Sanders Nathan J, Gordon Deborah M
Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA, USA.
Oecologia. 2000 Nov;125(3):436-443. doi: 10.1007/s004420000463. Epub 2000 Nov 1.
We examined how interspecific competition in ants affects resource use and behavior. To test how neighboring Myrmecocystus colonies influence the desert ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli, we placed temporary enclosures around Myrmecocystus spp. colonies and recorded the resources collected by A. cockerelli and the numbers of A. cockerelli ants engaged in various tasks outside the nest. When neighbors were enclosed, A. cockerelli colonies collected a significantly higher proportion of termites and significantly less plant matter than when neighbors were active. The numbers of A. cockerelli ants engaged in foraging behavior and nest maintenance work increased when Myrmecocystus colonies were enclosed. Interspecific interactions thus can affect the behavior and resource use of A. cockerelli colonies and may influence colony fitness.
我们研究了蚂蚁种间竞争如何影响资源利用和行为。为了测试相邻的蜜蚁属蚁群如何影响沙漠蚁科克雷氏弓背蚁，我们在蜜蚁属蚁群周围设置了临时围栏，并记录了科克雷氏弓背蚁收集的资源以及在巢外从事各种任务的科克雷氏弓背蚁的数量。当相邻蚁群被围起来时，与相邻蚁群活跃时相比，科克雷氏弓背蚁蚁群收集到的白蚁比例显著更高，而植物物质显著更少。当蜜蚁属蚁群被围起来时，从事觅食行为和巢穴维护工作的科克雷氏弓背蚁数量增加。因此，种间相互作用会影响科克雷氏弓背蚁蚁群的行为和资源利用，并可能影响蚁群的适合度。
