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Mortality risk versus food quality trade‐offs in ants: patch use over time
Author(s) -
ACS PETER,
DILL LAWRENCE M.
Publication year - 1991
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.1365-2311.1991.tb00194.x
Subject(s) - lasius , biology , foraging , ecology , quality (philosophy) , hymenoptera , philosophy , epistemology
.1 Foragers of the ant species Lasius pallitarsis (Provancher) and Myrmica incompleta Provancher were given access to two food patches that differed in nutritive quality. In about half of the trials, the higher quality patch also had a mortality risk for the foragers in the form of a large Formica subnuda Emery ant located along the trail. Colonies were given access to the food for 4 or 24 h, every second day. 2 Use of the higher quality patch by L.pallitarsis foragers was depressed by the mortality risk. In contrast to the predictions of a food stress hypothesis, foragers used the risky patch more in the longer access trials. This appears due to a decline in the activity level of the F.subnuda , which results in a significantly lower mortality risk per trip. 3 M.incompfeta also significantly decreased their use of the higher quality patch when a F.subnuda was present. However, the length of time a colony had access to the patches had no effect on the use of the risky patch. M.incompleta foraging behaviour seems relatively insensitive to short‐term food stress or changing levels of mortality risk. 4 The differences between species in their exploitation of patches and reactions to F.subnuda are discussed in terms of the species’natural history.