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Solenopsis ant magnetic material: statistical and seasonal studies

Leida G Abraçado1, Darci M S Esquivel and Eliane Wajnberg2

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In 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.


PACS

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

Subjects

Instrumentation and measurement

Medical physics

Biological physics

Dates

Issue 4 (December 2009)

Received 26 March 2009, accepted for publication 7 October 2009

Published 3 November 2009

 
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