Journal
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
Volume 21, Issue 2, Pages 337-342Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp193
Keywords
activity pattern; compensation; foraging; genetic diversity; harvester ants; Pogonomyrmex
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [IBN-9507470, IBN-0344896]
- Texas Advanced Research
- University of Houston GEAR
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The timing of activity by desert dwelling poikilotherms can be critical to survival. In the western harvester ant, colonies that have higher levels of genetic diversity forage for longer time periods in the morning than colonies with less diversity. We determined whether the advantage of early foraging colonies was consistent by examining foraging behavior at other times of day and year. We used a combination of activity monitoring and temperature measurement at the nest entrance to quantify foraging activity during the morning and evening summer foraging periods in both June and August. The duration of morning and evening foraging was significantly positively correlated both within and across seasons-some colonies have a consistent advantage in foraging. The temperature range over which colonies foraged was also consistent across time, suggesting that intercolony differences are a consequence of variation in the thermal ranges/preferences of the colony's workers. The duration of foraging during this study was correlated with the duration of foraging measured 6 years earlier, suggesting that it is an aspect of colony phenotype.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available