Mortality Risk vs. Food Quality Trade‐Offs in a Common Currency: Ant Patch Preferences

Nonacs, Peter; Dill, Lawrence M.

doi:10.2307/1937596

Cited by 188 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Ants could, however, react to absolute difference in nutrient concentrations or to the growth consequences each diet level has for the colony. The former is not a significant predictor o f patch choice (Nonacs, 1988), but in L.pu/litursis the willingness of foragers to use risky patches is correlated closely with gain in terms of colony growth (Nonacs & Dill, 1990). The growth consequences of the different patches are unknown for M.incompletu and may not be the same as for L.pullitar.sis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, when colonies are given access to two patches, in a situation where the patch with the higher food quality has an associated mortality risk, the ants make behavioural trade-offs, These trade-offs appear to be based on the consequences for colony growth. Foragers value risky and safe patches equally when the extra colony growth to be gained from the risky patch approximately offsets the forager mortality rate (Nonacs & Dill, 1990). Finally, successful L.pallitursis foragers appear to be able to communicate the presence of danger along the trail.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Mortality risk versus food quality trade‐offs in ants: patch use over time

Nonacs¹,

Dill²

1991

Ecological Entomology

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Abstract. 1. Foragers of the ant species Lasiuspallitarsis (Provancher) and Myrmica incompleta Provancher were given access to two food patches that differed in nutritive quality. In about half of the trials, the higher quality patch also had a mortality risk for the foragers in the form of a large Formica subnuda Emery ant located along the trail. Colonies were given access to the food for 4 or 24 h, every second day.2. Use of the higher quality patch by L.pallitarsis foragers was depressed by the mortality risk. In contrast to the predictions of a food stress hypothesis, foragers used the risky patch more in the longer access trials. This appears due to a decline in the activity level of the F.subnuda, which results in a significantly lower mortality risk per trip.3 . M.incompfeta also significantly decreased their use of the higher quality patch when a F.subnuda was present. However, the length of time a colony had access to the patches had no effect on the use of the risky patch. M . incompleta foraging behaviour seems relatively insensitive to short-term food stress or changing levels of mortality risk.4. The differences between species in their exploitation of patches and reactions to F.subnuda are discussed in terms of the species' natural history.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Mortality risk versus food quality trade‐offs in ants: patch use over time

Nonacs¹,

Dill²

1991

Ecological Entomology

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“…Empirical studies of social insects show that colony size affects the allocation of workers to various tasks (Tschinkel, 1988;Nonacs and Dill, 1990;Wolf and Schmid-Hempel, 1990). In harvester ants, task allocation in larger colonies is more stable and consistent when environmental conditions change in comparison with smaller colonies (Gordon, 1987).…”

Section: -7653mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of social group size on information transfer and task allocation

1996

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SummarySocial animals exchange information during social interaction. The rate of interaction and, hence, the rate of information exchange, typically changes with density and density may be affected by the size of the social group. We investigate models in which each individual may be engaged in one of several tasks. For example, the different tasks could represent alternative foraging locations exploited by an ant colony. An individual's decision about which task to pursue depends both on environmental stimuli and on interactions among individuals. We examine how group size affects the allocation of individuals among the various tasks. Analysis of the models shows the following. (1) Simple interactions among individuals with limited ability to process information can lead to group behaviour that closely approximates the predictions of evolutionary optimality models, (2) Because per capita rates of social interaction may increase with group size, larger groups may be more efficient than smaller ones at tracking a changing environment, (3) Group behaviour is determined both by each individual's interaction with environmental stimuli and by social exchange of information. To keep these processes in balance across a range of group sizes, organisms are predicted to regulate per capita rates of social interaction and (4) Stochastic models show, at least in some cases, that the results described here occur even in small groups of approximately ten individuals.

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“…Babbler fledglings seem to show flexibility in their risk-taking, moving to riskier locations when they are hungry but staying in the cover and relative safety of trees when they are satiated. Other species have also been shown to be flexible in their risk-taking, for example, colonies of the ant Lasius pallitarsis are willing to forage in high-risk food patches when the pay-offs are higher than those in low-risk patches [41]. As moving to the ground is costlier in terms of predation risk than remaining in the trees, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org Proc R Soc B 280: 20130558…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of fledgling location on adult provisioning: a test of the blackmail hypothesis

et al. 2013

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One theory to explain the existence of conspicuous solicitation is that it is a way for young to 'blackmail' carers into provisioning them, by threatening their own destruction. Fledgling birds offer a unique opportunity to investigate the 'blackmail theory', as their mobility enables them to influence the predation risk they face. We investigated a novel solicitation behaviour in fledgling pied babblers (Turdoides bicolor), where fledglings use their location to influence provisioning rates. We show that fledglings face a trade-off: the ground is a much more profitable location in terms of provisioning rate from adult carers, but they are at greater risk from predators owing to their limited flying ability and slow response to alarm calls. Young babbler fledglings move to the ground when hungry, signalling their state, and this stimulates adults to increase their provisioning rates. Once satiated, fledglings return to the safety of cover. By experimentally increasing terrestrial predation risk, we found that adults increased their provisioning rate to terrestrial but not arboreal fledglings. Thus, by moving to a riskier location, fledglings revealed their need and were able to manipulate adults to achieve higher provisioning rates. These results provide support for the 'blackmail theory'.

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Mortality Risk vs. Food Quality Trade‐Offs in a Common Currency: Ant Patch Preferences

Cited by 188 publications

References 18 publications

Mortality risk versus food quality trade‐offs in ants: patch use over time

Mortality risk versus food quality trade‐offs in ants: patch use over time

Effects of social group size on information transfer and task allocation

The influence of fledgling location on adult provisioning: a test of the blackmail hypothesis

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