ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES AND THEIR ROLE AS SEED PROTECTANTS IN THE HARVESTER ANT Trichomyrmex scabriceps (Mayr) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)
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Date
2017-07-30
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UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK, BENGALURU
Abstract
A diverse array of resources is utilised by ants for their growth and survival.
Ants are predatory, phytophagous, nectariorous, and grainivorous etc. Grainivorous
ants are commonly called as “harvester ants”. The seed cleaning and other behaviours
of harvester ant T. scabriceps was observed in the laboratory queen less ant nest
(Formicarium). The results showed that, they perform self-grooming behaviour more
frequently than antennation, followed by seed cleaning by mandibles, wall cleaning,
allo-grooming, and abdominal wagging. The role of exocrine glandular secretion of
these ants as seed protectant was also evaluated, the results suggest that these ants
only mechanically clean the seeds in nest and they may not involve the use of any
glandular secretion as antimicrobial seed protectants.
Antimicrobial activity of 50 per cent acetonitrile:water extracts of head, thorax, and
abdomen of T. Scabriceps was evaluated in vitro, against Gram-positive bacterium
Escherichia coli and Gram-negative bacterium Staphylococcus aureus using “spot on
lawn method” of bioassay. Among three body parts, head and thorax extracts does not
shown any antimicrobial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus. Whereas abdomen
extracts showed antimicrobial activity only against E. coli but not against S. aureus.
Separation of antimicrobial peptide fractions of abdomen extracts was carried out
using RP-HPLC. Among 14 fractions collected, only fraction-1 and fraction-2 showed
in vitro antimicrobial activity in “spot on lawn method” bioassay. This study showed
that T. scabriceps perform different behaviours in nest ant there may not be any
association between antimicrobial peptides in the ants and seed cleaning behaviour.
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