The structure of foraging activity in colonies of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
The structure of foraging activity in colonies of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
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DOI：
10.1093/beheco/arp193
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发表时间：
2010-03-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Wiernasz, Diane C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cole, Blaine J.;Smith, Adrian A.;Wiernasz, Diane C.
沙漠中的变温动物的活动时间对于生存至关重要。在西部收割蚁中，遗传多样性水平较高的群体比遗传多样性较低的群体在早上觅食的时间更长。我们通过检查一天和一年中其他时间的觅食行为来确定早期觅食群体的优势是否一致。我们在巢穴入口处结合使用活动监测和温度测量来量化六月和八月夏季觅食期间早晨和晚上的觅食活动。早晨和晚上觅食的持续时间在季节内和跨季节均呈显着正相关——一些群体在觅食方面具有一致的优势。蚁群觅食的温度范围在不同时间段内也是一致的，这表明蚁群间的差异是蚁群工蚁的温度范围/偏好变化的结果。本研究期间的觅食持续时间与 6 年前测量的觅食持续时间相关，表明这是群体表型的一个方面。
The timing of activity by desert dwelling poikilotherms can be critical to survival. In the western harvester ant, colonies that have higher levels of genetic diversity forage for longer time periods in the morning than colonies with less diversity. We determined whether the advantage of early foraging colonies was consistent by examining foraging behavior at other times of day and year. We used a combination of activity monitoring and temperature measurement at the nest entrance to quantify foraging activity during the morning and evening summer foraging periods in both June and August. The duration of morning and evening foraging was significantly positively correlated both within and across seasons-some colonies have a consistent advantage in foraging. The temperature range over which colonies foraged was also consistent across time, suggesting that intercolony differences are a consequence of variation in the thermal ranges/preferences of the colony's workers. The duration of foraging during this study was correlated with the duration of foraging measured 6 years earlier, suggesting that it is an aspect of colony phenotype.