Adjustments in the Time, Distance and Direction of Foraging in Dinoponera quadriceps Workers

Abstract

We measured individual decisions regarding the adjustments of time, distance and direction of foraging in Dinoponera quadriceps. We observed two colonies in an area of secondary Atlantic Forest, FLONA-ICMBio, in Northeastern Brazil. The workers were individually marked. We recorded the displacement of workers, their returns to the nest with and without food, the time spent searching for food, maximum and total distance, inter-trip latency and direction of trips. The time spent searching for food, maximum distance and transport velocity did not vary with food size. The previous trip success reduced the latency between foraging trips and increased the percentage of success on the next trip. However, this previous success did not demonstrate a significant variation relative to the time spent searching on the next trip or direction of search. The workers maintained an individual directional fidelity during foraging. The adjustments of these foraging variables under individual control contributed to the efficiency at the colony level. D. quadriceps is compatible with the central place theory and risk sensitivity model of behavior.

Foraging Activity Rhythms of Dinoponera quadriceps (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Its Natural Environment

“…2010 ). Studies with D. quadriceps have demonstrated that this species exhibits intense diurnal foraging as well as nest maintenance ( Araújo and Rodrigues 2006 , Azevedo et al. 2014 ), although it is possible to find workers moving around in the forest at night.…”

Poneromorfas sem rainhas – Dinoponera: aspectos ecológico-comportamentais

“…Nos sistemas ecológicos, a coleta de alimento é uma variável importante. Logo, a seleção deve favorecer os indivíduos que otimizam a efi ciência energética não apenas pela escolha do tipo de alimento, mas também pelas estratégias de forrageio (BERNSTEIN, 1975). As formigas podem variar amplamente nas estratégias que utilizam na busca por alimento e os modos de forrageio podem estender-se de caçadora solitária, em que não há cooperação durante a procura e recuperação do alimento, a níveis variáveis de forrageio cooperativo mediado por graus diferentes de comunicação de recrutamento entre companheiras de ninho (HÖLLDOBLER E WILSON, 1990).…”

“…Estudos com diferentes espécies do gênero Dinoponera revelaram similaridades nos padrões comportamentais de forrageio deste gênero. As espécies Dinoponera quadriceps, Dinoponera gigantea, Dinoponera australis e Dinoponera longipes realizam buscas por alimento de forma solitária no substrato, sem qualquer recrutamento de companheiras de ninho (ARAÚJO; RODRIGUES, 2006;AZEVEDO et al, 2014;FOURCASSIE;OLIVEIRA, 2002;TILLBERG et al, 2014;MORGAN, 1993). Essas espécies são onívoras, mas têm a dieta composta predominantemente de invertebrados, vivos ou mortos.…”

Nest Maintenance Activity of Dinoponera quadriceps in a Natural Environment

“…Although foraging is probably the most important activity performed by ants outside the nest and the one in which workers invest most of their extra-nest time (Araújo and Rodrigues 2006;Azevedo et al 2014;, it cannot be fully understood in isolation from other activities performed by the colony because they may be interrelated (Gordon 1986). Task allocation can be far more complex than workers merely falling into discrete task groups; moreover, it can be plastic to enable colonies to withstand social perturbations (Pinter-Wollman et al 2012).…”

“…Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of studies focused on the foraging behavior of Dinoponera species, which are characterized by solitary foragers that generally scavenge dead animals (mainly arthropods) and maintain individual directional fidelity during foraging, with different individuals specializing on certain areas in the vicinity of the nest (Fourcassié et al 1999;Fourcassié and Oliveira 2002;Araújo and Rodrigues 2006;Peixoto et al 2010;Medeiros et al 2012;Nascimento et al 2012;Azevedo et al 2014;Tillberg et al 2014). The foraging activity in these ant species is known to vary both daily and seasonally, and the factors that affect these rhythms depend on the specific season, habitat and species (Fourcassié and Oliveira 2002;Peixoto et al 2010;Medeiros et al 2012;.…”