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Worker populations of Formica lugubris Zett. nests in Irish plantation woods
Author(s) -
BREEN JOHN
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1979.tb00556.x
Subject(s) - biology , nest (protein structural motif) , brood , foraging , ecology , zoology , hymenoptera , biochemistry
. 1. Estimates of worker populations of Formica lugubris Zett. nests in Irish plantation woods were obtained using capture—mark—recapture methods. Forager numbers were estimated by paint‐marking individuals on the foraging routes and ‘recapturing’ by traffic counts. Colony‐size was estimated using Stradling's (1970) 32 P‐radiolabelling technique. Worker brood was estimated by excavation and direct count. 2. Forager numbers ranged from 6906 to 64 686 (eleven nests), colony‐size ranged from 9797 to 71 052 (five nests) and worker brood ranged from 9809 to 16 269 (four nests). 3. Forager number was highly correlated with the average traffic on individual routes and the nest forager populations declined rapidly in >30‐year‐old nests.