Page 1. 87 The Effect of Trail Length on Task Partitioning in Three Acromyrmex Species (Hymenopte... more Page 1. 87 The Effect of Trail Length on Task Partitioning in Three Acromyrmex Species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Juliane F.Lopes1, Luiz C.Forti2, Roberto S. Camargo1, Carlos AO Matos1 & Sandra S.Verza1 ABSTRACT ...
Although the behavior of leaf-cutting ant workers of adult colonies has been extensively studied,... more Although the behavior of leaf-cutting ant workers of adult colonies has been extensively studied, little is known about the behavior of the very first generations of workers in these ecologically important ants. In order to examine whether the first generations ofAtta sexdens Linnaeus workers can gauge the needs of incipient fungus gardens in laboratory, we marked individual workers according to class size as they emerged each week in 30 colonies. We then recorded the type and frequency of the behaviors of the workers during the preparation of leaf substrate using the Scanning Sampling Method. Workers engaged in a sequence of 12 behavioral acts that included, most frequently, licking leaf fragments. Workers exhibited division of labor distinctively according to both caste and age. The results demonstrate that early generations of A. sexdens are able to perform the same behavioral acts already recorded for adult colonies of this species, suggesting that workers of incipient colonies ...
This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex spe... more This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex species. Foraging was classified as the main team task composed of 2 or 3 processes: recruitment, selection, and collection. Each process was divided into different subtasks. Points were attributed to subtasks considering their difficulty to compare the complexity of foraging among species. Total scores obtained were 19 for A. balzani and 14 for A. crassispinus and A. rugosus, indicating different degrees of social complexity for grass-cutting and leaf-cutting ant species. Acromyrmex balzani, a grass-cutting ant species, shows a behavioral repertoire composed of more variable subtasks during forag- ing.
This study was performed in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil, visiting numerous mu... more This study was performed in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil, visiting numerous municipalities, over a period of 25 years, excavating nests of 12 species of leaf-cutting ants of the Acromyrmex genus. Larvae and pupae of Microdon tigrinus were found only in nest of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex coronatus, indicating high specificity. Observation showed that larvae and pupae were
Theleaf-cutting ants forage diverse plants for cultivation,of symbiotic,fun - gus, which is a pri... more Theleaf-cutting ants forage diverse plants for cultivation,of symbiotic,fun - gus, which is a primary food source for larvae in the colony. Previous studies have suggested,that continuous,offering of a single vegetal species affects the preference of workers and,colonial performance,(growth of the population and fungus garden). Given this situation, we evaluated the preference of workers and,the performance,of a colony of Atta
This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex spe... more This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex species. Foraging was classified as the main team task composed of 2 or 3 processes: recruitment, selection, and collection. Each process was divided into different subtasks. Points were attributed to subtasks considering their difficulty to compare the complexity of foraging among species. Total scores obtained were
Page 1. 87 The Effect of Trail Length on Task Partitioning in Three Acromyrmex Species (Hymenopte... more Page 1. 87 The Effect of Trail Length on Task Partitioning in Three Acromyrmex Species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by Juliane F.Lopes1, Luiz C.Forti2, Roberto S. Camargo1, Carlos AO Matos1 & Sandra S.Verza1 ABSTRACT ...
Although the behavior of leaf-cutting ant workers of adult colonies has been extensively studied,... more Although the behavior of leaf-cutting ant workers of adult colonies has been extensively studied, little is known about the behavior of the very first generations of workers in these ecologically important ants. In order to examine whether the first generations ofAtta sexdens Linnaeus workers can gauge the needs of incipient fungus gardens in laboratory, we marked individual workers according to class size as they emerged each week in 30 colonies. We then recorded the type and frequency of the behaviors of the workers during the preparation of leaf substrate using the Scanning Sampling Method. Workers engaged in a sequence of 12 behavioral acts that included, most frequently, licking leaf fragments. Workers exhibited division of labor distinctively according to both caste and age. The results demonstrate that early generations of A. sexdens are able to perform the same behavioral acts already recorded for adult colonies of this species, suggesting that workers of incipient colonies ...
This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex spe... more This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex species. Foraging was classified as the main team task composed of 2 or 3 processes: recruitment, selection, and collection. Each process was divided into different subtasks. Points were attributed to subtasks considering their difficulty to compare the complexity of foraging among species. Total scores obtained were 19 for A. balzani and 14 for A. crassispinus and A. rugosus, indicating different degrees of social complexity for grass-cutting and leaf-cutting ant species. Acromyrmex balzani, a grass-cutting ant species, shows a behavioral repertoire composed of more variable subtasks during forag- ing.
This study was performed in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil, visiting numerous mu... more This study was performed in the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil, visiting numerous municipalities, over a period of 25 years, excavating nests of 12 species of leaf-cutting ants of the Acromyrmex genus. Larvae and pupae of Microdon tigrinus were found only in nest of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex coronatus, indicating high specificity. Observation showed that larvae and pupae were
Theleaf-cutting ants forage diverse plants for cultivation,of symbiotic,fun - gus, which is a pri... more Theleaf-cutting ants forage diverse plants for cultivation,of symbiotic,fun - gus, which is a primary food source for larvae in the colony. Previous studies have suggested,that continuous,offering of a single vegetal species affects the preference of workers and,colonial performance,(growth of the population and fungus garden). Given this situation, we evaluated the preference of workers and,the performance,of a colony of Atta
This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex spe... more This study considers the function and complexity of tasks during foraging of three Acromyrmex species. Foraging was classified as the main team task composed of 2 or 3 processes: recruitment, selection, and collection. Each process was divided into different subtasks. Points were attributed to subtasks considering their difficulty to compare the complexity of foraging among species. Total scores obtained were
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