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FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF THE CARPENTER ANT, CAMPONOTUS MODOC (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE), IN A GIANT SEQUOIA FOREST1,2

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

David A. Tilles  and
David L. Wood
David A. Tilles
Affiliation:
Division of Forest Entomology, Department of Plant and Forest Protection, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7044, S-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
David L. Wood
Affiliation:
Department of Entomological Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA 94720
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Abstract

The proportion of large Camponotus modoc workers returning to the nest with solid food was significantly less than that of smaller workers. The average weight of ants collected at colonies of the aphid Cinara occidentalis was significantly less than the average weight of ants collected in the vicinity of the ant nest. These data and additional observations suggest that small ants are more likely to attend aphids and transport solid food than are large ants. Some large ants may specialize in honeydew transport. Markand-recapture studies showed that workers of Camponotus modoc returned to the same trunk trails and aphid colonies from which they had previously been removed. When relocated to either the base of the tree or to the nest entrance, some workers demonstrated a capacity to recognize the original aphid colony from among as many as eight other colonies in the same tree. Some ants were observed on the same aphid colony for long periods.

Résumé

La proportion des grosses travailleuses de Camponotus modoc qui retournent au nid avec de la nourriture solide est significativement inférieure à celle des petites travailleuses. Le poids moyen des fourmis recueillies aux colonies de l’aphide Cinara occidentalis était significativement inférieur au poids moyen des fourmis recueillies dans le voisinage de la fourmilière. Ces données et d’autres observations indiquent que les petites fourmis fréquentent probablement plus les aphides et s’occupent plus du transport des aliments solides que les grandes fourmis. Certaines grosses fourmis semblent se spécialiser dans le transport du miellat. Des données de marquage–recapture ont montré que les gravailleuses de Camponotus modoc reprenaient les mêmes pistes sur les troncs et retournaient aux mêmes colonies d’aphides que celles d’où elles provenaient. Une fois replacées à la base de l’arbre ou à l’entrée du nid, certaines travailleuses se sont montrées capables de reconnaître la colonie d’aphide originale parmi jusqu’à huit autres colonies situées sur le même arbre. Certaines fourmis ont été observées à la même colonie d’aphide pendant de longues périodes.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 118 , Issue 9 , September 1986 , pp. 861 - 867
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1986

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