Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina

Foraging strategy determines the way harvester ants use space and therefore their access and impact on seed resources. In this study, we described the foraging strategy of three sympatric South American species of Pogonomyrmex ants to confirm that they are solitary foragers as is suggested anecdotal...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Milesi, Fernando Adrián
Publicado: 2015
Materias:
Foraging behavior
Granivory
Harvester ants
Monte desert
Pogonomyrmex
Seed availability
Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
Aporte de:
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) de Universidad de Buenos Aires
id paper:paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
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spelling paper:paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol2023-06-08T16:32:52Z Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina Milesi, Fernando Adrián Foraging behavior Granivory Harvester ants Monte desert Pogonomyrmex Seed availability Foraging strategy determines the way harvester ants use space and therefore their access and impact on seed resources. In this study, we described the foraging strategy of three sympatric South American species of Pogonomyrmex ants to confirm that they are solitary foragers as is suggested anecdotally in the literature. Then we tested whether those foraging strategies are fixed or flexible in response to seed density and distribution. Based on individual and group movements of foraging ants, we determined that P. rastratus MAYR, 1868 is exclusively a solitary foraging species, P. inermis FOREL, 1914 use a group-foraging strategy with limited recruitment, and P. mendozanus CUEZZO & CLAVER, 2009 displays an intermediate foraging system in which workers are typically solitary foragers but also recruit nestmates to highdensity seed patches. The addition of seeds near the nest modified the foraging behavior of the three species by different amounts. Individual foragers of each species reduced their search time and search area, and colonies increased their foraging activity rate, probably as a result of a higher returning rate of successful foragers after seed addition. Such behavioral responses were much more conspicuous in P. mendozanus than in the other two species. Flexibility in foraging and diet breadth reported for some of these harvester ants may constitute important adaptive features in the central Monte desert where seed abundance is highly heterogeneous, irregular, and severely affected by anthropic disturbances. Fil:Milesi, F.A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. 2015 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Foraging behavior
Granivory
Harvester ants
Monte desert
Pogonomyrmex
Seed availability
spellingShingle Foraging behavior
Granivory
Harvester ants
Monte desert
Pogonomyrmex
Seed availability
Milesi, Fernando Adrián
Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
topic_facet Foraging behavior
Granivory
Harvester ants
Monte desert
Pogonomyrmex
Seed availability
description Foraging strategy determines the way harvester ants use space and therefore their access and impact on seed resources. In this study, we described the foraging strategy of three sympatric South American species of Pogonomyrmex ants to confirm that they are solitary foragers as is suggested anecdotally in the literature. Then we tested whether those foraging strategies are fixed or flexible in response to seed density and distribution. Based on individual and group movements of foraging ants, we determined that P. rastratus MAYR, 1868 is exclusively a solitary foraging species, P. inermis FOREL, 1914 use a group-foraging strategy with limited recruitment, and P. mendozanus CUEZZO & CLAVER, 2009 displays an intermediate foraging system in which workers are typically solitary foragers but also recruit nestmates to highdensity seed patches. The addition of seeds near the nest modified the foraging behavior of the three species by different amounts. Individual foragers of each species reduced their search time and search area, and colonies increased their foraging activity rate, probably as a result of a higher returning rate of successful foragers after seed addition. Such behavioral responses were much more conspicuous in P. mendozanus than in the other two species. Flexibility in foraging and diet breadth reported for some of these harvester ants may constitute important adaptive features in the central Monte desert where seed abundance is highly heterogeneous, irregular, and severely affected by anthropic disturbances.
author Milesi, Fernando Adrián
author_facet Milesi, Fernando Adrián
author_sort Milesi, Fernando Adrián
title Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_short Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_full Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_fullStr Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_sort foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (pogonomyrmex spp., hymenoptera: formicidae) of the central monte desert, argentina
publishDate 2015
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
work_keys_str_mv AT milesifernandoadrian foragingstrategiesandforagingplasticityinharvesterantspogonomyrmexspphymenopteraformicidaeofthecentralmontedesertargentina
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