Territorial strategies in ants [Oecophylla longinoda, Pogonomyrmex, Mymecocystus mimicus]

Several features in social insects, particularly in ants, make the behavioral organization of territoriality considerably more complex than that of solitary animals. The establishment and maintenance of territories are based on a division of labor and a complex communication system. The analyses of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1980-11, Vol.210 (4471), p.732-739
Main Authors: Hölldobler, Bert, Lumsden, Charles J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal territoriality
Ants
Behavior
Foraging
Honey-ants
Insect behavior
Insect castes
Insect colonies
Insect nests
Insect societies
Insects
Social aspects
Social insects
Territoriality (Zoology)
Tree trunks
Worker insects
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Several features in social insects, particularly in ants, make the behavioral organization of territoriality considerably more complex than that of solitary animals. The establishment and maintenance of territories are based on a division of labor and a complex communication system. The analyses of territorial strategies in ants comprise the study of the design and spatiotemporal structure of the territory, as well as the social mechanisms through which the insect society pursues its territorial strategy. The geometric and behavioral organization of the absolute territories of the African weaver ants (Oecophylla longinoda) and harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex), and of the ``spatiotemporal territories'' of honey ants (Myrmecocystus mimicus) are described, and simple cost-benefit models are developed to illustrate the economic defensibility of each type of territory.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.210.4471.732