Figure 1

Multivariate analyses of cuticular hydrocarbon data. A) Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of chemical profile data, showing graphs based on values of the two major linear discriminants, derived from quantities of compounds extracted from the cuticle from the five groups (DF = dominant foundress, SF = subordinate foundress, DW = dominant worker, SW = subordinate worker, Q = queen). B) Patterns of cuticular hydrocarbon abundance reveal a cluster of compounds related to season and/or social environment. Hierarchical clustering (represented by blue dendrograms) of mean values (log₁₀ transformed) for 13 compounds with significant differences across the five female groups. The heatmap illustrates the fold difference in log₁₀ levels of each compound compared to the overall mean for each compound (1:1), with higher levels in red and lower in green. Five compounds (bottom of the figure) show a similar pattern in which levels are lowest in foundresses and highest in workers and queens, reflecting differences in season and/or social environment.