Vertical habitat use and foraging activities of arboreal and ground ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a bornean tropical rainforest
Vertical habitat use and foraging activities of arboreal and ground ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a bornean tropical rainforest
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发表时间：
2010
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影响因子：
0.9
通讯作者：
Y. Hashimoto;Y. Morrimoto;Erwin S. Widodo;Datin Maryati Mohamed;J. Fellowes
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作者：
Y. Hashimoto;Y. Morrimoto;Erwin S. Widodo;Datin Maryati Mohamed;J. Fellowes
在热带森林中，冠层食物网富含碳水化合物，氮素贫乏，而地面层食物网则缺乏碳水化合物，氮素丰富。我们以前已经表明，地面和树上筑巢蚂蚁延伸其活动从筑巢层到其他层通过树干。在本研究中，我们进行了一个觅食实验，位于同一地点的树干上的诱饵，以确定这种觅食的延伸，由两个蚂蚁组合是否与他们的觅食响应碳水化合物和氮资源的分布和可用性在热带森林。我们收集蚂蚁使用蜂蜜和金枪鱼诱饵陷阱，代表碳水化合物或氮资源，在白天和晚上的时间。树干上的诱饵白天主要由地面蚂蚁占据，晚上则由树栖蚂蚁占据。此外，地面蚂蚁喜欢蜂蜜诱饵和树栖蚂蚁喜欢金枪鱼诱饵。这表明，地面蚂蚁在树冠上觅食，以获取碳水化合物营养，主要是在白天，和树栖蚂蚁在地面上觅食，以获取氮营养，主要是在夜间。觅食活动可能提供的营养物质是最有限的在各自的筑巢栖息地，最需要的殖民地的增长或维护。因此，我们推断，扩大垂直栖息地使用的两个蚂蚁组合是一个重要的觅食策略，在热带森林。
In a tropical forest, the food web of the canopy stratum is carbohydrate-rich and nitrogen-poor, whereas that of the ground stratum is carbohydrate-poor and nitrogen-rich. We have previously shown that ground- and arboreal-nesting ants extend their activity from the nesting stratum to other strata via the tree-trunk. In the present study, we conducted a foraging experiment using baits located on tree trunks in same locality, to ascertain whether this foraging extension by the two ant assemblages is related to their foraging response to carbohydrate and nitrogen resource distribution and availability in tropical forests. We collected ants using honey and tuna bait traps, representing carbohydrate or nitrogen resources, in day and night time. Baits on trunks were primarily occupied by ground ants during day-time, and arboreal ants at night. Furthermore, ground ants preferred honey baits and arboreal ants preferred tuna baits. This indicates that the ground ants foraged in the canopy to acquire carbohydrate nutrients, mostly during day-time, and the arboreal ants foraged on the ground to acquire nitrogen nutrients, mostly at night. The foraging activities may provide the nutrients that are most limiting in the respective nesting habitats, and most needed for colony growth or maintenance. Therefore, we infer that extending vertical habitat-use of the two ant assemblages is an important foraging strategy in tropical forests.