Worker thermal tolerance in the thermophilic ant Cataglyphis cursor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Clémencet, Johanna; Cournault, Laurent; Odent, A.; Doums, Claudie

doi:10.1007/s00040-009-0044-y

Cited by 53 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This CT max is comparable with that of desert ants such as Cataglyphis cursor (CT max 50°C) (Wehner et al, 1992;Clémencet et al, 2009). The CT max of M. croslandi was inconsistent with their upper outbound foraging limit (30.1°C).…”

Section: Temperature Tolerance In the Diurnal Antsupporting

confidence: 54%

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Jayatilaka

Narendra

Reid

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

103

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SUMMARYAnimals avoid temperatures that constrain foraging by restricting activity to specific times of the day or year. However, because temperature alters the availability of food resources, it is difficult to separate temperature-dependent effects on foraging and the occupation of temporal niches. By studying two congeneric, sympatric Myrmecia ants we isolated the effect of temperature and investigated whether temperature affects foraging schedules and causes the two ants to be active at distinct times of the day or year. We monitored foraging activity and identified the ants' temperature tolerance in the laboratory by determining (1) critical thermal minima and maxima (CT min and CT max ) and (2) the relationship between walking speed and temperature. Ants of Myrmecia croslandi were diurnal throughout the year, but ceased above-ground activity during winter. Surface temperature at the onset of foraging was 9.8-30.1°C, while their laboratory CT min and CT max were 10.4 and 48.5°C, respectively. Time of foraging onset was significantly influenced by surface temperature at time of sunrise and of onset. Ants of Myrmecia pyriformis were nocturnal throughout the year. Surface temperature at the onset of foraging was 5.4-26.2°C, while their laboratory CT min and CT max were 8.2 and 41.6°C, respectively. Time of foraging onset was not influenced by surface temperature, but solely by sunset time. We conclude that temperature determines the timing of foraging as well as the daily and seasonal foraging activity in M. croslandi, but has less obvious effects on M. pyriformis. In both species, CT max was greater than temperatures at the natural foraging times.

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Section: Temperature Tolerance In the Diurnal Antsupporting

confidence: 54%

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Jayatilaka

Narendra

Reid

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

103

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“…Interestingly, the legs of both ergatoids and brachypters are quite similar and shorter than those of workers. In thermophilic Cataglyphis ants, long legs procure an ecological advantage by reducing workers' body exposure to extreme ground temperature (Cerdá and Retana 2000;Clémencet et al 2010). Queens are always assisted by workers and almost never leave their nest, which explains why they may not need such an adaptation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of worker–queen polymorphism in Cataglyphis ants: interplay between individual- and colony-level selections

Amor

Ortega

Jowers

et al. 2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In many ants, young queens disperse by flying away from their natal nest and found new colonies alone (independent colony founding, ICF). Alternatively, in some species, ICF was replaced by colony fission, in which young queens accompanied by workers found a new colony at walking distance from the mother nest. We compared the queen morphology of Cataglyphis floricola, which disperses by fission, with that of its most likely living ancestor, Cataglyphis emmae, which disperses by ICF. As in other species, the transition from ICF to fission is associated with queen miniaturization. Interestingly, C. floricola presents two types of small queens: brachypters (with short nonfunctional wings) and ergatoids (worker-like apterous queens). Ergatoids are, on average, 2.8 mg lighter and have half the number of ovarioles than brachypters, which limits the advantage for a colony to produce ergatoids instead of brachypters. Furthermore, more ergatoids are produced than brachypters, but their individual survival rate is lower. During colony fission, 96% of the cocoons containing brachypters but only 31% of those containing ergatoids are transferred to the daughter nests where, after emergence, they compete for becoming the next queen. The remaining queen cocoons, which stay in the mother queen's nest, are eliminated by workers upon emergence, probably to maintain monogyny. This waste of energy suggests that producing ergatoids instead of brachypters is unlikely to increase colony efficiency. We argue that the evolution of ergatoids could derive from a selfish larval strategy, developing into worker-like queens in spite of the colony interest.

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“…However, the positive correlation between heat tolerance and body size, as well as between heat tolerance and reproductive traits, has to be considered cautiously, as each variable was also positively correlated with temperature. Although body size has been recognised as a potential mechanism to face temperature changes (Clémencet et al, 2009;Cook et al, 2006;Gaston and Spicer, 1998), here we may assume that the correlations observed among these traits are determined by their relative relationship with temperature (i.e. a by-product of colinearity).…”

Section: Ecological Implications Of the Link Between Life History Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-history and thermal tolerance traits display different thermal plasticities and relationships with temperature in the marine polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica La Greca and Bacci (Dorvilleidae)

N’Siala

Calosi

Bilton

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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Worker thermal tolerance in the thermophilic ant Cataglyphis cursor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Cited by 53 publications

References 33 publications

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

Different effects of temperature on foraging activity schedules in sympatric Myrmecia ants

The evolution of worker–queen polymorphism in Cataglyphis ants: interplay between individual- and colony-level selections

Life-history and thermal tolerance traits display different thermal plasticities and relationships with temperature in the marine polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica La Greca and Bacci (Dorvilleidae)

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