粗纹举腹蚁垄断蜜露对紫胶生产的影响

为了解粗纹举腹蚁垄断云南紫胶虫分泌的蜜露对紫胶生产的影响,于2008年10月至2 010年5月,在云南省墨江县雅邑乡调查了粗纹举腹蚁对蜜露的垄断方式,以及粗纹举腹蚁垄 断蜜露对云南紫胶虫的雌雄性比、死亡率、泌胶量和怀卵量的影响.结果表明：在云南紫胶 虫生活史周期内,被粗纹举腹蚁垄断的胶被上,该蚂蚁昼夜不停地取食云南紫胶虫分泌的蜜 露,每10 cm胶被上粗纹举腹蚁的平均数量在（168±23）～（393±100）头,并在 胶被 上建立保护膜,阻止其他动物访问云南紫胶虫.粗纹举腹蚁的垄断显著降低了云南紫胶虫个 体的泌胶量,但是垄断对云南紫胶虫的群体泌胶量没有显著影响;粗纹举腹蚁的垄断 显著降低了云南紫胶虫的死亡率,提高了云南紫胶虫的雌虫比例和个体怀卵量.粗纹举腹 蚁垄断紫胶虫分泌的蜜露有利于紫胶生产.     

蚂蚁对不同土地利用的物种响应及生物指示——以云南为例

为了揭示不同土地利用状态下蚂蚁群落在物种层面的变化,采用陷阱法调查了云南省绿春县天然次生林、桉树林、紫胶林、紫胶-玉米混农林、橡胶林、旱地和农田7种类型样地地表蚂蚁群落。共采集地表蚂蚁16704头,隶属于8亚科44属106种。不同类型样地地表蚂蚁群落结构有差异(ANOSIM Global R=0.786,P=0.01),桉树林、紫胶林和紫胶玉米混农林地表蚂蚁群落结构与天然次生林相似,与橡胶林和农田不相似。不同样地具有各自的特有种,旱地和农田中各为1种,其余样地有5-8种。在多个样地中均有出现的物种在不同类型样地中的多度变化明显。对群落结构相似性贡献率≥5%的特征物种分析显示,天然次生林中的特征物种明显与旱地和农田不同。天然次生林中的指示物种为毛发铺道蚁Tetramorium ciliatum,桉树林中为亮褐举腹蚁Crematogaster contemta,紫胶林中为飘细长蚁Tetraponera allaborans,旱地中为伊大头蚁Pheidole yeensis。不同特征物种及指示物种的生物学特性与不同样地特征相关联。地表蚂蚁通过物种组成及多度变化响应土地利用变化,蚂蚁特征物种可以作为指示物种的补充。     

云南紫胶虫与粗纹举腹蚁之间的互利关系

为了明确云南紫胶虫Kerria yunnanensis和粗纹举腹蚁Crematogaster macaoensis之间的相互作用关系, 于2009年4月至2010年10月, 在云南省墨江县雅邑乡紫胶种植园, 结合野外调查和室内试验对比研究了粗纹举腹蚁取食人工食物、 云南紫胶虫排泄的蜜露和无食物的3种处理下粗纹举腹蚁个体体重和存活率的变化, 以及在粗纹举腹蚁垄断蜜露、 自然条件下和无蚂蚁照顾的3种处理下云南紫胶虫个体怀卵量、 虫体大小、 死亡率和生活史周期的变化。结果显示： 云南紫胶虫排泄的蜜露是一种高质量的食物资源, 能够稳定增加粗纹举腹蚁工蚁的体重百分比［人工食物（44.55%）>蜜露（25.81%）>无食物（-4.13%）］ （F_（2,54）=18.81; P＜0.01）, 并提高其存活率［人工食物（85.78%）>蜜露（82.48%）>无食物（78.74%）］ （F_（2,55）=7.31; P＜0.01）。粗纹举腹蚁取食蜜露的同时, 有利于增加单位面积上云南紫胶虫的雌虫数量［蚂蚁垄断蜜露（80.81%）>自然状态（75.55%）>无蚂蚁照顾（75.33%）］ （F_（2,143）=54.08; P＜0.01）, 提高云南紫胶虫的个体怀卵量［蚂蚁垄断蜜露（401.85粒）>自然状态（395.73粒）>无蚂蚁照顾（353.34粒）］ （F_（2,144）=4.82; P＜0.01）, 降低云南紫胶虫的死亡率［蚂蚁垄断蜜露（89.42%）<自然状态（89.78%）<无蚂蚁照顾（90.82%）］ （F_（2,146）=3.45; P＜0.05）; 云南紫胶虫虫体有变小的趋势［蚂蚁垄断蜜露（12.92 mm²）<自然状态（13.04 mm²）<无蚂蚁照顾（14.90 mm²）］ （F_（2,147）=10.88; P＜0.01）, 生活史周期变长［蚂蚁垄断蜜露（203.96 d）>无蚂蚁照顾（202.85 d）>自然状态（200.00 d）］ （F_（2,71）=19.77; P＜0.01）, 提示粗纹举腹蚁取食蜜露增加了云南紫胶虫的代谢压力。结果说明, 以蜜露为纽带的粗纹举腹蚁和云南紫胶虫之间的相互作用关系是兼性互利的。     

蚂蚁群落与栖境关系研究进展及新趋势

生物群落与栖境的关系是生态学研究的核心之一,蚂蚁群落由于在陆地生态系统中的生物量、分布以及具备的生态功能的重要性,是研究这种关系的理想对象。在查阅大量文献的基础上,简述了蚂蚁物种多样性与栖境关系研究现状。介绍了蚂蚁功能群划分以及在不同尺度上与栖境关系的应用研究,评述了功能群应用的限制。阐明了功能特征的定义以及基于形态特征和营养级方面的蚂蚁群落功能特征与栖境的研究,并对功能特征的研究趋势进行了展望。     

云南紫胶虫种群数量对地表蚂蚁多样性的影响

为了弄清云南紫胶虫种群数量对地表蚂蚁多样性的影响,于2009年12月至2010年5月,采用陷阱法调查了云南省墨江县雅邑乡不同紫胶虫种群数量样地(样地Ⅰ有效枝条寄生率为60%、样地Ⅱ为30%、样地Ⅲ为10%、样地Ⅳ不放养紫胶虫)地表蚂蚁多样性。1)物种组成及相对多度:在样地Ⅰ中采集蚂蚁标本1136头,26种,常见种为棒刺大头蚁(Pheidole spathifera)、伊大头蚁(Pheidole yeensis)和贝卡盘腹蚁(Aphaenogaster beccarii),样地Ⅱ中共采集蚂蚁标本984头,24种,常见种为中华小家蚁(Monomorium chinensis)、棒刺大头蚁、伊大头蚁和皮氏大头蚁(Pheidole pieli),样地Ⅲ中采集蚂蚁标本607头,24种,常见种为粗纹举腹蚁(Crematogaster macaoensis)、中华小家蚁和棒刺大头蚁,样地Ⅳ中采集蚂蚁标本419头,12种,常见种为横纹齿猛蚁(Odontoponera transversa)、中华小家蚁和伊大头蚁;2)多样性:相对多度大小为Ⅰ>Ⅱ>Ⅲ>Ⅳ;蜜露仅提高地表蚂蚁个体数及出现频次,而对物种丰富度无显著影响;3)群落相似性:不同紫胶虫种群数量影响地表蚂蚁群落结构组成;4)指示物种:样地Ⅰ中指示物种为长足光结蚁(Anoplolepis gracilipes)和沃尔什铺道蚁(Tetramorium walshi),样地Ⅲ中指示物种为二色狡臭蚁(Technomyrmex bicolor),样地Ⅱ和Ⅳ中无指示物种。紫胶虫种群通过蜜露资源能维持较高的地表蚂蚁多度,并影响地表蚂蚁活动,改变地表蚂蚁群落结构。     

土地利用变化中地表蚂蚁功能多样性的变化

【目的】为了揭示土地利用变化中人工林对生态系统功能的保护作用。【方法】使用陷阱法调查了云南省绿春县天然次生林、桉树林、橡胶林、紫胶林、紫胶林-玉米混农林、玉米地和农田7种生境样地的地表蚂蚁群落,测定了82种蚂蚁的头长、头宽、胸长和后足腿节长的功能特征,并计算和比较不同生境蚂蚁功能丰富度、功能均匀度和功能离散度的差异。【结果】不同生境蚂蚁功能丰富度指数FRic有显著差异(雨季:F=4.475,P=0.002;旱季:F=7.717,P0.001),天然次生林、雨季桉树林和橡胶林以及旱季的紫胶林和紫胶-玉米混农林功能丰富度较高,农田最低;不同生境地表蚂蚁功能均匀度指数FE_(ve)无显著差异(雨季:F=2.106,P=0.078;旱季:F=2.093,P=0.079);不同生境地表蚂蚁功能离散度指数FD_(iv)有显著差异(雨季:F=2.577,P=0.036;旱季:F=3.969,P=0.004),旱雨季橡胶林蚂蚁功能离散度均最高,天然次生林和农田则较低。地表蚂蚁功能丰富度指数与物种丰富度显著相关(雨季:Pearson=0.461,P=0.002;旱季:Pearson=0.854,P0.001)且为线性模型(雨季:F=10.533,P=0.002;旱季:F=107.387,P0.001)。地表蚂蚁功能均匀度及功能分散度指数与物种丰富度无显著关系。雨季蚂蚁功能丰富度随枯落物厚度增加而增加;旱季蚂蚁功能丰富度随着空地比例增加而降低,随着枯落物厚度增加先下降再升高,随着植物盖度增加先升高后下降。【结论】土地利用变化及旱季和雨季交替导致的栖境异质性降低能降低蚂蚁群落的功能丰富度,但对功能均匀度和功能离散度影响不明显。土地利用中降低人工林的干扰、人为增加栖境复杂程度将为蚂蚁提供生存空间,降低蚂蚁竞争程度,有利于生态系统功能多样化及功能保护。     

昆明滇蛙的取食策略

目前国内研究两栖类食性选择或偏好多未考虑蛙胃内不同食物的丰盈程度与栖境不同食物资源是否存在相关性.在分析了采自昆明白龙寺和昆明石林西街口的494只滇蛙(Rana pleuraden)的食性的同时,分析了采自对应栖境中的食物资源组成.结果表明,滇蛙的食物成份与食物资源相具有稳定性,主要类群均为直翅目、同翅目、半翅目、鞘翅目、双翅目、鳞翅目、膜翅目和蛛形纲等8类.但又存在变异性,不同产地、不同年份和不同月份之间的蛙标本胃内的食物成分各类群的比例均不相同.主要食物成份与食物资源相的差异显著性分析、相关性分析和选择性分析等方面的结果均支持或证明:滇蛙对食物具有选择性或取食偏好.栖境的食物资源相与蛙胃内的食物成分不存在相关性(白龙寺:r=0.077,P=0.575;西街口:r=-0.086,P=0.500).直翅目(Ei＜-0.35)和同翅目(Ei＜-0.37)昆虫是滇蛙取食时回避的食物,而对鞘翅目、鳞翅目、膜翅目和蛛形纲等4个类群(Ei＞0.45)具有明显偏好.     

祁连山国家公园青海片区蚂蚁物种多样性研究

本研究采用样地调查法研究了祁连山国家公园青海片区的蚂蚁物种多样性.在祁连山国家公园青海片区记录蚂蚁2亚科、6属、13种,发现1个中国新记录种:沃尔切胸蚁Temnthorax volgensis(Ruzsky),发现7个青海新记录种.光亮黑蚁 Formica candida Smith、满凹头蚁 Formica manchu Wheeler、亮腹黑褐蚁 Formica gagatoides Ruzsky是蚂蚁群落的优势种.青海片区4个垂直带蚂蚁群落的多样性顺序为:东段景阳岭垭口东坡＞中西段热水垭豁东坡＞中东段景阳岭垭口西坡＞西段热水垭豁西坡.各垂直带物种数目、个体密度、多样性指数总体随海拔升高而降低,主要受海拔和气温因素制约;这些指标在不同垂直带出现多域效应、中域效应或底域效应现象,说明不同海拔高度上栖息着适应了不同生境的物种聚集群,同时受到人类对生境干扰的影响.青海片区东坡蚂蚁物种丰富度和多样性指数高于西坡,主要受降雨和湿度影响.从相似性系数看,青海片区不同生境的蚂蚁群落存在一定分化,具有不同生态功能和保护价值.     

紫胶虫蜜露对地表蚂蚁多样性的影响

2009年12月至2010年5月,采用陷阱法在云南省墨江县雅邑乡调查了紫胶林地表蚂蚁群落多样性,分析了紫胶虫蜜露对地表蚂蚁多样性的影响.结果表明:紫胶虫蜜露资源的有无及变动对地表蚂蚁群落物种组成、多度及多样性均产生影响.在紫胶林样地共采集蚂蚁标本4953头,隶属5亚科23属34种,在对照样地共采集蚂蚁标本2416头,隶属5亚科20属30种;紫胶林地表蚂蚁相对多度、物种丰富度(S)及ACE估计值均高于对照样地,地表蚂蚁常见种和指示种均与对照样地不同,表明放养紫胶虫改变了地表蚂蚁群落结构;紫胶虫成虫期蜜露分泌量高于幼虫期,其地表蚂蚁相对多度、S及ACE估计值也高于幼虫期,且两阶段的蚂蚁常见种和指示种显著不同.     

行为生态学(十):昆虫社会的经济学(2)

蚁科(Formicidae)昆虫蚂蚁的食性范围很广,食物的分布格局也变化多端,所以,蚂蚁在觅食活动中常常需要个体间的合作。例如,在某些专门吃蜜露的蚂蚁中,小个体蚂蚁专门收集分散的蜜露资源,然后再把蜜露从嗉囊中反吐给大个体蚂蚁,后者则专门负责把食物运回蚁巢内(J.H.Sudd,1967)。在红褐林蚁(Formica rufa)中,常常可以看到两只工蚁互相合作共同搬运1只像家蝇大小的猎物,其效率要比1只工蚁单独搬运高得多(R.Chauvin,1950)。而在大头蚁(Pheidole crassinoda)中,如果1只蚂蚁的力量不足以搬     

Habitat complexity facilitates coexistence in a tropical ant community

The role of habitat complexity in the coexistence of ant species is poorly understood. Here, we examine the influence of habitat complexity on coexistence patterns in ant communities of the remote Pacific atoll of Tokelau. The invasive yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith), exists in high densities on Tokelau, but still coexists with up to seven other epigeic ant species. The size-grain hypothesis (SGH) proposes that as the size of terrestrial walking organisms decreases, the perceived complexity of the environment increases and predicts that: (1) leg length increases allometrically with body size in ants, and (2) coexistence between ant species is facilitated by differential habitat use according to body size. Analysis of morphological variables revealed variation inconsistent with the morphological prediction of the SGH, as leg length increased allometrically with head length only. We also experimentally tested the ability of epigeic ants in the field to discover and dominate food resources in treatments of differing rugosity. A. gracilipes was consistently the first to discover food baits in low rugosity treatments, while smaller ant species were consistently the first to discover food baits in high rugosity treatments. In addition, A. gracilipes dominated food baits in planar treatments, while smaller ant species dominated baits in rugose treatments. We found that the normally predictable outcomes of exploitative competition between A. gracilipes and other ant species were reversed in the high rugosity treatments. Our results support the hypothesis that differential habitat use according to body size provides a mechanism for coexistence with the yellow crazy ant in Tokelau. The SGH may provide a mechanism for coexistence in other ant communities but also in communities of other terrestrial, walking insects that inhabit a complex landscape.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

How does habitat complexity affect ant foraging success? A test using functional measures on three continents

Habitat complexity can mediate key processes that structure local assemblages through effects on factors such as competition, predation and foraging behaviour. While most studies address assemblage responses to habitat complexity within one locality, a more global approach allows conclusions with greater independence from the phylogenetic constraints of the target assemblages, thus allowing greater generality. We tested the effects of natural and manipulated habitat complexities on ant assemblages from South Africa, Australia and Sweden, in order to determine if there were globally consistent responses in how functional measures of foraging success are regulated by habitat complexity. Specifically, we considered how habitat complexity affected ant foraging rates including the speed of discovery and rate of monopolisation. We also tested if habitat complexity affected the body size index, a size-related morphological trait, of ants discovering resources and occupying and monopolising the resources after 180 min. Ants were significantly slower to discover baits in the more complex treatments, consistent with predictions that they would move more slowly through more complex environments. The monopolisation index was also lower in the more complex treatments, suggesting that resources were more difficult to defend. Our index of ant body size showed trends in the predicted direction for complexity treatments. In addition, ants discovering, occupying and monopolising resources were smaller in simple than in complex natural habitats. Responses of discovering ants to resources in natural habitats were clear in only one of three regions. Consistent with our predictions, habitat complexity thus affected functional measures of the foraging success of ants in terms of measures of discovery and monopolisation rates and body size traits of successful ants. However, patterns were not always equally clear in manipulative and mensurative components of the study.     

Ant diversity and bio-indicators in land management of lac insect agroecosystem in Southwestern China

The segregation of land-use intensity signifies an important change in land use in lac insect agroecosystem of Southwestern China. Farming conversions have led to a highly diversified landscape, with a mosaic made up of patches of land with different succession, from cultivated lands to closed forest. Our aim here is to characterize ant assemblages within this mosaic and identify key ant community metrics and species that can be used for bioindication. The habitats supported different level of ant species richness and abundance. For ants captured by pitfall trapping, the mean plot species richness in lac plantation was significantly higher than that in dry land (deforestation land-use). For ants captured by sweep netting and foliage shaking, there was significant difference among lac plantation, dry land and secondary forest occurring from afforestation of lac plantations, with lac plantation having greatest species richness. Ant species composition was different among the three land-use habitats. Seven of the fifteen most common species had statistically different abundances or occurrence within the three land-uses. Thirteen species had statistically significant different distributions among land-use habitats (among them three species were captured by sweep netting and foliage shaking). Ten species had statistically significant habitat associations determined by IndVal analysis. Among these ten species, five ant species were associated with secondary forest, two with lac plantation, and three with dry land. Lac plantation integrated with lac-production and farming is clearly an important land-use protecting ant diversity, and thus having great conservation potential. The use of ants as bio-indicators is a promising method for determining ecological responses to human land use in China.     

Temperature-mediated coexistence in temperate forest ant communities

Patterns of ant species diversity are well documented and yet the mechanisms promoting species coexistence among communities are often elusive. Two emerging hypotheses that account for coexistence in ant communities are the discovery-dominance tradeoff and the dominance-thermal tolerance tradeoff. Here we used behavioural assays and community-level sampling from ant assemblages in the southern Appalachians, USA to test for the discovery-dominance and dominance-thermal tolerance tradeoffs. Species that were behaviorally dominant during interspecific interactions tended to forage in a narrow window of generally warmer temperatures, whereas subordinate species tended to forage in a wide range of temperatures, including colder temperatures. Species that foraged at lower temperature tended to be behaviourally subordinate, suggesting that a dominance-thermal tolerance tradeoff promotes coexistence in this system. Species richness was positively related to site average annual temperature and within-site variation in ground temperature, suggesting that temperature also shapes the structure of ant communities and regulates diversity. There was no relationship between the ability of a species to discover food resources and its behavioural dominance, contrary to the predictions of the discovery-dominance tradeoff hypothesis. In sum, our results show that temperature plays numerous roles in promoting regional coexistence in this system.     

The discovery-dominance trade-off is the exception, rather than the rule

1. Interspecific trade-offs are thought to facilitate coexistence between species at small spatial scales. The discovery-dominance trade-off, analogous to a competition-colonisation trade-off, is considered an important structuring mechanism in ant ecology. A trade-off between species' ability to discover food resources and to dominate them may explain how so many species apparently dependent on similar resources can coexist. 2. The discovery-dominance trade-off is thought to be broken by invasive species in enemy-free space or territorial species whose activity is fuelled by domination of carbohydrate resources. It may also be mediated by factors such as temperature and habitat structure. 3. We investigate the generality and form of the discovery-dominance relationship in an experiment using habitats of contrasting complexity across three continents. In addition, to assess how widespread the discovery-dominance trade-off is, we conducted a systematic review combining all empirical studies (published and from our experiment). 4. From our own fieldwork and meta-analyses of available studies, we find surprisingly little empirical support for the trade-off, with results indicating that mean effect sizes were either not significantly different from 0 or significantly positive. The trade-off was only detected in studies with parasitoids present. Additionally, experimental data from simple and complex habitats within each continent suggest that simple habitats may facilitate both food resource discovery and dominance. 5. We conclude that the discovery-dominance trade-off is the exception, rather than the rule. Instead, these abilities were commonly correlated. Real food resources provide many axes along which partitioning may occur, and discovery-dominance trade-offs are not a prerequisite for coexistence.     

Environmental context alters ecological trade‐offs controlling ant coexistence in a spatially heterogeneous region

1. Ecological trade‐offs in ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages and their implications for coexistence boast a rich history in entomology. Yet investigations of trade‐offs have largely been limited to homogeneous environments. We examined how environmental context modifies trade‐off expression in an ant assemblage spanning a heterogeneous region in central Florida, U.S.A. 2. We examined how trade‐off expression is altered among two contrasting habitat types: open shrub and forest. We tested for the presence of the dominance‐discovery trade‐off and two dominance‐thermal tolerance trade‐offs by estimating behavioral dominance, discovery ability, and thermal tolerance (foraging thermal limit, lethal temperature, and maximal abundance temperature) for a wide range of interacting ant species. 3. We found significantly linear dominance hierarchies in both shrub and forest habitats, showing dominant species out‐compete subordinates for food resources. In thermally stressful shrub habitats, subordinates exhibit higher thermal tolerances, take greater thermal risks, and reach maximum forager abundances at higher temperatures than do dominant species. This suggests temperature mediated trade‐offs control coexistence in shrub habitat. In thermally moderate forest habitat, we found limited evidence for trade‐offs between competitive dominance and resource discovery or between dominance and thermal traits, implying other processes control coexistence. These results demonstrate that trade‐offs controlling ant coexistence may be contingent on environmental context.     

Habitat disturbance modifies dominance,coexistence, and competitive interactions in tropical ant communities

1. Interspecific competition is a major structuring principle in ecological communities. Despite their prevalence, the outcome of competitive interactions is hard to predict, highly context-dependent, and multiple factors can modulate such interactions. 2. We tested predictions concerning how competitive interactions are modified by anthropogenic habitat disturbance in ground-foraging ant assemblages inhabiting fragmented Inter-Andean tropical dry forests in southwestern Colombia, and investigated ant assemblages recruiting to baits in 10 forest fragments exposed to varying level of human disturbance. 3. Specifically, we evaluated how different components of competitive interactions (patterns of species co-occurrence, resource partitioning, numerical dominance, and interspecific trade-offs between discovery and dominance competition) varied with level of habitat disturbance in a human-dominated ecosystem. 4. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the role of competitive interactions in structuring ground-foraging ant communities at baits varied with respect to habitat disturbance. As disturbance increased, community structure was more likely to exhibit random co-occurrence patterns, higher levels of monopolization of food resources by dominant ants, and disproportionate dominance of a single species, the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata). At a regional scale, we found evidence for a trade-off between dominance and discovery abilities of the 15 most common species at baits. 5. Together, these results suggest that human disturbance modifies the outcome of competitive interactions in ground-foraging ant assemblages and may promote dominant species that reduce diversity and coexistence in tropical ecosystems.     

Ant foraging strategies vary along a natural resource gradient

Food selection by foragers is sensitive to the availability of resources, which may vary along geographical gradients. Hence, selectivity of food types by foragers is expected to track these resource gradients. Here we addressed this hypothesis and asked if foraging decisions of seed-eating ants differ along a geographic gradient of habitat productivity. The study was carried out for two years at five sites along a natural climatic gradient, ranging from arid to Mediterranean, where plant productivity varies six-fold across a short geographic distance of 250 km. We found that in ant colonies of the genus Messor, collective foraging decisions differed along the gradient. Specifically, at the high-productivity sites, a stronger association was found between plant seed availability and selectivity, suggesting that colonies respond more accurately to within-patch variation in food amounts. In contrast, colonies in low-productivity sites foraged in patches with higher concentration of seeds, suggesting that they respond more accurately to among-patch variation in food amounts. Moreover, at the high-productivity sites, colonies were more discriminating in their choice of food and preferred bigger seeds, while in the low-productivity sites, where smaller seeds were relatively more abundant, food collection depended mostly on seed availability. An experiment with artificial seed patches performed along the same climatic gradient, revealed no difference in food selectivity across sites when food type and availability were similar, and a general preference for bigger over medium-sized seeds. Overall, our findings suggest that resource availability is an important factor explaining food choice along a climatic gradient and imply that in low-productivity regions small-seeded species incur high predation pressure, whereas in high-productivity regions, large-seeded species suffer higher predation. This could have important consequences for plant species composition, particularly at the face of climate change, which could dramatically alter the foraging decisions of granivores.     

中国西南地区曲颊猛蚁属一新种（膜翅目：蚁科：猛蚁亚科）

本文记述中国西南地区曲颊猛蚁属Ｇｎａｍｐｔｏｇｅｎｙｓ　Ｒｏｇｅｒ１新种──版纳曲颊猛蚁Ｇ．ｂａｎｎａｎａ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．,本新种与双色曲颊猛蚁Ｇ．ｂｉｃｏｌｏｒ（Ｅｍｅｒｙ）接近,但前者后头角向后延长成叶状突;头、胸、腹柄和腹部第１节具粗糙窝状刻纹;头和足黑色。文中提供了该属中国已知５种的检索表。模式标本保存于陕西师范大学动物研究所昆虫标本室。