harvester ants are known as one of the most renowned bio-disturbances in the arid and semi-arid ecosystems that affecte vegetation by collecting seeds and harvesting plants. it seems that physiognomy of plant association in steppe shrub land of roodshoor, saveh, iran has been highly changed by harvester ants’ activities that caused to conduct this research. the study was carried out on active a...

We investigated the role of the pygidial gland on foraging behavior in two ecologically dominant column foraging Nearctic harvesting ants (Messor pergandei and Messor andrei). Using chemical analyses and behavioral tests, we show that n-tridecane is the major biologically active compound of pygidial gland secretions in both species, and that this chemical functions as a powerful alarm-recruitme...

The genus Messor consists of 113 species of seed harvesting ants that are found in grasslands, semi-arid areas and savannahs in both the Old and New World. A full spectrum of foraging strategies occurs in Messor, ranging from individual to group foraging, with the latter having evolved several times. This paper reviews foraging strategies and the underlying behavioral mechanisms found in specie...

One of the most important micro engineers of the terrestrial ecosystems, especially in the arid areas is the harvester ants due to their activity in the soil through nest building; they can make major changes while influencing the surface and subsurface in the rangeland soil. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of harvester ants (Messor spp.) on some soil properties in Rood...

The satellite DNA of ants Messor barbarus and Messor bouvieri is analysed. The results are compared with the satellite DNA data from Messor structor previously reported and with new data obtained from the genome of geographically distinct M. structor population, which have shown that this satellite DNA is highly conserved within the species. The satellite DNA is organized as tandemly repeated 7...

-The Dufour gland secretions of Messor minor, Messor capitatus and Messor bouvieri differ from those of other myrmicine ants so far studied in having no sesquiterpenoids present. M. minor resembles the North American harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex, in containing branched chain hydrocarbons. Messor and Pogonomyrmex appear anomalous among myrmicines and more closely resemble some formicines in this...

Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems are characterized by decentralized control, large-scale and extreme dynamism of their environment. Developing applications that can cope with these characteristics requires a paradigm shift that puts adaptation, resilience and self-organization as primary concerns. Complex adaptive systems (CAS), commonly used to explain the behavior of many biological and social syst...

A comparative study of the exocrine chemistry of Messor bouvieri, M. barbarus, M. lusitanicus, M. marocanus, M. arenarius, M. ebeninus, M. rugosus, M. angularis, and M. cephalotes has been carried out. Anabasine and related nicotinoids were detected in all these species except for M. barbarus, M. lusitanicus, and M. rugosus. The alkenes from the Dufour’s glands of these ants were shown to be 1-...

Ant nests’ relatively stable and long-lasting microhabitats present ideal living conditions for many uni- multicellular organisms, whose relationships range from mutualistic to parasitic. Messor harvester ants inhabit arid semi-arid open areas where their colonies consist of large numbers individuals. Due the high number other organisms associated with ants, nests can be defined as islands uniq...

Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel H. A . Lloyd Laboratory of Chemistry, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda. MD 20892, USA Z. Naturforsch. 42c, 1027—1029 (1987); received March 30/June 11, 1987 Messor ebeninus, Poison Gland. Dufour's Gland, Exocrine Chemistry. Anabasine Anabasine is the major volatile product in the poison gland exudate of Messor...