Leida G Abraçado et al 2009 Phys. Biol. 6 046012 doi:10.1088/1478-3975/6/4/046012
Leida G Abraçado1, Darci M S Esquivel and Eliane Wajnberg2
Show affiliationsIn this paper, we quantify the magnetic material amount in Solenopsis ants using ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) at room temperature. We sampled S. interrupta workers from several morphologically indistinguishable castes. Twenty-five oriented samples of each body part of S. interrupta (20 units each) showed that FMR line shapes are reproducible. The relative magnetic material amount was 31 ± 12% (mean ± SD) in the antennae, 27 ± 13% in the head, 21 ± 12% in the thorax and 20 ± 10% in the abdomen. In order to measure variation in the magnetic material from late summer to early winter, ants were collected each month between March and July. The amount of magnetic material was greatest in all four body parts in March and least in all four body parts in June. In addition, S. richteri majors presented more magnetic material than minor workers. Extending these findings to the genera Solenopsis, the reduction in magnetic material found in winter could be explained by our sampling fewer foraging major ants.
87.80.-y Biophysical techniques (research methods)
87.15.R- Reactions and kinetics
87.50.C- Static and low-frequency electric and magnetic fields effects
Issue 4 (December 2009)
Received 26 March 2009, accepted for publication 7 October 2009
Published 3 November 2009
Leida G Abraçado et al 2009 Phys. Biol. 6 046012