Impact of Interference Competition on Exploration and Food Exploitation in the Ant Lasius niger
Joint Authors
Fourcassié, Vincent
Detrain, Claire
Schmitt, Tristan
Source
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-8, 8 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-05-27
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
8
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Competition acts as a major force in shaping spatially and/or temporally the foraging activity of ant colonies.
Interference competition between colonies in particular is widespread in ants where it can prevent the physical access of competitors to a resource, either directly by fighting or indirectly, by segregating the colony foraging areas.
Although the consequences of interference competition on ant distribution have been well studied in the literature, the behavioral mechanisms underlying interference competition have been less explored.
Little is known on how ants modify their exploration patterns or the choice of a feeding place after experiencing aggressive encounters.
In this paper, we show that, at the individual level, the aphid-tending ant Lasius niger reacts to the presence of an alien conspecific through direct aggressive behavior and local recruitment in the vicinity of fights.
At the colony level, however, no defensive recruitment is triggered and the “risky” area where aggressive encounters occur is not specifically avoided during further exploration or food exploitation.
We discuss how between-species differences in sensitivity to interference competition could be related to the spatial and temporal predictability of food resources at stake.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Fourcassié, Vincent& Schmitt, Tristan& Detrain, Claire. 2012. Impact of Interference Competition on Exploration and Food Exploitation in the Ant Lasius niger. Psyche،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-467787
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Fourcassié, Vincent…[et al.]. Impact of Interference Competition on Exploration and Food Exploitation in the Ant Lasius niger. Psyche No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-467787
American Medical Association (AMA)
Fourcassié, Vincent& Schmitt, Tristan& Detrain, Claire. Impact of Interference Competition on Exploration and Food Exploitation in the Ant Lasius niger. Psyche. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-467787
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-467787