Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits

Dataset used to carry out the analyses in the article "The more the better? Association between forager number and predation ability in omnivore ant species" Article Abstract: Predation is an important force structuring ecological communities. However, it is still controversial whether...

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Autores principales: Elizalde, Luciana, Lescano, Natalia, Werenkraut, Victoria, Pirk, Gabriela
Formato: conjunto de datos other acceptedVersion
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Universidad Nacional del Comahue 2021
Materias:
Caterpillar
Colony size
Forager response
Group size
Odorous ants
Omnivory
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
Acceso en línea:http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16576
Aporte de:
Repositorio Institucional UNCo de Universidad Nacional del Comahue
id I22-R178-uncomaid-16576
record_format dspace
spelling I22-R178-uncomaid-165762023-07-24T16:19:07Z Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits Elizalde, Luciana Lescano, Natalia Werenkraut, Victoria Pirk, Gabriela Caterpillar Colony size Forager response Group size Odorous ants Omnivory https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente Dataset used to carry out the analyses in the article "The more the better? Association between forager number and predation ability in omnivore ant species" Article Abstract: Predation is an important force structuring ecological communities. However, it is still controversial whether larger predator groups are more efficient at exploiting abundant resources. Here, we explored the association between number of foragers and predation ability in generalist ant species that differ in forager numbers when exploiting resources. We conducted a field experiment by increasing caterpillar density around nests of two abundant Dorymyrmex ant species in semiarid Patagonian steppe, where D. tener allocates a higher number of foragers to resource exploitation than D. antarcticus. We (1) compared predation effectiveness (success to complete a task) and efficiency (speed of task performance and fewer foragers involved) between species, and (2) studied how they responded to increasing prey densities, by sequentially adding 3, 6 and 12 larvae in the same foraging arena. Finally, we compared behavioral and morphological traits of each ant species related to predation. Although D. tener discovered similar number of arenas with larvae than D. antarcticus, it was more effective as it recruited more and removed more larvae. This species was also more efficient than D. antarcticus in all predation subtasks, and the time used to remove one larva depended on prey density, being faster for the high-larvae density. This study illustrates how predator group size and individual behavioral characteristics may act in conjunction in social predators, with relevant consequences at ecological, evolutionary and applied levels, including potential implications for pest control. Fil: Elizalde, Luciana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Elizalde, Luciana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina. Fil: Elizalde, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Lescano, Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Lescano, Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina. Fil: Lescano, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Werenkraut, Victoria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina. Fil: Pirk, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Pirk, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina. Fil: Pirk, Gabriela. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. 2021-12-13 2021-12-16T12:41:44Z 2021-12-16T12:41:44Z conjunto de datos other acceptedVersion http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16576 eng Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 2.5 Argentina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ application/ms-excel application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Universidad Nacional del Comahue Ecological Entomology
institution Universidad Nacional del Comahue
institution_str I-22
repository_str R-178
collection Repositorio Institucional UNCo
language Inglés
topic Caterpillar
Colony size
Forager response
Group size
Odorous ants
Omnivory
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
spellingShingle Caterpillar
Colony size
Forager response
Group size
Odorous ants
Omnivory
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
Elizalde, Luciana
Lescano, Natalia
Werenkraut, Victoria
Pirk, Gabriela
Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
topic_facet Caterpillar
Colony size
Forager response
Group size
Odorous ants
Omnivory
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
description Dataset used to carry out the analyses in the article "The more the better? Association between forager number and predation ability in omnivore ant species" Article Abstract: Predation is an important force structuring ecological communities. However, it is still controversial whether larger predator groups are more efficient at exploiting abundant resources. Here, we explored the association between number of foragers and predation ability in generalist ant species that differ in forager numbers when exploiting resources. We conducted a field experiment by increasing caterpillar density around nests of two abundant Dorymyrmex ant species in semiarid Patagonian steppe, where D. tener allocates a higher number of foragers to resource exploitation than D. antarcticus. We (1) compared predation effectiveness (success to complete a task) and efficiency (speed of task performance and fewer foragers involved) between species, and (2) studied how they responded to increasing prey densities, by sequentially adding 3, 6 and 12 larvae in the same foraging arena. Finally, we compared behavioral and morphological traits of each ant species related to predation. Although D. tener discovered similar number of arenas with larvae than D. antarcticus, it was more effective as it recruited more and removed more larvae. This species was also more efficient than D. antarcticus in all predation subtasks, and the time used to remove one larva depended on prey density, being faster for the high-larvae density. This study illustrates how predator group size and individual behavioral characteristics may act in conjunction in social predators, with relevant consequences at ecological, evolutionary and applied levels, including potential implications for pest control.
format conjunto de datos
other
acceptedVersion
author Elizalde, Luciana
Lescano, Natalia
Werenkraut, Victoria
Pirk, Gabriela
author_facet Elizalde, Luciana
Lescano, Natalia
Werenkraut, Victoria
Pirk, Gabriela
author_sort Elizalde, Luciana
title Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
title_short Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
title_full Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
title_fullStr Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
title_full_unstemmed Numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
title_sort numbers matter: predatory ability increases with forager group size in omnivorous ant species with similar predatory traits
publisher Universidad Nacional del Comahue
publishDate 2021
url http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16576
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AT lescanonatalia numbersmatterpredatoryabilityincreaseswithforagergroupsizeinomnivorousantspecieswithsimilarpredatorytraits
AT werenkrautvictoria numbersmatterpredatoryabilityincreaseswithforagergroupsizeinomnivorousantspecieswithsimilarpredatorytraits
AT pirkgabriela numbersmatterpredatoryabilityincreaseswithforagergroupsizeinomnivorousantspecieswithsimilarpredatorytraits
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