Schilder, K. and Hoelldobler, B. and Heinze, Juergen (2004) Foraging biology of the seed-harvesting ant, Pogonomyrmex (Ephebomyrmex) imberbiculus (Hymenoptera : formicidae). SOCIOBIOLOGY, 43 (2). pp. 367-375. ISSN 0361-6525
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Competition is a central factor shaping the community structure of many desert seed-harvesting ants. Aggressively defended territories are often the manifestation of these interactions. Here we show that colonies of the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex (Ephebomyrmex) imberbiculus have greatly overlapping foraging ranges and do not defend foraging territories. Enforced encounters between foragers from 50m distant colonies resulted in considerable aggressive interactions and were typically "won" by the worker originating from the colony near which the interaction was induced. Encounters between foragers from neighboring colonies were less aggressive and their outcome was not predictable. The observed pattern of aggression suggests that P. imberbiculus defends nest territories but not foraging territories. Our finding stands in contrast to the observation of fighting among foragers in several previously studied species of trunk-trail foraging Pogonomyrmex species, which show a similar diet but have much larger colony size than P. imberbiculus.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | HOME RANGE ORIENTATION; DEAR-ENEMY PHENOMENON; DESERT ANTS; COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION; NESTMATE RECOGNITION; EATING ANTS; COMPETITION; COLONIES; BEHAVIOR; DIVERSITY; harvester ants; competition; territoriality; colony interaction |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2021 08:43 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2021 08:43 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/38267 |
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