Neighbor colonies affect level of foraging in the generalist ant Pheidole oxyops (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Abstract
Pheidole oxyops Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a generalist ant that can display passive and active forage strategies. Moreover, this species can forage actively for a variety of food resources from plant debris to dead arthropods. In this study we tested whether abiotic factors (e.g., daytime, temperature, and residual soil accumulation), as well as neighboring colonies, could influence the patterns of foraging activity. Forage activity was observed in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Also, we recorded the frequency of individuals, direction, and ground surface temperature during foraging events. Our results showed that forage direction was not affected by residual soil accumulation and neighboring P. oxyops colonies. The rate of departures from nests decreased as ground surface temperature increased, but nest exits increased significantly with the occurrence of nearby P. oxyops colonies. We observed also that P. oxyops appeared to maximize forage activities during the evening period that would reduce their exposure to potential predators, competitors, and any adverse effects associated with direct solar radiation.
Resumen
Pheidole oxyops Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) es una hormiga generalista que puede presentar dos tipos de estrategia de alimentación, activa y pasiva. Esta especie busca activamente fragmentos de plantas y artrópodos muertos. En este estudio probamos si los factores abióticos (e.g., hora del día, temperatura, y suelo residual acumulado) y las colonias adyacentes podrían influir en los patrones de actividad de alimentación. El flujo de colectores se registró en los períodos de mañana, tarde y noche. Además, registramos la frecuencia individual, la dirección y la temperatura del suelo durante los eventos de alimentación. Nuestros resultados mostraron que las direcciones de las rutas de alimentación no se vieron afectadas por la presencia de colonias vecinas o la acumulación de suelo residual. La temperatura del suelo, la hora del día y la presencia de colonias vecinas influyeron significativamente en la frecuencia de alimentación. La frecuencia de las salidas de los nidos aumentó significativamente cuando había más colonias vecinas cercanas, pero disminuyó a medida que aumentó la temperatura de la superficie del suelo. Además, en la tarde las hormigas no mostraron preferencias claras por las rutas. Las actividades de búsqueda de alimento fueron significativamente más frecuentes durante la noche. Los resultados nos permiten concluir que las colonias maximizan sus actividades en relación con el entorno externo, reduciendo los costos de alimentación en períodos más cálidos y competidores potenciales.
Key Words: abiotic factors; sit-and-wait foraging; active foraging; passive foraging
Supplementary material for this article in Florida Entomologist 104(2) (June 2021) is online at http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/entomologist/browse
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