Sociometry and sociogenesis of colony-level attributes of the Florida harvester ant (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)
Sociometry and sociogenesis of colony-level attributes of the Florida harvester ant (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)
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佛罗里达收获蚁（膜翅目：蚁科）群体水平属性的社会计量学和社会发生
DOI：
10.1093/aesa/92.1.80
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发表时间：
1999
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
W. Tschinkel
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
W. Tschinkel
本研究探讨了集体的、超有机体的群体特征如何在从创始女王到成熟和整个季节的生长（社会发生）过程中发生变化。年内，我们在4个取样日共发掘了31个不同大小的收获蚁群。对数据进行了与增长相关的和季节性的分析。地下巢穴由由垂直隧道连接的水平腔室组成。这些巢的总面积的增长速度比种群数量的增长速度慢，导致平均工蜂密度的增加，这也随季节而变化。通过加深巢穴和增加新的巢室，巢面积比通过扩大巢室增长得更快。工蜂的平均体重和头宽随着群体规模的增加而增加，但这种增加仅限于小工蜂。主要工蚁占工蚁总数的7%，这一比例并不随蚁群的大小而变化。蚁群的总重量和种子存储量均随蚁群大小的增加而呈等距增长，因此每毫克生物量所含的种子数量没有变化。然而，种子的重量比收集它们的黑暗（年长）工蚁的数量增长得更快，因此，大群体的觅食者比小群体的同伴收集到更多的种子。大的群落含有多达30万颗种子。在小于60个工蜂的群体中，平均工蜂大小与种子大小没有关系，而在较大的群体中，平均工蜂大小与种子大小没有关系。产卵期为5 - 9月，有性繁殖期为早春，在工蜂出现之前，蜂群有2500只工蜂（最大蜂群规模的1/3）。在夏天，无论大小的蜂群都只生产工蚁。蜂群脂肪储备的季节性模式表明，蜂群利用这些储备过冬并繁殖后代，然后在夏季重建储备。脂肪储备的大小比菌落的大小增长得快得多，这表明菌落组成和功能的变化导致了更好的营养。各指标菌落生长速率的增长均慢于菌落大小的增长。这些指标包括阔蜂与工蜂的比例，幼蜂与黑蜂的比例，以及蚁后卵巢中发育卵泡的数量。这些下降也反映在原始出生率（每天个体）的增长速度是殖民地规模的一半，殖民地增长率（每天百分比）每增加10倍，殖民地规模就会下降一半。讨论了这些模式与群体功能、个体发生和生活史的关系。
This study addressed how collective, supra-organismal colony characteristics change during growth (sociogenesis) from the founding queen to maturity and through the seasons. A total of 31 harvester ant colonies representing a full range of sizes was excavated on 4 sample dates during the year. The data were analyzed for growth-related and seasonal patterns. The subterranean nests consisted of horizontal chambers connected by vertical tunnels. The total area of these nests increased more slowly than did the colony population, leading to an increase in mean worker density, which also varied seasonally. Nest area grew somewhat more rapidly through nest deepening and addition of new chambers than it did through the enlargement of chambers. The mean weight and headwidth of workers increased with colony size, but this size increase was limited to the minor workers. The major workers marle up 7% of the worker population, a proportion that did not vary with colony size. The total weight and number of seeds stored by colonies increased isometrically with colony size, so that the milligram of seeds per milligram of ant biomass did not change. However, the weight of seeds increased more rapidly than did the population of dark (older) workers who collected them, so that the foragers of larger colonies each collected more seeds than their counterparts in smaller colonies. Large colonies contained up to 300,000 seeds. Colonies of fewer than 60 workers collected smaller seeds, but larger colonies showed no relationship between mean worker size and seed size. Brood production was limited to May-September, Sexuals were produced only in the early spring, before any workers, by colonies with >2,500 workers ( 1/3 of maximal colony size). In the summer, colonies of all sizes produced only workers. The seasonal patterns of colony fat reserves suggest that colonies draw on these reserves to overwinter and produce sexuals, then they rebuild the reserves during the summer. The size of the fat reserves increased much more rapidly than did colony size, suggesting that changes in colony composition and function lead to better nutrition. All indicators of colony growth rate increased more slowly than did colony size. These included the ratio of broond to workers, callow workers to dark workers, and the number of developing follicles in the queen's ovaries. These decreases were also reflected in raw birth rates (individuals per day) that increased half as rapidly as did colony size, and colony growth rates (percent per day) that decreased by half with each 10-fold increase in colony size. These patterns are discussed in relation to colony function, ontogeny and life history.