Seasonal structuring of a north temperate ant community

Ant nest were mapped in both time and space at two sites in New York over two consecutive years. Dispersion patterns, identity of nearest neighbor, and migration frequencies were also determined for three time points in 1981. Examination of nest distributions showed important seasonal variation with...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insectes sociaux 1985, Vol.32 (3), p.224-240
Main Author: Herbers, J.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal ethology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
communities
Formicidae
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
habitats
Hymenoptera
migration
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
seasonal variation
social structure
temperate zones
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ant nest were mapped in both time and space at two sites in New York over two consecutive years. Dispersion patterns, identity of nearest neighbor, and migration frequencies were also determined for three time points in 1981. Examination of nest distributions showed important seasonal variation with respect to spacing pattern and identity of nearest neighbors. Distances between neighboring colonies were low in early spring, high in mid-summer, and lower by late summer. Changes in ant nest distribution were mediated by colony migrations occurring throughout the season of activity. Although different species varied in their propensity to move, fluidity of community structure was a result common to all ant species studied.
ISSN:0020-1812
1420-9098
DOI:10.1007/BF02224913