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Abstract:

The proportion of foragers in ant colonies is a fairly constant species-specific characteristic that could be determined by intrinsic or extrinsic factors. If intrinsic factors are relevant, species with similar life history characteristics (e. g., colony size and foraging strategies) would be expected to have a similar proportion of foragers in their colonies. Within the genus Pogonomyrmex, North American species can vary largely in their colony size, whereas only species with small colonies are known in South America. We studied the characteristics of the foraging subcaste in three sympatric South American species of Pogonomyrmex harvester ants, and compared it with the available information on other species of the same genus. We used two mark-recapture methods and colony excavations to estimate the number and proportion of foragers in the colonies of P. mendozanus, P. inermis, and P. rastratus, and to test the relationship between forager external activity levels and abundance per colony. Forager abundance in the three studied species was lower than in most North American species. The percentage of foragers in their colonies ranged 7-15 %, more similar to North American species with large colonies than to those with small colony size. Foraging activity was positively correlated with forager abundance in all three species, implying that colony allocation to number of foragers allows for higher food acquisition. Further comparative studies involving a wider range of traits in South and North American species would allow to unveil the role of environmental factors in shaping each species' particular traits. © 2013 International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI).

Registro:

Documento: Artículo
Título:Forager abundance and its relationship with colony activity level in three species of South American Pogonomyrmex harvester ants
Autor:Nobua-Behrmann, B.E.; Lopez de Casenave, J.; Milesi, F.A.; Pavan, B.
Filiación:Desert Community Ecology Research Team (Ecodes), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and IEGEBA (UBA-CONICET), Piso 4, Pab. 2, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
Palabras clave:Colony size; Forager abundance; Foraging activity; Mark-recapture; Pogonomyrmex; South America; abundance; ant; colony structure; foraging behavior; mark-recapture method; South America; Formicidae; Pogonomyrmex; Pogonomyrmex inermis; Pogonomyrmex rastratus
Año:2013
Volumen:60
Número:2
Página de inicio:243
Página de fin:249
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0288-4
Título revista:Insectes Sociaux
Título revista abreviado:Insectes Sociaux
ISSN:00201812
CODEN:INSOA
Registro:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00201812_v60_n2_p243_NobuaBehrmann

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Citas:

---------- APA ----------
Nobua-Behrmann, B.E., Lopez de Casenave, J., Milesi, F.A. & Pavan, B. (2013) . Forager abundance and its relationship with colony activity level in three species of South American Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. Insectes Sociaux, 60(2), 243-249.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0288-4
---------- CHICAGO ----------
Nobua-Behrmann, B.E., Lopez de Casenave, J., Milesi, F.A., Pavan, B. "Forager abundance and its relationship with colony activity level in three species of South American Pogonomyrmex harvester ants" . Insectes Sociaux 60, no. 2 (2013) : 243-249.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0288-4
---------- MLA ----------
Nobua-Behrmann, B.E., Lopez de Casenave, J., Milesi, F.A., Pavan, B. "Forager abundance and its relationship with colony activity level in three species of South American Pogonomyrmex harvester ants" . Insectes Sociaux, vol. 60, no. 2, 2013, pp. 243-249.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0288-4
---------- VANCOUVER ----------
Nobua-Behrmann, B.E., Lopez de Casenave, J., Milesi, F.A., Pavan, B. Forager abundance and its relationship with colony activity level in three species of South American Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. Insectes Sociaux. 2013;60(2):243-249.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0288-4