Partitioning of Space in Communities of Ants

Bernstein, Ruth A.; Gobbel, Marilyn

doi:10.2307/4205

Cited by 67 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…We can only agree with what Bernstein and Gobbel (1979) state in their study about partitioning of space in ant communities: "Perhaps the most important factor contributing to the success of an ant colony is where it is located. "…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

Sympatry and allopatry in two desert ant sister species: how do Cataglyphis bicolor and C. savignyi coexist?

Dietrich

2003

Oecologia

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Two extremely morphologically similar sister species of desert ants, Cataglyphis bicolor and C. savignyi, exhibit broadly overlapping distributional ranges within Tunisia. In order to analyse the microhabitats of C. bicolor and C. savignyi within the sympatric and allopatric areas of both ant species, the plant species located at 113 different nest sites of the two ant species were determined. In the sympatric area, the two species exhibit a clear-cut nest site segregation. This is not the case in the allopatric areas. Hence the two species differentiate their microhabitat only when they are sympatric. The plant species associated mainly with the nest sites of C. bicolor indicate that this species prefers a type of vegetation that needs irrigation. This is in contrast to the nest sites of C. savignyi, which are usually found around plants that characterize typical dry steppe areas. As the ants' foraging paths recorded in the sympatric area reveal, C. bicolor performs significantly shorter foraging runs with respect to both length and time, and covers a much smaller foraging range than C. savignyi does. This result reflects the fact that the microhabitat occupied by the colonies of C. bicolor is richer in food abundance. When direct interspecific interactions were investigated by placing a bait midway between two heterospecific nests, C. bicolor foragers dominated over those of C. savignyi. The same dominance of C. bicolor over C. savignyi occurred in laboratory experiments. These results suggest that the dominant species drives the subordinate one out of the high quality microhabitats, and that the subordinate species is forced to survive in the less lucrative habitats. In conclusion, coexistence seems to be maintained by the asymmetric competitive relationship between the two species and the fact that the subordinate species has the ability to endure in the less favourable microhabitat.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

Sympatry and allopatry in two desert ant sister species: how do Cataglyphis bicolor and C. savignyi coexist?

Dietrich

2003

Oecologia

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“…We studied the patterns of aggression between Pheidole xerophylla colonies in relation to their spatial distribution and genetic structure in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. This seed-harvesting ant defends foraging areas and their nests are often over-dispersed suggesting that colonies may compete for resources (Bernstein, 1979;Bernstein and Gobbel, 1979). In a previous study (Langen et al, 2000) of the same P. xerophylla population we found remarkable variation in aggression levels between colonies.…”

Section: Patterns Of Aggression In Pheidole Xerophyllamentioning

confidence: 59%

Kin recognition and the paradoxical patterns of aggression between colonies of a Mojave desert Pheidole ant

et al. 2006

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Abstract. Populations of the desert seed-harvesting ant Pheidole xerophylla are often characterized by high nest density leading to competitive interactions between foragers from different nests. We investigated the inter-nest aggression, spatial distribution and genetic structure of a P. xerophylla population of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. Inter-nest aggression was quantifi ed by standardized staged encounters in a neutral arena. Genetic relatedness within nests and relatedness between nests were calculated using allelic frequencies at four microsatellite-DNA loci. We found a bimodal distribution of inter-colony aggression levels with a fi rst mode at low aggression levels and another mode at much higher aggression levels. Inter-colony aggression levels were largely non-transitive. No effect of geographical distance on inter-nest aggression levels was detected. Despite high amounts of variation in inter-colony relatedness (-0.24 to 0.37) this variable did not correlate with the level of aggression between nests. Intra-nest relatedness ranged from 0.40 to 0.75 and close inspection of worker genotypes within colonies revealed a high proportion of polygynous colonies or a mixture of polygyny and polyandry. Aggression levels among nests was found to decrease with increasing intra-nest relatedness. These results do not support the idea that aggression is modulated by a nestmate recognition mechanism based on overall genetic similarity. Instead, the absence of transitivity found in inter-colony aggression and bimodal distribution of aggression levels are compatible with a common label acceptance model of nestmate recognition and suggest that label diversity may be encoded by a limited number of loci.

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“…The spatial distribution of the nests of formicids is related to availability of food, nest areas, and the intra-and inter-specific competition between different species of formicids with the same diet (Bernstein and Goebel, 1979;Levings and Franks, 1982;Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990;Ipinza-Regla et al, 2010;2013). The availability of substrates for building nests and the physicochemical characteristics of the soil are also important factors (Petal, 1978;Torres, 1984, Johnson, 1992.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Register of Nests of Three Formicid Species (Hymenoptera) in Río Clarillo National Reserve, Metropolitan Region, Chile

Ipinza-Regla¹,

Jara²,

Araya³

2017

Chil. j. agric. anim. sci.

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RESUMENSe registró la distribución de los formícidos Brachymyrmex giardii (Emery), Camponotus chilensis (Spinola) y Nothidris bicolor (Snelling) con el método de área mínima en dos sectores en la Reserva Nacional Río Clarillo (33º41-51' S; 70º24-29' O), Comuna de Pirque, Región Metropolitana, Chile, uno con tránsito de personas y el otro menos intervenido. Los nidos presentaron una distribución en grupos, y la presencia de personas afectó su densidad, frecuencia y abundancia. Palabras clave: nidos de hormigas, Brachymyrmex giardii, Camponotus chilensis, Nothidris bicolor. ABSTRACTThe distribution of formicids Brachymyrmex giardii (Emery), Camponotus chilensis (Spinola), and Nothidris bicolor (Snelling) was registered with the minimum area method in two sectors of Río Clarillo National Reserve (33º 41-51' S and 70º 24-29' W), Pirque Commune, Metropolitan Region, Chile. One sector corresponded to an area with human presence, while the other corresponded to an area with less human intervention. The nests presented a group distribution, and the presence of people affected their density, frequency, and abundance.

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Partitioning of Space in Communities of Ants

Cited by 67 publications

References 33 publications

Sympatry and allopatry in two desert ant sister species: how do Cataglyphis bicolor and C. savignyi coexist?

Sympatry and allopatry in two desert ant sister species: how do Cataglyphis bicolor and C. savignyi coexist?

Kin recognition and the paradoxical patterns of aggression between colonies of a Mojave desert Pheidole ant

Register of Nests of Three Formicid Species (Hymenoptera) in Río Clarillo National Reserve, Metropolitan Region, Chile

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