Melissotarsus ants are likely able to digest plant polysaccharides

作者：Mony Ruth; Dejean Alain^*; Bilong Charles Felix Bilong; Kenne Martin; Rouland Lefevre Corinne

来源：Comptes Rendus Biologies, 2013, 336(10): 500-504.

DOI：10.1016/j.crvi.2013.08.003

• Ant-plant interactions
• Melissotarsus ants
• Degradation of plant material
• Enzymatic activity

Melissotarsus ants have an extremely specialized set of behaviours. Both workers and gynes tunnel galleries in their host tree bark. Workers walk with their mesothoracic legs pointing upwards and tend Diaspididae hemiptera for their flesh. The ants use their forelegs to plug the galleries with silk that they secrete themselves. We hypothesised that the ants' energetic needs for nearly constant gallery digging could be satisfied through the absorption of host tree tissues; so, using basic techniques, we examined the digestive capacities of workers from two species. We show that workers are able to degrade oligosaccharides and heterosides as well as, to a lesser degree, polysaccharides. This is one of the rare reports on ants able to digest plant polysaccharides other than starch.

• 出版日期2013-10