Individual foraging components of harvester ants: movement patterns and seed patch fidelity

Summary We investigated individual foraging components of the western harvester ant,Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, in the native seed background of a shrub-steppe environment. Our study identified factors affecting foraging movements and seed selection by individual ants. Some assumptions and predictions of central-place foraging theory and a correlated random walk were evaluated for individual foragers. Results showed that ant size was only weakly correlated with the seed sizes harvested; seed size was a more important constraint than a predictor of seed selection. Individual ants spent more time in localized search behavior than traveling between search areas and nests.P. occidentalis foragers encountered seeds randomly with respect to time, and handled a mean of 1.7 seeds/trip. A correlation of increased search effort with greater travel distances was consistent with central-place foraging theory but, contrary to it, search and travel effort were not associated with energetic reward.Individual ants exhibited fidelity in both search site and native seed species. Spatial analyses of foraging movements showed a highly oriented travel path while running, and an area-restricted path while searching. Searching ants moved in a manner consistent with a correlated random walk. The deterministic component of patch fidelity and the stochastic component of search may override energetic foraging decisions in individualP. occidentalis ants.     

Movements of wintering surf scoters: predator responses to different prey landscapes

The distribution of predators is widely recognized to be intimately linked to the distribution of their prey. Foraging theory suggests that predators will modify their behaviors, including movements, to optimize net energy intake when faced with variation in prey attributes or abundance. While many studies have documented changes in movement patterns of animals in response to temporal changes in food, very few have contrasted movements of a single predator species naturally occurring in dramatically different prey landscapes. We documented variation in the winter movements, foraging range size, site fidelity, and distribution patterns of a molluscivorous sea duck, the surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), in two areas of coastal British Columbia with very different shellfish prey features. Baynes Sound has extensive tidal flats with abundant clams, which are high-quality and temporally stable prey for scoters. Malaspina Inlet is a rocky fjord-like inlet where scoters consume mussels that are superabundant and easily accessible in some patches but are heavily depleted over the course of winter. We used radio telemetry to track surf scoter movements in both areas and found that in the clam habitats of Baynes Sound, surf scoters exhibited limited movement, small winter ranges, strong foraging site fidelity, and very consistent distribution patterns. By contrast, in mussel habitats in the Malaspina Inlet, surf scoters displayed more movement, larger ranges, little fidelity to specific foraging sites, and more variable distribution patterns. We conclude that features associated with the different prey types, particularly the higher depletion rates of mussels, strongly influenced seasonal space use patterns. These findings are consistent with foraging theory and confirm that predator behavior, specifically movements, is environmentally mediated.     

Environmental constraints on the foraging behaviour of a dwarf antelope (Madoqua kirkii)

Dik-diks (Madoqua sp.) inhabit semi-arid regions and experience very different conditions of food availability and quality between wet and dry seasons. By comparing the behaviour of dik-diks between these two seasons, we identified environmental constraints affecting their feeding strategies. In both seasons foraging time was limited by high mid day temperatures. In the wet season a high intake rate compensates for the loss in foraging time, but in the dry season water and protein become limiting. To meet minimum daily water requirements in the dry season dik-diks fed on plant species that they avoided during the wet season. Analysis at the plant species level showed higher species selectivity in the wet season than in the dry season. In a multiple regression analysis food species preferences were best explained by relative abundance and water content in the dry season, and by dry matter content in the wet season. In the wet season the daily dry-matter intake of dik-diks in the field was only about 10% higher than the theoretically predicted minimum for a ruminant of this body weight, while protein and water intake were about 3 times as high. This suggests that the most limiting dietary component in the wet season is energy. In the dry season the daily intake of all dietary components is lower than the theoretical minimum required, and also lower than the values suggested by laboratory studies of dik-diks. This dry season deficit is presumably met from body reserves. Dry season water intake was approximately 30% of the intake observed in laboratory studies indicating that dikdiks are even better adapted to arid conditions than suggested by physiological experiments.     

Polyandry in two South American harvester ants

Although monandry (single mating) is the ancestral state in social hymenopteran insects, effective mating frequencies greater than 2 have been confirmed for a fair amount of ant species: Cataglyphis cursor, the leaf-cutters of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex, army ants of the genera Eciton, Dorylus, Aenictus and Neivamyrmex, and some North American seed harvester species of the genus Pogonomyrmex. This last genus spreads throughout open arid habitats from Patagonia to southwestern Canada. Whereas some North American Pogonomyrmex species are thoroughly studied, we know much less about these ants in South America. The objective of this study was to estimate the effective mating frequency of Pogonomyrmex inermis and P. pronotalis, two Pogonomyrmex sensu stricto species from the central Monte desert of Argentina. A total of 477 P. pronotalis workers from 24 colonies and 402 P. inermis workers from 20 colonies were analyzed using six and four highly polymorphic microsatellites, respectively. The multilocus analysis revealed that all colonies were monogynous and all queens multiply-mated. The effective mating frequency was 8.75 and 6.52 for queens of P. pronotalis and P. inermis, respectively; those values increased up to 15.66 and 9.78, respectively, when corrected for sampling errors. This is the first demonstration that queens in at least some members of the South American Pogonomyrmex sensu stricto are strictly polyandrous, with mating numbers per queen at least as high as those previously found for North American species. We suggest that multiple mating probably arose early in the evolution of the genus Pogonomyrmex and may be the basis of its ecological success and wide distribution. Received 11 October 2006; revised 10 August 2007 and 19 November 2007; accepted 21 November 2007.     

Foraging behavior and morphology: seed selection in the harvester ant genus, Pogonomyrmex

Optimally foraging animals can be behaviorally or morphologically adapted to reduce the energetic and time costs of foraging. We studied the foraging behavior and morphology of three seed harvester ant species, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, P. desertorum, and P. occidentalis, to determine the importance of behavioral strategies and morphological features associated with load carriage in reducing the costs of foraging. We found that none of five morphological features we measured had a significant impact on seed selection. Also, body size did not influence running speed, an important variable in time costs of foraging. Temperature had the largest effect on running speed in these species. Our results show that these species have foraging strategies which minimize the time costs of traveling with seeds. We also describe a pattern where the running speed in individual-foraging species is less affected by increasing seed size than in trunk-trail foragers, when temperature and body mass are held constant. These results support previous work which showed that time costs are most important in seed selection for Pogonomyrmex, and suggest that central place foraging theory may need to accommodate variation in foraging strategy to more accurately predict optimal seed size selection in harvester ants. Received: 16 June 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Importance of adventitious roots to growth of floodedPlatanus occidentalis seedlings

Summary Flooding of soil with standing water for 50 or 110 days drastically reduced growth of 178-day-oldPlatanus occidentalis seedlings, with growth inhibited more as the duration of flooding was increased. Flooding reduced the rate of height and diameter growth, leaf initiation and expansion, and dry weight increment and relative growth rates of leaves, stems, and roots. Flooding also induced leaf epinasty, leaf necrosis, and formation of hypertrophied lenticels and many adventitious roots on submerged portions of stems. Severing of adventitious roots after 50 and 95 days from the submerged portions of stems of continuously flooded seedlings reduced several growth parameters including height and stem diameter growth and relative growth rates of leaves and roots. Evidence for the physiological importance of flood induced adventitious roots is discussed.Research supported by College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison and by Yamagata University, Tsuruoka, Japan. The technical assistance of John Shanklin is appreciated.     

Roost and hunting site fidelity of female and juvenile Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

We investigated roosting and hunting site fidelity of Daubenton's bats Myotis daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817) in the Forêt de Soignes, an old-stand forest dominated by 150–200-year-old beeches, during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Roosting behaviour and hunting activity over ponds of adult females and juveniles were monitored using radio-telemetry. Eighteen roosts were located, all in natural cavities. The bats occupied a limited number of trees located in a specific and small roosting area. This roost aggregation was not linked to the distribution of hollow trees. Furthermore, whereas all 11 ponds in the study area were exploited by Daubenton's bats, monitored individuals were limited to two ponds to which they showed high fidelity. These two ponds were not the closest to the roosting area. Overall, these results show that at least for the time we conducted our experiment, female and juvenile Daubenton's bats are highly faithful to specific roosting and hunting grounds.     

Temporal and spatial pattern of common tern (Sterna hirundo) foraging in the Wadden Sea

In 1989, 313 foraging flights of common terns in the Wadden Sea were radio-tracked. The feeding trips lasted on average 115 min covering about 30 km per flight. Completely tracked flights had a mean radius of 6.3 km. The terns preferred distinct foraging areas in the Wadden Sea. These were visited at site-specific phases of the tidal cycle resulting in a temporal and spatial pattern of foraging, caused by the site-specific and tide-related fluctuations of food availability.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Medium-induced fragility ofSchwanniomyces

Schwanniomyces occidentalis has attracted interest because of its ability to metabolize starch and similar complex carbohydrates. Studies have been undertaken, mostly using defined media, to ascertain conditions for optimal production and secretion of hydrolytic enzymes. Here we demonstrate the fragility ofSchw. occidentalis in many defined media. We especially examined viability in YNB (Yeast Nitrogen Base) plus 1% glucose. Without phosphate supplementation, viability was routinely very low at stationary phase (usually less than 37%), whereas viability of stationary-phase cultures in phosphate-supplemented YNB usually exceeded 97%. The negative implications of having many, presumably permeabilized, dead cells present in assays for secretion of enzymes by living yeast cells are discussed.N.R.C.C. No 37377     

Occurrence and detection of early sex-related differences inTelfairia occidentalis

The present study sought to assess the occurrence and early detection of sex-related differences for yielding ability inTelfairia occidentalis, using half-sib progenies from six diverse sources. Male plants flowered at 86 days after planting, 32 days earlier than females. Sex-related differences explained 12–43% of observed phenotypic variation for the measures of vegetable yielding ability. The strongest linkage with sex was observed for the size of the vine shoots harvested, with the effect of sex estimated at 1.29 standard deviations. There was, however, a significant heterogeneity in sex-related differences across families. Size per vine shoot and leaf yield per harvest showed early occurrence of sexual dimorphism, with sex-related differences occurring as early as 64 days after planting for size of vine shoots.     

嗜食植物与非嗜食植物对西花蓟马成虫寄主选择性的影响

【目的】西花蓟马是世界性害虫,利用西花蓟马对寄主植物嗜食性的差异,通过驱避作用防控西花蓟马,能够为绿色治理提供依据。【方法】在西花蓟马嗜食的甘蓝和非嗜食的大蒜上互喷汁液,采用黄瓜+甘蓝、黄瓜+大蒜2种相间种植方式,研究它们对西花蓟马寄主选择性的影响。【结果】在甘蓝上喷洒大蒜汁液后,甘蓝叶片上西花蓟马的虫量和产卵量均明显减少。大蒜汁液浓度越高,减少得越多;在大蒜上喷洒甘蓝汁液后,大蒜植株上西花蓟马的虫量和产卵量明显增加,且增加程度与甘蓝汁液的浓度呈正相关。黄瓜和甘蓝相间排列时,西花蓟马在黄瓜叶片上的数量与单作黄瓜叶片上无明显差异;但黄瓜和大蒜相间排列时,西花蓟马在黄瓜上的数量明显高于单作黄瓜上的虫数,多52.4%。【结论】在嗜食寄主植物上喷洒非嗜食植物汁液或间作非嗜食的寄主可以明显减少西花蓟马的选择性。研究结果为利用非嗜食植物挥发物防控西花蓟马提供了理论依据和新的方法。     

Thermal effects on activity patterns and behavioural switching in a concourse of foragers on Stachytarpheta mutabilis (Verbenaceae) in Papua New Guinea

Summary 1. The foraging activities of the papilionid butterflies Ornithoptera priamus poseidon and Papilio ulysses, and the solitary bee Amegilla sapiens (Apoidea, Anthophoridae) on the shrub Stachytarpheta mutabilis were studied in highland Papua New Guinea. 2. The insects' activity patterns were analysed at three sites with differing diurnal microclimate variation. O. priamus and A. sapiens foraged in the morning (after a period of basking and wing-whirring) and late afternoon when temperatures were well below daily maxima, whereas P. ulysses showed foraging peaks during the hottest part of the day. 3. Site choice by all 3 species appeared to be determined primarily by temperature, but within the limits imposed by temperature, nectar supplies probably determined which site was visited. 4. P. ulysses showed interspersed foraging and courtship behaviour, and no behavioural switching was observed for this species. At high temperatures, both O. priamus and A. sapiens ceased foraging and showed territorial and courtship behaviour. This behavioural change allowed avoidance of heat stress, and occurred even when nectar supplies were maintained at high levels. 5. Thermal effects on behavioural switching in these insects are compared with related phenomena in other bees and butterflies.     

Host-plant selection,diet diversity,and optimal foraging in a tropical leafcutting ant

Summary A month-long study was conducted on the comparative foraging behavior of 20 colonies of the leafcutting ant, Atta cephalotes L. in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The study was conducted during the middle of the wet season, when trees had mature foliage and the ants were maximally selective among species of potential host plants. The colonies always gathered leaves from more than a single tree species but on average one species constituted almost half the diet with the remaining species being of geometrically decreasing importance. Colonies exhibited greater diversity in their choice of leaves and lower constancy of foraging when the average quality of resource trees was lower, as predicted by elementary optimal foraging theory. Furthermore, the ants were more selective of the species they attacked at greater distances from the nest. However, the ants sometimes did not attack apparently palatable species, and often did not attack nearby individuals of species they were exploiting at greater distances.A classical explanation for why leafcutting ants exploit distant host trees when apparently equally good trees are nearer, is that the ants are pursuing a strategy of conserving resources to avoid long-term overgrazing pressure on nearby trees. We prefer a simpler hypothesis: (1) Trees of exploited species exhibit individual variation in the acceptability of their leaves to the ants. (2) The abundance of a species will generally increase with area and radial distance from the nest, so the probability that at least one tree of the species will be acceptable to the ants also increases with distance. (3) The ants forage using a system of trunk-trails cleared of leaf litter, which significantly reduces their travel time to previously discovered, high-quality resource trees (by a factor of 4- to 10-fold). (4) Foragers are unware of the total pool of resources available to the colony. Therefore once scouts have chanced upon a tree which is acceptable, the colony will concentrate on harvesting from that tree rather than searching for additional sources of leaves distant from the established trail.     

斯氏钝绥螨对西花蓟马的捕食功能反应

【目的】明确斯氏钝绥螨在不同温度下对西花蓟马的捕食功能反应,为西花蓟马的生物防治提供理论依据。【方法】室内采用水琼脂培养基法,研究斯氏钝绥螨对西花蓟马的捕食功能反应。【结果】斯氏钝绥螨第一若螨对西花蓟马1龄若虫的日均捕食量随温度的升高而逐渐增加,而第二若螨、雄成螨和雌成螨的日均捕食量随温度的上升呈先增加后减少的趋势。斯氏钝绥螨雌成螨对西花蓟马1龄若虫的功能反应符合Holling-Ⅱ模型,在30℃时捕食效能达到最大,为18.146。在一定密度的西花蓟马环境下,斯氏钝绥螨雌成螨对西花蓟马1龄若虫的搜寻效应随着温度的上升而增加; 35℃时,搜寻效应下降。在西花蓟马1龄若虫的密度为30头时,斯氏钝绥螨雌成螨自身密度对西花蓟马1龄若虫的捕食具有明显的干扰作用。斯氏钝绥螨雌成螨捕食西花蓟马1龄若虫所产生的竞争属于分摊竞争。【结论】斯氏钝绥螨对西花蓟马有较好的捕食能力,其捕食功能反应符合Holling-Ⅱ模型,斯氏钝绥螨可用于西花蓟马的生物防治中。     

西花蓟马高毒力虫生真菌筛选及其生防应用潜力的研究进展

西花蓟马是一种外来入侵的世界性害虫,对农林业危害巨大。查阅国内外相关文献,综述了当前防治西花蓟马的虫生真菌的种类、高毒力菌株的筛选及防治现状。现已知西花蓟马的寄生病原真菌有5种,包括蜡蚧轮枝菌(半知菌:丝孢目)、球孢白僵菌(半知菌:丝孢目)、金龟子绿僵菌(半知菌:丝孢目)、玫烟色棒束孢(半知菌:束梗孢目)和小孢新接霉。其中,球孢白僵菌、金龟子绿僵菌在西花蓟马的生物防治中应用最广,具有良好的开发应用潜力,部分防效好的虫生真菌已申请专利及实现工厂化生产。     

西花蓟马蛋白的提取及双向电泳体系的建立

【目的】蛋白样品的制备是获得良好双向凝胶电泳(2-DE)图谱的前提,建立合理的西花蓟马蛋白的双向电泳体系,获得分辨率较高、重复性较好的图谱,能够为后续的研究提供有力支撑。【方法】实验以西花蓟马成虫为实验材料,对比了饱和酚法、TCA/丙酮法和直接裂解法3种蛋白提取方法,从中选出最适宜双向电泳分析的一种蛋白提取方法。【结果】3种方法蛋白提取率差异显著,直接裂解法蛋白提取率最高,饱和酚法的蛋白提取率最低;3种方法的SDS-PAGE条带数差异不明显;TCA/丙酮法的双向凝胶图谱效果最好,蛋白点最多。【结论】TCA/丙酮法能够有效去除西花蓟马蛋白中的干扰物质,是最适合西花蓟马双向凝胶电泳的蛋白提取方法,为后续西花蓟马在蛋白组学方面的研究奠定了基础。     

5种杀虫剂对西花蓟马和花蓟马的毒力及其生理酶活性的影响

【目的】探究不同杀虫剂对重要入侵害虫西花蓟马及其本地近缘种花蓟马的毒力及对保护酶和解毒酶活性的影响,为进一步研究2种害虫的抗性管理提供依据。【方法】采用浸渍法测定5种田间常用杀虫剂对西花蓟马和花蓟马的毒力,并测定杀虫剂亚致死浓度(LC25)下2种蓟马体内保护酶和解毒酶活性的差异。【结果】不同杀虫剂对2种蓟马的毒力依次为:乙基多杀菌素甲维盐阿维菌素吡虫啉噻虫嗪,乙基多杀菌素对西花蓟马和花蓟马的LC_(50)分别为0.28和0.03 mg·L~(-1)。不同药剂的亚致死剂量(LC_(25))对西花蓟马和花蓟马体内保护酶和解毒酶活性普遍具有诱导作用。其中,阿维菌素对西花蓟马超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性诱导作用最强,为326.40 U·mg~(-1),是对照的9.37倍,而乙基多杀菌素对花蓟马SOD活性诱导作用最强,为245.35 U·mg~(-1),是对照的9.32倍;吡虫啉对西花蓟马和花蓟马过氧化物酶(POD)诱导作用最强,分别为298.67和246.79 U·mg~(-1),是对照的37.10和20.57倍;阿维菌素对西花蓟马和花蓟马过氧化氢酶(CAT)和羧酸酯酶(CarE)诱导作用最强,分别为298.67、246.79 U·mg~(-1)(CAT活性)和12.53、11.99 U·mg~(-1)(CarE活性);乙基多杀菌素对西花蓟马和花蓟马谷胱甘肽转移酶(GST)和乙酰胆碱酯酶(AChE)诱导作用最强,分别为77527.59、66927.39 U·mg~(-1)(GST活性)和2.34、2.22 U·mg~(-1)(AChE活性)。【结论】5种杀虫剂中,乙基多杀菌素对2种蓟马的毒力最强;西花蓟马对杀虫剂的解毒代谢能力强于花蓟马。