, the queen pheromone chemistry has only been elucidated in a single species of lower termites. Here, we show that the queen- and egg-specific sesquiterpene (3R,6E)-nerolidol acts as the queen pheromone in the higher termite Embiratermes neotenicus. We demonstrate that the compound suppresses the development of new queens and thus mimics the presence of mature queen(s). It acts as an airborne signal and may be used to optimize the number of queens, thus being the key regulatory element in the breeding system of E. neotenicus.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0335343
Number of the records: 1