Social complexity has been one of the recent emerging topics in the study of animal and
human societies, but the concept remains both poorly defined and understood. In this paper …

Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) consist of complex mixtures of straight-chain alkanes
and alkenes, and methyl-branched hydrocarbons. In addition to restricting water loss …

Biological senses are critical for the survival of organisms. A great deal of attention has
focused on elucidating the underlying physiological mechanisms of the senses, inspiring …

Ants exhibit cooperative behaviors and advanced forms of sociality that depend on
pheromone-mediated communication. Odorant receptor neurons (ORNs) express specific …

Social insect colonies have evolved many collectively performed adaptations that reduce the
impact of infectious disease and that are expected to maximize their fitness. This colony …

Background Apoid wasps and bees (Apoidea) are an ecologically and morphologically
diverse group of Hymenoptera, with some species of bees having evolved eusocial …

Life inside ant colonies is orchestrated with diverse pheromones, but it is not clear how ants
perceive these social signals. It has been proposed that pheromone perception in ants …

Neuroimaging studies of mentalizing (ie, theory of mind) consistently implicate the default
mode network (DMN). Nevertheless, the social cognitive functions of individual DMN regions …

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have two fundamental functions in insects. They protect
terrestrial insects against desiccation and serve as signaling molecules in a wide variety of …

The body surface of nearly all insects, including ants, is covered with a lipid layer that largely
consists of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC). They fulfil several functions, the two best-studied …