Showing papers on "Ant colony published in 1985"
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TL;DR: F Females of the myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras are far more likely to lay eggs on plants that contain their attendant ants than on plants without ants, although the clutch sizes of individual egg masses laid in either situation is the same.
Abstract: (1) Females of the myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras are far more likely to lay eggs on plants that contain their attendant ants, Iridomyrmex sp. 25 than on plants without ants, although the clutch sizes of individual egg masses laid in either situation is the same. (2) Ovipositing females respond to the presence or absence of ants before they alight on a potential food plant. Once they have landed, they are equally likely to ley eggs whether or not they encounter ants. (3) Ovipositing females prefer to lay eggs on plants that contain ant tended homopterans than on plants that contain only a few foraging ants. The presence of ant tended homopterans can act as a strong stimulus to induce females to lay eggs on plant species that differ from their original host species. (4) Ant dependent oviposition behavior has been described or suggested in 46 species of lycaenid and one riodinid. In general, the more dependent a species is upon ants for either food or protection, the more likely it is to use ants as cues in oviposition. Prominent characteristics of lycaenids that have ant dependent oviposition are described and discussed. (5) Myrmecophilous lycaenids that may use ants as cues in oviposition feed on a significantly wider range of plants than non-myrmecophilous lycaenids. Possible reasons for this pattern and its ecological significance are discussed.
154 citations
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TL;DR: The unique behavioral strategy of D. cuspidatus, to carry constantly their polyphagous mealybug partners to new feeding sites and to take the whole colony there has enabled this ant and its symbiont to occupy this rich food niche.
Abstract: The Malayan ant Dolichoderus cuspidatus lives in obligatory symbiosis with the pseudococcid Malaicoccus formicarii and other species of the same genus The assemblies, which may be encountered up to 25 m away from the nest, are constantly covered with a great number of worker ants who protect them and receive honeydew In the event of heavy rain the workers from a dense protective cluster, clinging to each other on top of the mealybugs Neither hunting behavior nor active search for protein sources was observed in D cuspidatus, although dead insects were accepted as food When not searching for new plants, the activity of the ants outside the colony is limited to visiting the mealybugs During the night and parts of the day the ants stay in their nest Ant colonies deprived of their mealybugs are not viable due to their dependence on the symbiosis and because of the competition of other ants Antless M formicarii are likewise not viable The mealybugs are extremely polyphagous and feed on many different monocotylous and dicotylous angiosperms They feed exclusively on the phloem sap of young plant parts which are rich in amino acids Dolichoderus cuspidatus workers carry the mealybugs to such locations During the picking up and carrying process both partners display typical behavioral patterns The colonization of new feeding sites takes place in well organized mass processions During the foundation or disintegration of large feeding complexes, provisional depots with waiting mealybugs and ants are set up The pseudococcids are carried not only while shifting the feeding sites, but also whenever the colony leaves its former nesting site and especially when any kind of disturbance occurs They are even carried about without any apparent external cause, which leads to the fact that, at all times of trail activity, on average more than 10% of all ants using the trails carry mealybugs Mealybugs are also present within the nest, especially adult females which are viviparous and give birth to their offspring there Censused colonies each consisted of over 10 000 workers, about 4000 larvae and pupae, more than 5000 mealybugs and one ergatoid queen Male winged ants were observed in large numbers during the dry season (January–February) and during the rainy season (September–October) The colonies form typical clumplike bivouac nests consisting of clusters of workers clinging to each other, thereby covering the brood and the mealybugs The nesting site is in no way altered by constructive measures and is mostly found close to the ground The preferred nesting sites are clusters of leaves, and cavities in wood or soil, although a freely hanging bivouac between a few branches may be set up as well As soon as the distance between the nest and the feeding site is too great the colony moves to the feeding site, whereby the brood and the mealybugs are carried along in a well organized manner During such nest-moving the establishment of intermediate depots can be observed A shift of nest sites can also be induced by disturbances or by a change in the microclimate in the vicinity of the nest Colonies multiply by budding The tropical rain forest continuously offers different sprouting plants, the utilization of which requires extreme mobility on the part of the consumer The unique behavioral strategy of D cuspidatus, to carry constantly their polyphagous mealybug partners to new feeding sites and to take the whole colony there has enabled this ant and its symbiont to occupy this rich food niche Dolichoderus cuspidatus is the first true nomad found in ants
72 citations
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TL;DR: Examination of nest distributions showed important seasonal variation with respect to spacing pattern and identity of nearest neighbors, and fluidity of community structure was a result common to all ant species studied.
Abstract: Ant nest were mapped in both time and space at two sites in New York over two consecutive years. Dispersion patterns, identity of nearest neighbor, and migration frequencies were also determined for three time points in 1981. Examination of nest distributions showed important seasonal variation with respect to spacing pattern and identity of nearest neighbors. Data pooled over an entire year suggested aggregation of nests with nonrandon species associations, yet these inferences were statistically significant only in early spring. Distances between neighboring colonies were low in early spring, high in mid-summer, and lower by late summer. Changes in ant nest distribution were mediated by colony migrations occuring throughout the season of activity. Although different species varied in their propensity to move, fluidity of community structure was a result common to all ant species studied.
63 citations
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TL;DR: Based on the total ant population method, total ant numbers remained below that in the check area for 2 years, effective control of the pest extended well beyond that indicated by the nest count method.
Abstract: Evaluation of Solenopsis invicta Buren populations following insecticidal bait treatments is usually made on the basis of presence or absence of active nests. An alternative method is described in which population densities are based on total worker ants per hectare. Using these two methods, we found that there was essentially no difference in population levels of treated and untreated plots 27 to 36 months after application of two baits. In a more detailed study in which imported fire ant colonies were monitored for 156 weeks, the number of ant colonies had increased 327% after 44 weeks; however, the total number of ants in these same colonies was still 84% below pretreatment numbers. These data reflect the great difference in size of mature pretreatment colonies and small incipient posttreatment colonies. Based on the total ant population method, total ant numbers remained below that in the check area for 2 years. Thus, effective control of the pest extended well beyond that indicated by the nest count method.
15 citations
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TL;DR: In general, ant mounds that were visually conspicuous or close to wasp nest aggregations were more likely to be visited by wasps, however, frequency of visitation and rates of predation at a given mound varied considerably from week to week.
Abstract: Females of the digger wasp Clypeadon laticinctus prey exclusively on workers of the western harvester ant Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. There is considerable variability in the size of ant workers both within and between ant mounds, and wasps tend to select larger workers as prey. Worker ants were most likely to be outside the nest at surface temperatures of 25–35°C. Wasps were seen at ant mounds most frequently when surface temperatures were between 40 and 50°C. Wasps captured ants outside and inside ant nests. Predation attempts were equally likely to result in a successful capture in either location, but entering the ant nests was more time consuming. Approximately 63% of visits by wasps to ant mounds resulted in a successful prey capture. In general, ant mounds that were visually conspicuous or close to wasp nest aggregations were more likely to be visited by wasps. However, frequency of visitation and rates of predation at a given mound varied considerably from week to week. Agonistic interactions betwe...
10 citations