Summary
The common North Temperate open-field antsLasius neoniger, Formica schaufussi, Myrmica americana, andMonomorium minimum overlap temporally in foraging activity as well as in the sizes of arthropod prey in their diets. Arthropod prey were taken by both individual workers and cooperative worker groups, and species differed in the proportion of prey in the diet retrieved by each method. Although prey size was significantly correlated with worker size for individually retrieved prey, when cooperative foraging was considered worker size did not serve as a consistent predictor of prey choice. Contrasting social strategies of foraging and the evolution of worker body size differences are discussed.
Resume
L'influence de la taille des ouvrières et du comportement coopératif sur l'activité de récolte a été analysé chez 4 fourmis communes de prairie de la zone tempérée nordaméricaine:Lasius neoniger, Formica schaufussi, Myrmica americana, etMonomorium minimum. Les niches de ces espèces se recouvrent au niveau de la taille de leurs proies (arthropodes) et de leur activité temporelle de récolte. Les arthropodes sont ramenés par des fourrageuses solitaires ou par des groupes d'ouvrières qui coopèrent. Les espèces diffèrent par les proportions de proies ramenées suivant l'une ou l'autre méthode. Dans le cas du transport solitaire, la taille des proies est corrélée à celle des fourrageuses, mais cette corrélation disparaît dans le cas du transport coopératif. Enfin, il est discuté les différentes stratégies sociales de fourragement et l'évolution de la taille des ouvrières.
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Traniello, J.F.A. Comparative foraging ecology of north temperate ants: The role of worker size and cooperative foraging in prey selection. Ins. Soc 34, 118–130 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223830
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223830