Isolation of compounds attractive to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mabea fistulifera elaiosome

Química Nova

Della Lucia, Terezinha M. C.¹  Peternelli, Ethel Fernandes de O.¹  Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brasil¹  Barbosa, Luiz C. A.¹ 

关键词: elaiosome;    fatty acids;    Mabea fistulifera.;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0100-40422008000300002

学科分类：化学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica

【 摘 要 】

Mabea fistulifera (Euphorbiaceae)is a pioneer plant species with seeds dispersed by the ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Since the ants are attracted to the seeds to use its elaiosome as a source of energy, we investigated its composition. The elaiosomes from 13,000 seeds were extracted with a methanol:chloroform mixture (2:1 v/v) and yielded 22% of a residue. This residue was fractionated by column chromatography and its composition determined by infrared spectroscopy and chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The elaiosome lipids are constituted mainly by free fatty acids, triacylglycerols and minor quantities of monoacylglycerols or diacylglycerols.

【 授权许可】

Unknown