ArticleThe Journal of experimental biology2023
The role of body size and cuticular hydrocarbons in the desiccation resistance of invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile).
Article in The Journal of experimental biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Worker Body Size Drives Cuticle Thickness and Higher Relative Intensity of the Lipid Reaction in the Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta laevigata and Atta sexdens.Neotropical entomology · 2026Article
- Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in plump bush crickets vary according to species, sex and mating status.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Effect of Seasonal Variation on the Cuticular Chemical Composition of Atta laevigata (Smith 1858) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).Journal of chemical ecology · 2025Article
- The role of body size and cuticular hydrocarbons in the desiccation resistance of invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile).The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
An insect's cuticle is typically covered in a layer of wax prominently featuring various hydrocarbons involved in desiccation resistance and chemical communication. In Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) communicate colony identity, but also provide waterproofing necessary to survive dry conditions. Theory suggests different CHC compound classes have functional trade-offs, such that selection for compounds used in communication would compromise waterproofing, and vice versa. We sampled sites of invasive L. humile populations from across California to test whether CHC differences between them can explain differences in their desiccation survival. We hypothesized that CHCs whose abundance was correlated with environmental factors would determine survival during desiccation, but our regression analysis did not support this hypothesis. Interestingly, we found the abundance of most CHCs had a negative correlation with survival, regardless of compound class. We suggest that the CHC differences between L. humile nests in California are insufficient to explain their differential survival against desiccation, and that body mass is a better predictor of desiccation survival at this scale of comparison.
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