Seasonal polydomy in a polygynous supercolony of the odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile
Seasonal polydomy in a polygynous supercolony of the odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1365-2311.2008.01034.x
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发表时间：
2008-12-01
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Bennett, Gary
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Buczkowski, Gregorz;Bennett, Gary
1.有气味的家蚁，Tapinoma sessile，是北美常见的本地蚂蚁物种。在其自然栖息地，T.固着的是一种低调的物种，由小菌落组成。在被入侵的城市地区，T.无柄小蠹表现出极端的一夫多妻和多房性，成为入侵害虫的优势种.本研究探讨了：（1）在一个大的超群体中，巢的密度、持久性和空间分布;无柄的，（ii）线索丰富和整体殖民地的连通性，促进网络的线索，（iii）的丰富和空间分布的竞争蚂蚁物种，和（iv）环境因素的影响T的数量和分布。无柄巢3.观察到一种明显的季节性多居模式，即殖民地经历一个年度分裂-融合周期。殖民地在冬季占据一个或几个巢穴，在春季经历快速的指数增长，以殖民可用的筑巢地点，在夏季达到最大的巢穴密度，并在冬季再次合并，年复一年地回到同一个冬季位置。这些足迹也显示出时空变化，这取决于筑巢和觅食地点的位置。此外，巢的移动可能是由土壤微气候和接近人造结构驱动的。在3.15公顷的样地中共发现119个蚁巢，其中90个（76%）属于T。无柄的Tapinoma无柄表现出很强的殖民地连接78/90（87%）的巢连接到至少一个其他巢的线索。平均持续时间T.无柄巢为133 +/-5天。结果表明，T.固着蚁是一种适应性很强的本地蚂蚁，其群体社会结构具有高度灵活性。高度的一夫多妻制和一夫多妻制可能有助于其在城市环境中的生态优势和害虫地位。
1. The odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile, is a native ant species common throughout North America. In its natural habitat, T. sessile is a low-key species that consists of small colonies. In invaded urban areas, T. sessile exhibits extreme polygyny and polydomy and becomes a dominant invasive pest.2. The current study examined: (i) the density, persistence, and the spatial distribution of nests in a large supercolony of T. sessile, (ii) trail abundance and overall colony connectivity as facilitated by the network of trails, (iii) the abundance and the spatial distribution of competing ant species, and (iv) the effect of environmental factors on the number and distribution of T. sessile nests.3. A distinct pattern of seasonal polydomy was observed, whereby the colony undergoes an annual fission-fusion cycle. The colony occupies one or a few nests during the winter, experiences rapid exponential growth in the spring to colonize available nesting sites, reaches maximum nest density in the summer, and again coalesces in the winter, returning to the same winter location year after year. The trails show spatio-temporal variation as well, depending on the location of nesting and foraging sites. Furthermore, nest movements may be driven by soil microclimate and proximity to man-made structures.4. In total, 119 ant nests were discovered in a 3.15 ha plot, 90 (76%) of which belonged to T. sessile. Tapinoma sessile exhibited strong colony connectivity as 78/90 (87%) of nests were connected to at least one other nest by a trail. Mean persistence time for T. sessile nests was 133 +/- 5 days.5. Results indicate that T. sessile is a highly adaptable native ant species that exhibits a high degree of flexibility in its colony social structure. A high degree of polygyny and polydomy may contribute to its ecological dominance and pest status in urban environments.