Comparative ecology of the harvester antsPogonomyrmex Barbatus (F. Smith) andPogonomyrmex Rugosus (Emery) (original) (raw)
Summary
Factors affecting local geographic distribution, foraging behavior and activity, forage selection, numbers of foragers per colony, nest spacing and nest structure of_Pogonomyrmex rugosus_ and_Pogonomyrmex barbatus_ wer estudied. There were seasonal differences in foraging activity.P. barbatus was more active in early summer and foraged at night while_P. rugosus_ was more active in mid-summer foraging at night during July. Both species exhibited forage preference for grass seeds but took a variety of other materials. Where both species inhabited the same area they had an index of overlap for forage of 0.7. The colonics of both species were randomly distributed. Colony density was approximately 20 per hectare in areas supporting one or both species. There was no evidence of intraspecific aggression and foraging areas of colonies of the same species overlapped considerably.P. barbatus and_P. rugosus_ avoid competition by habitat selection. Interspecific aggression probably accounts for the lack of overlap in local distribution.
Résumé
Nous avons étudié les facteurs qui influencent la dispersion géographique, le comportement et l'intensité de récolte, le choix de la récolte, le nombre d'ouvrières récolteuses dans chaque société, l'intervalle entre les nids ainsi que la structure des nids de_Pogonomyrmex rugosus_ et de_Pogonomyrmex barbatus_. Nous avons décelé des variations saisonnières dans le comportement de récolte.P. barbatus s'est montrée plus active au début de l'été et a récolté la nuit, tandis que_P. rugosus_ a présenté une pointe d'activité au milieu de l'été, la récolte de nuit se faisant en juillet. Les deux espèces ont manifesté une préférence pour les graines de graminées, mais ont récolté aussi d'autres matériaux. Là où les deux espèces cohabitaient, leur indice d'empiétement pour les récoltes était de 0,7. Les sociétés appartenant aux deux espèces étaient réparties au hasard. La densité des sociétés s'élevait à environ 20 par hectare dans les sites qui abritaient soit l'une soit les deux espèces. Aucune preuve d'agression intraspécifique n'est apparue bien que les territoires de récolte de la même espèce aient été largement imbriqués.P. barbatus et_P. rugosus_ évitent la concurrence par le choix de l'habitat. L'agression interspécifique explique probablement l'absence d'empiétement des deux espèces dans la distribution locale des colonies.
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Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, 88003, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
Walter G. Whitford, Priscilla Johnson & John Ramirez
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- Walter G. Whitford
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Whitford, W.G., Johnson, P. & Ramirez, J. Comparative ecology of the harvester ants_Pogonomyrmex Barbatus_ (F. Smith) and_Pogonomyrmex Rugosus_ (Emery).Ins. Soc 23, 117–131 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223846
- Received: 10 October 1975
- Accepted: 28 November 1975
- Issue Date: June 1976
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02223846