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Foraging decisions of individual workers vary with colony size in the greenhead ant Rhytidoponera metallica (Formicidae, Ectatomminae) - Insectes Sociaux

  • ️Framenau, V. W.
  • ️Tue Feb 01 2005

Summary.

The ability of worker ants to adapt their behaviour depending on the social environment of the colony is imperative for colony growth and survival. In this study we use the greenhead ant Rhytidoponera metallica to test for a relationship between colony size and foraging behaviour. We controlled for possible confounding ontogenetic and age effects by splitting large colonies into small and large colony fragments. Large and small colonies differed in worker number but not worker relatedness or worker/brood ratios. Differences in foraging activity were tested in the context of single foraging cycles with and without the opportunity to retrieve food. We found that workers from large colonies foraged for longer distances and spent more time outside the nest than foragers from small colonies. However, foragers from large and small colonies retrieved the first prey item they contacted, irrespective of prey size. Our results show that in R. metallica, foraging decisions made outside the nest by individual workers are related to the size of their colony.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. M. L. Thomas

    Present address: Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, Mailcode 0116, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA

  2. V. W. Framenau

    Present address: Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates, Western Australian Museum, Francis St, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    M. L. Thomas & V. W. Framenau

Authors

  1. M. L. Thomas

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  2. V. W. Framenau

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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. L. Thomas.

Additional information

Received 23 March 2004; revised 3 June 2004; accepted 4 June 2004.

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Thomas, M.L., Framenau, V.W. Foraging decisions of individual workers vary with colony size in the greenhead ant Rhytidoponera metallica (Formicidae, Ectatomminae). Insectes Soc. 52, 26–30 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-004-0768-7

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  • Issue Date: February 2005

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-004-0768-7

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