西北荒漠草原针毛收获蚁的筑巢行为

针毛收获蚁Messoraciculatus(F .Smith)是我国北方特别是西北荒漠草原的优势种蚂蚁 ,亦是重要的种子收获性蚁类 ,收获、贮藏和取食 1 0余种荒漠植物种子。自然巢穴深 80cm～ 1 3 7cm ,单一巢口 ,沿主隧道不同深度有水平延伸的各层巢室 ,巢室向四周的延伸范围随巢深减小 ,层间距拉大。自然巢穴的空间结构与社群越冬与种子的深层贮藏有着密切的关系。饲养社群筑巢行为由蚁后主导 ,起始营巢位点数与蚁后头数有关 ,每一蚁后带领 5 0～ 70头工蚁 ,营巢时程 0 5～ 0 67d 60工蚁 蚁后 ,蚁巢有多个巢口。自然与饲养社群的巢穴结构差异很大 ,但两者单一蚁后与工蚁所占的有效巢穴空间是基本一致的 ,自然社群 1 81 3 7cm3 蚁后 ,2 99cm3 工蚁 ,饲养社群 1 5 6 2 6cm3 蚁后 ,2 60cm3 工蚁     

中华红林蚁形态描述、行为观察及社群结构

调查显示,北京百花山上"蚂蚁山"的蚂蚁为我国林区特有的种类——中华红林蚁Formica sinensis。该蚂蚁分布海拔相对较高,通常在针叶林或针阔叶混交林中筑巢,进行社会性生活。成虫有4个品级:大型工蚁、小型工蚁、蚁后和雄蚁。每个成熟蚁巢中有2～4个蚁后,为多蚁后社群结构。夏季蚁巢中同时存在着卵、幼虫、蛹和成虫。目前还只发现工蚁和蚁后休眠越冬。对中华红林蚁的各个虫态和品级进行形态描述和测定,并记述工蚁的觅食、建巢及清巢、防御与进攻等行为习性。首次发现雄蚁具有明显的护巢行为。同时,还发现在工蚁的外出活动中,标记信息素的作用不是很明显。     

针毛收获蚁贮食行为及贮藏对种子活力的影响

针毛收获蚁Messoraciculatus(F .Smith)是我国西北荒漠草原生态系统中的种子收获性优势蚁类 ,收获、贮藏和取食多种 1年生荒漠植物种子 ,其中狗尾草、地锦、猪毛菜、雾冰藜最为典型 ,冬贮量分别为 1 92 ,1 1 2 ,0 5 1和 0 2 5g 1 0 0工蚁 ,分别占土壤种子库总量的 5 4 3 5 %～ 78 2 6% ,1 6 85 % ,1 1 7%和1 0 0 % ,占种子年产量的 79 5 6% ,1 6 73 % ,4 91 %和 3 1 49%。嗜于收获和贮藏的种子大小为 1 2～ 2 7mm ,重量为 0 8～ 2 0g 千粒。贮藏格局表现在不同穴巢深度所贮藏的种子种类和贮量不同 ;不同类型种子在贮藏小室中的堆放和混合方式不同 ;总贮量与社群总蚁量和蚁后数正相关。贮藏引起种子萌发能力显著降低。此外 ,对贮藏格局与种子形态特征的关系及该蚁在荒漠草原生态系统中的功能与地位进行了讨论。     

囟土白蚁蚁后卵巢管数量、蚁巢体积与蚁群中各蚁型数量的相关性

囟土白蚁Odontotermes fontanellus Kemner是安徽为害林木、水库堤坝的主要蚁种。研究结果表明:1.在一定的巢龄范围内,随着蚁后身体增长,卵巢管数量增多,一侧的卵巢管最多可达3726条。2.蚁后体长与工蚁数、兵蚁数、幼蚁数、整巢蚁数之间成幂函数关系。3.卵巢管数与蚁后体长、工蚁数、兵蚁数、幼蚁数、整巢蚁数之间成幂函数关系,4,蚁巢体积(y)与蚁后体长(X_2)、兵蚁数(X_4)、的关系式为:y=6.687e~(0.0566)X_2+0.6741X_4     

红火蚁的巢间相容性

在室内条件下通过将红火蚁Solenopsis invicta Buren异巢不同品级的个体置于同一容器中,对红火蚁的巢间相容性进行研究。结果表明,蚁后与异巢幼蚁共处时,异巢幼蚁的羽化率为33.3%,与对照处理的38.3%(蚁后与同巢幼蚁共处)无显著差异。工蚁与异巢幼蚁共处时,异巢幼蚁的羽化率为53.7%,与对照处理的72.2%(工蚁与同巢幼蚁共处)无显著差异。蚁后与异巢工蚁共处时,异巢蚁后的存活率为45%,与对照处理的61.7%(工蚁与同巢蚁后共处)无显著差异。有翅繁殖雌蚁与异巢工蚁共处时,异巢工蚁的存活率为86.7%与对照处理的99.4%(工蚁与同巢有翅繁殖雌蚁共处)存在显著差异;异巢有翅雌蚁的存活率为22.2%,与对照处理的88.9%(工蚁与同巢有翅繁殖雌蚁共处)存在显著差异。由此可见,同区域内红火蚁异巢各品级间存在一定程度的相容性,并巢行为有可能发生。     

囟土白蚁蚁后卵巢管数量、蚁巢体积与蚁群中各蚁型数量的相关性

囟土白蚁Odontotermes fontanellus Kemner是安徽为害林木、水库堤坝的主要蚁种.研究结果表明:1.在一定的巢龄范围内,随着蚁后身体增长,卵巢管数量增多,一侧的卵巢管最多可达3726条.2.蚁后体长与工蚁数、兵蚁数、幼蚁数、整巢蚁数之间成幂函数关系.3.卵巢管数与蚁后体长、工蚁数、兵蚁数、幼蚁数、整巢蚁数之间成幂函数关系,4,蚁巢体积(y)与蚁后体长(X₂)、兵蚁数(X₄)、的关系式为:y=6.687e^0.0566X₂+0.6741X₄     

黄翅大白蚁种群自然演替中并巢合群性研究

1986年解剖30巢黄翅大白蚁,其中1王1后占16巢,1王或2王多后占14巢。据统计各蚁群白蚁的数量波动很大,蚁群中蚁后数增加与蚁数增加不成正比,波幅较大,有的相差15～21万只。剖巢后常见有空巢和废巢现象,形成这种情况是2个或2个以上相同或不同年龄的蚁群在扩巢、迁巢中而合并蚁巢的结果,从同巢中有不同体长、体形大小的蚁后可得到证实。     

囟土白蚁蚁后体形与巢内群体发育及数量的关系

木文报道研究林地囟土白蚁Odontotcrmcs fontanellus Kemner 蚁后体形与巢内群体发育和数量关系的结果.幼年蚁群与成熟蚁群蚁后体长(X)与蚁后体积(Y_V)之间成幂函数关系:Y_v=3.5250×10^-4,蚁后体长与兵蚁、工蚁、幼蚁和整巢蚁群总数之间也成幂函数关系.蚁后体长(X)与蚁群总数的关系是:Y_t=0.02491X^4.2628,蚁后体长(X)与蚁巢深度(Y_d)之间的关系是:Y_d=0.50009X^1.325,蚁后体长(X)与蚁巢体积(Y_n)的关系是:Y_n=0.00098X^4.5611,在一般情况下,根据蚁后体长大小就可预测蚁群量的多少及蚁巢深浅、巢积大小以及蚁路远近,可给治理林地及水库堤坝白蚁的危害提供有用的数据.     

粗纹举腹蚁蚁巢解剖及其数学建模

为了弄清与排泄蜜露的昆虫有密切关系的粗纹举腹蚁Crematogaster macaoensis Wheeler的生物学特性,于2009年8月至2010年7月在云南省墨江县雅邑乡紫胶园采集并调查了42个粗纹举腹蚁蚁巢。粗纹举腹蚁蚁巢类型为层纸巢,灰黑色,筑于紫胶虫寄主植物树干的中上部,由干枯树叶、杂草、碎屑和蚁分泌物粘结而成;巢内疏松,蚁道纵横交错;单蚁后制,工蚁单型;平均每巢的蚁后、繁殖雌蚁、雄蚁和工蚁的数量分别为(1.00±0.00)头,(488.75±242.59)头,(3 096.86±2 923.75)头和(40 839.07±8 597.98)头;卵、幼虫和蛹的数量分别为(9 936.60±2 448.62)粒,(3 214.83±781.71)头和(4 582.00±656.07)个。粗纹举腹蚁蚁巢体积和每巢工蚁数量的计算公式分别为:V=0.365×(43×πabc)1.056和WN=135.236×V0.660(式中V代表蚁巢体积,a、b、c分别代表蚁巢的长半径、短半径和极半径,WN代表工蚁数量)。这两个公式为监测粗纹举腹蚁的种群数量变化提供了一种手段。     

圆唇散白蚁补充生殖蚁的类型与建群能力

摘要: 【目的】为了探讨圆唇散白蚁Reticulitermes labralis补充生殖蚁对巢群稳定和发展的作用。【方法】对野外巢群进行调查研究, 及对婚飞成虫通过雌雄配对与补充生殖蚁隔离巢群进行人工饲养的对比研究。【结果】在野外巢群只发现1对原始蚁王蚁后, 而补充生殖蚁的数量最多可达到689头/巢。圆唇散白蚁有3种类型的补充生殖蚁, 即由工蚁转化来的无翅型补充生殖蚁、若蚁转化来的翅芽型补充生殖蚁和末龄若蚁羽化来的拟成虫型补充生殖蚁。实验室条件下婚飞配对群体和隔离群体建群1个月后的存活率分别为64%和96%。建巢初期婚飞配对群体的子代数目增长缓慢, 2个月时的群体数量为6.3±1.54, 10个月时的群体数量也仅为8.4±1.47; 而隔离建群补充生殖蚁2个月时的群体数量为52.4±6.44, 10个月时的群体数量为164.3±20.85, 都高于婚飞配对群体。 此外, 野外巢群的补充蚁后跟原始蚁后一样都具有发达的卵巢。【结论】在圆唇散白蚁中补充生殖蚁是白蚁巢群主要的繁殖力量, 也是建立新巢群的重要繁殖品级。     

宁夏荒漠草原针毛收获蚁对植物种子的觅食作用

针毛收获蚁Messor aciculatus (F．Smith)是西北荒漠地区典型的食种子蚂蚁种类之一。以宁夏中卫县沙坡头自然保护区红卫固定沙丘地段为主要研究基地。由田间系统调查和室内饲养得出：针毛收获蚁可取食的植物种子达30余种以上。在红卫固定沙丘草地针毛收获蚁的自然种群收获的植物种子主要有6种：狗尾草Setaria viridis、猪毛菜Salsola collina、雾冰藜Bassia dasyphylla、地锦Euphobia humifuse、刺沙蓬Salsola ruthenica、叉枝鸦葱Scorzonera divaricata。被收获的种子大小主要在1．20～2．50mm之间．或有棱角、扁平、易于衔夹的种子。在蚁巢中种子以种类和形态的不同被分类、分层保存于不同深处的巢室．总贮量随工蚁和蚁后数量的增加而增加。在自然条件下,收获的种子种类及数量与穴巢附近环境中的植物种类及分布有关。蚂蚁对种子的收集贮藏在一定程度上可影响种子的萌发力．特别是对一些1年生质量较轻的种子影响力较大。蚂蚁觅食对土壤中种子库种子密度的影响因植物种类的不同而异．其中对1年生草本植物影响较大．间接的影响到植物群落的组成和空间分布的变化。     

Nest architecture and colony size of the fungus-growing ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycetophylax simplex</Emphasis> Emery, 1888 (Formicidae,Attini)

Detailed measurements on nest architecture and colony size of the fungus-growing ant Mycetophylax simplex Emery, 1888 (Formicidae, Attini) are reported for the first time, based on excavations of 55 nests from two sites in southern Brazil. All nests were subterranean, with a single entrance hole. Most nests consisted of two chambers, an upper and a lower chamber, but one and three-chamber nests were also found. The chambers were more cone-shaped than rounded, and located at a depth ranging from 4.0 cm to 32.5 cm below the nest entrance. The chamber dimensions generally increased as the depth of the chambers increased, and the lower chamber was mostly wider than the upper one. The fungus garden was always found resting on the chamber floor. The average colony size was 264.1 workers, ranging from 67 to 610 workers. Colonies produced most sexuals during the summer (from December to March) and a few during the winter (July). Direct observations showed that colonies were mostly monogynous, but more than one queen was recorded in two nests, suggesting that polygyny may also occur in this species. Received 30 November 2006; revised 20 April 2007; accepted 23 April 2007.     

Social behavior and brood decline in reproductive-phase colonies ofBelonogaster petiolata (Degeer) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Colonies ofBelonogaster petiolata in Gauteng (South Africa) produced reproductive offspring (gynes and males) in late January and early February of each nesting season; their appearance was associated with a decline in worker and brood numbers. Brood decline could commence in the presence of a dominant, reproductively active queen, and loss or removal of the queen was not followed directly by cessation of nest growth and brood care. An older worker usually took over the α-position in queenless colonies. Several factors appear to contribute to brood decline and, ultimately, termination of the colony cycle in this species. These include (1) cessation of the supply of solid food to colonies (and particularly their larvae) during the reproductive phase, (2) a decrease in the worker/larva ratio during the latter phase due to the progressive loss of workers, (3) increasing number of gynes and males, and (4) an adult priority over food reception from foragers.     

Reproductive allocation within a polygyne, polydomous colony of the ant Myrmica rubra

1. Ant colonies commonly have multiple egg‐laying queens (secondary polygyny). Polygyny is frequently associated with polydomy (single colonies occupy multiple nest sites) and restricted dispersal of females. The production dynamics and reproductive allocation patterns within a population comprising one polygyne, polydomous colony of the red ant Myrmica rubra were studied. 2. Queen number per nest increased with nest density and the number of adult workers increased with the number of resident queens and with nest density. This suggests that nest site limitation promotes polygyny and that workers accumulate in nest units incapable of budding. 3. Nest productivity increased with the number of adult workers and production per queen was independent of queen number. Productivity increased with nest density, suggesting local resource enhancement. This shows that productivity can be a linear function of queen numbers and that the limiting factor is not the egg‐laying capacity of queens. 4. The total and per capita production of reproductives decreased towards the periphery of the colony, suggesting that the spatial location of nest units affects sexual production. Thus nests at the periphery of the colony invested more heavily in new workers. This is consistent with earlier observations in plants and could either represent investment in future budding or increased defence. 5. The colony produced only five new queens and 2071 males, hence the sex ratio was extremely male biased.     

Intra-and intercolony patterns of nest dispersion in the ant Lasius neoniger: correlations with territoriality and foraging ecology

Colonies of the ant Lasius neoniger have multiple nest entrances that are distributed throughout a colony's foraging area. Associated with each nest entrance is a group of workers that show strong fidelity to that nest entrance. Territorial expansion, as indicated by increases in the number of nest entrances per colony, is correlated with foraging activity. Although there is variation between colonies in the seasonal pattern of territorial expansion, most nests become active in early summer, increase the size of the area foraged until midsummer, and then decrease the number of active nest entrances in late summer. Over the study plot as a whole, the dispersion pattern of nest entrances changed from clumped, or tending to be clumped, in early spring to random in mid-and late summer. Within colonies, nest entrances were significantly overdispersed. Intra-and interspecific competition negatively affected foraging, and workers from a given nest entrance were most successful at retrieving prey less than approximately 15–20 cm from the entrance. The average distance between nest entrances within a colony was 37.7±3.3 cm (mean±95% confidence interval, n=115), which is approximately twice the distance at which workers can retrieve prey. The polydomous nest structure of L. neoniger appears to partition territory within a colony by spatial subdivision of its foragers, and thus may reduce loss of prey to competitors.     

Intraspecific usurpation of incipient fire ant colonies

Brood raiding, or reciprocal stealing of brood, is common amongincipient colonies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Paradoxically,workers from a colony that loses its brood during a raid oftenabandon their nest and join the winning colony. Queens abandonedby their workers may then migrate from their original nest siteand attempt to forcefully usurp another incipient colony bydisplacing that colony's queen or queens. This study examinedfactors that influence the success of usurpation attempts. Queensattempting to usurp a nearby colony after laboratory brood raidswere successful in less than 30% of trials. Usurpation attemptswere more successful if workers familiar to the migrating queenwere present in the nest, as would happen if a queen were tofind the colony to which her workers had moved. Cross-fosteringexperiments showed that this effect was due to familiarity ratherthan relatedness. Usurpation attempts were less successful ifthey were delayed by 16 h. The probability of usurpation successwas not reduced by doubling the number of defending workersin the invaded colony. However, colonies founded by three queenswere almost always able to resist usurpation attempts. Theseresults support the hypothesis that workers abandon their natalcolony after losing a brood raid to increase the likelihoodthat their queen can usurp the colony to which they migrate.These results also provide the first evidence that coloniesof ants founded by several queens are better able to resistusurpation attempts than colonies founded by a single queen     

Spatial patterns, temporal variability, and the role of multi-nest colonies in a monogynous Spanish desert ant

Abstract 1. The colonies of the Spanish desert ant Cataglyphis iberica are polydomous. This study describes the temporal and spatial patterns of the polydomy in this species at two different sites, and presents analyses of its role in reducing the attacks of the queen over sexual brood, and in allowing better habitat exploitation.
2. The spatial distribution of nests was clumped while colonies were distributed randomly. Mean nearest neighbour distance ranged from 3.4 to 7.0 m for nests and from 12.3 to 14.1 m for colonies. Distance of foragers searching for food varied among nests: mean values were between 6.1 and 12.6 m.
3. At both sites, the maximum number of nests per colony occurred in summer, during the maximum activity period of the species. Colonies regrouped at the end of this period but overwintered in several nests.
4. Nest renewal in C. iberica colonies was high and showed great temporal variability: nests changed (open, close, re-open) continuously through the activity season and/or among years. The lifetime of up to 55% of nests was only 1–3 months.
5. Polydomy in C. iberica might decrease the interactions between the queen and the sexual brood. In all colonies excavated just before the mating period, the nest containing the queen did not contain any virgin female. Females were in the queenless nests of the colony.
6. The results also suggest that polydomous C. iberica colonies may enhance habitat exploitation because foraging activity per colony increases with nest number. The relationship between total prey input and foraging efficiency and number of nests per colony attains a plateau or even decreases after a certain colony size (four to six nests). This value agrees with the observed mean number of nests per colony in C. iberica .     

Annual life cycle and timing of male-egg production in the antColobopsis nipponicus (Wheeler)

Summary Life history parameters, including colony boundary, number of queens in a colony, seasonal change in colony-member composition and seasonal change in male-egg production were investigated for the arboreal antColobopsis nipponicus in the field. Colonies were shown to be typically monogynous and polydomous, with several different colonies inhabiting the same tree. The queen and workers overwinter only with larvae, which grow rapidly into new adults during early summer. Male-destined eggs were produced throughout the warm season with a conspicuous peak in summer that coincided with adult production. It is suggested that this might be related to seasonal changes in the food available to the queen.