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

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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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Autores principales: Pol, R.G., Lopez De Casenave, J., Milesi, F.A.
Formato: JOUR
Materias:
Foraging behavior
Granivory
Harvester ants
Monte desert
Pogonomyrmex
Seed availability
Acceso en línea: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
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spelling todo:paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol2023-10-03T16:37:33Z Foraging strategies and foraging plasticity in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp., Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the central Monte desert, Argentina Pol, R.G. Lopez De Casenave, J. Milesi, F.A. 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. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar 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
Pol, R.G.
Lopez De Casenave, J.
Milesi, F.A.
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.
format JOUR
author Pol, R.G.
Lopez De Casenave, J.
Milesi, F.A.
author_facet Pol, R.G.
Lopez De Casenave, J.
Milesi, F.A.
author_sort Pol, R.G.
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
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_19944136_v21_n_p1_Pol
work_keys_str_mv AT polrg foragingstrategiesandforagingplasticityinharvesterantspogonomyrmexspphymenopteraformicidaeofthecentralmontedesertargentina
AT lopezdecasenavej foragingstrategiesandforagingplasticityinharvesterantspogonomyrmexspphymenopteraformicidaeofthecentralmontedesertargentina
AT milesifa foragingstrategiesandforagingplasticityinharvesterantspogonomyrmexspphymenopteraformicidaeofthecentralmontedesertargentina
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