Predatory behavior and prey selection by army ants in a desert-grassland habitat

Mirenda, John; Eakins, Doug; Gravelle, Karen; Topoff, Howard

doi:10.1007/bf00299517

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…are rare and include no raids on Cyphomyrmex spp. (Cole, 1939;Weber, 1945;Schneirla, 1958Schneirla, , 1971Fowler, 1977;Mirenda et al, 1980;summarized in LaPolla et al, 2002). That the auricle nest entrance could serve to deter the entry of surface-raiding army (and other) ants is suggested by a single observation in Panama in 1996 in which a Neivamyrmex sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic speciation in the fungus-growing ants Cyphomyrmex longiscapus Weber and Cyphomyrmex muelleri Schultz and Solomon, new species (Formicidae, Attini)

et al. 2002

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Summary. Nesting in abundance on stream embankments in the wet forests of Panama, the fungus-growing ant Cyphomyrmex longiscapus sensu lato has become a model organism for the study of behavior, ecology, mating frequency, cultivar specificity, pathogenesis, and social parasitism in the attine agricultural symbiosis. Allozyme markers, morphology, and other evidence indicate that C. longiscapus s.l. is in fact a complex of two species, one of which is new to science and described here as Cyphomyrmex muelleri Schultz and Solomon, new species. Although both species occur sympatrically in the same microhabitats and are ecologically, behaviorally, and morphologically quite similar, they consistently cultivate two distantly related fungal symbionts. Thus, each of the two sibling ant species is specialized on a distinct cultivar species, contradicting the conclusions of a previous study. Information is provided for reliably separating the two ant species; morphometrics, ecology, behavior, biogeography, and natural history are summarized. Possible evolutionary mechanisms underlying cryptic speciation in C. longiscapus s.l. are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic speciation in the fungus-growing ants Cyphomyrmex longiscapus Weber and Cyphomyrmex muelleri Schultz and Solomon, new species (Formicidae, Attini)

et al. 2002

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“…Swarm raiding allows the species to include a wide variety of arthropods and even small vertebrates into their diet (Savage, 1847;Gotwald, 1974;Burton and Franks, 1985). Column raiding species, on the other hand, often exploit bulky food sources such as nests of social insects (e. g. Chadap and Rettenmeyer, 1975;Mirenda et al, 1980). Independent of the raiding system used, army ants are very efficient in temporarily decimating the abundance and/or colony size of their prey (Franks, 1982;Otis et al, 1986).…”

Section: Ant Baitingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They now belong to one of the best studied groups of ants and many essential aspects of their sociobiology have been intensively investigated (e. g. Mirenda et al, 1980;Franks, 1982;Gotwald, 1982;Hirosawa et al, 2000;Roberts et al, 2000). Originally grouped into a single subfamily, the "classical" army ants were later recognized to belong to three widespread subfamilies, i. e. the Dorylinae, Ecitoninae, and Aenictinae (Bolton, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As many nonarmy ant species are able to change their nesting sites as well, the ability to conduct large mass raids becomes the most outstanding feature of army ant behavior. The characteristics of these raids have been studied in much detail (e. g. Schneirla and Reyes, 1966;Chadap and Rettenmeyer, 1975;Mirenda et al, 1980;Franks and Bossert, 1983). The majority of studied army ant species conducts column raids, which are believed to be the more primitive form of mass raiding (Rettenmeyer, 1963).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging of a hypogaeic army ant: a long neglected majority

et al. 2002

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Army ants have been studied thoroughly for more than a century. The conduction of column and swarm mass raids, featured by epigaeicly active species, is believed to be a central characteristic of army ant behavior. Most army ant species, however, lead a hypogaeic life. Due to the difficulties to observe them, nothing is known about their hypogaeic behavior in the field. Using palm oil baits, trail excavations, and laboratory observations, the hypogaeic foraging of Dorylus (Dichthadia) laevigatus was observed in Malaysia. D. laevigatus was found to construct stable hypogaeic trunk trail systems providing quick and easy access to all parts of its foraging area. Small column raids were conducted throughout the ground stratum and above the ground surface. These raids were caste specific, with the smallest workers predominantly following existing cracks and tunnels in the soil. In case of food location, larger workers were recruited from nearby trunk trails. Exploratory trails leading to prey had to be widened before larger workers could gain access and help to process the food. Bulky food sources such as baits or termite mounds could be exploited over several weeks to months. Besides raiding in columns, D. laevigatus came occasionally to the ground surface at night to conduct swarm raids. This combination of swarm and column raids with the use of trunk trails has never been demonstrated for a classical army ant species. The omnipresence of D. laevigatus within its foraging area stands in sharp contrast to epigaeicly active species, characterized by a very localized and temporary presence at foraging sites. D. laevigatus stayed in the same foraging area for several weeks to months. Having a broad diet and the ability to exploit bulky food sources over long periods of time, D. laevigatus seems to follow a sustainable use of the soil fauna. Summing up these particularities demonstrates a remarkable divergence of the hypogaeic foraging of D. laevigatus from that of epigaeicly foraging army ant species.

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“…Predation risk may also increase in more productive ecosystems (60)(61)(62)(63). If so, these data are also consistent with hypotheses predicting a smaller optimal size in the face of higher predation pressure (64).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global energy gradients and size in colonial organisms: Worker mass and worker number in ant colonies

Kaspari

2005

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Body mass shapes processes from cell metabolism to community dynamics. Little is known, however, about how the average body mass of individuals varies among ecological communities. Ants alter colony mass by independently changing worker mass and͞or worker number. In a survey of 49 ecosystems from tundra to tropical rainforest, average worker mass and worker number were uncorrelated (rs ‫؍‬ 0.2, P > 0.14) and varied 100-fold. Data supported the hypothesis that higher mean monthly temperatures, T, reduce worker mass by increasing metabolic costs during worker development. In contrast, worker number was unimodal over a 1,000-fold gradient of net primary productivity (NPP, g of carbon per m 2 per yr), a measure of organic carbon available to consumers. At the lowest levels of NPP colonies appeared to be carbon-limited; above 60 g of carbon per m 2 per yr average worker number decreased to a global low. This decline in worker number with increasing NPP supports the hypothesis that abundant carbon ameliorates the Achilles heel of small taxa in competition with large taxa: their relatively high metabolic demands. Higher predation rates in resource-rich environments may also play a role in limiting worker number. In all, about half the global variation in worker mass and number was accounted for by gradients of NPP and T. Changes in global temperature and rainfall may thus mold gradients of ectotherm size, with consequences for the structure and function of the ecosystems.biogeography ͉ life history ͉ productivity ͉ temperature B ody size can fundamentally shape an organism's ecological niche (1-6), a population's rate of evolution (7-10), and an ecological community's structure and function (4,(11)(12)(13)(14). Given its role as a linchpin of functional biology, understanding how and why body size varies globally is a key challenge to ecology. Solar energy may shape gradients of body size by its effects on local temperature and net primary productivity † (16-20). Rising global temperatures (21,22) give new import to understanding these effects. Progress toward that goal has been hampered by the lack of global size data from a set of communities experiencing the full range of solar energy.Ants (family Formicidae) are colonial ectotherms that are important players in every terrestrial biome from tundra to rainforest (19, 23) and whose distribution thus spans global gradients of NPP and T. Studies of body size regulation in unitary organisms typically focus on the number and size of cells in an individual (18). Studies of size in colonial organisms such as bryozoans, corals, and the social insects, in contrast, focus on the mass and number of a colony's subunits (24, 25). Ant colonies have two life history options, under separate control, for increasing their mass: adding workers and increasing worker mass.Here I quantify the average worker mass and worker number of colonies in 49 New World ant communities. I explore how four energy-based hypotheses that sometimes make opposite predictions account for geographical gradien...

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Predatory behavior and prey selection by army ants in a desert-grassland habitat

Cited by 38 publications

References 12 publications

Cryptic speciation in the fungus-growing ants Cyphomyrmex longiscapus Weber and Cyphomyrmex muelleri Schultz and Solomon, new species (Formicidae, Attini)

Cryptic speciation in the fungus-growing ants Cyphomyrmex longiscapus Weber and Cyphomyrmex muelleri Schultz and Solomon, new species (Formicidae, Attini)

Foraging of a hypogaeic army ant: a long neglected majority

Global energy gradients and size in colonial organisms: Worker mass and worker number in ant colonies

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