Flexible seed selection by individual harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Individual foraging choices were affected by multiple factors, including seed caloric rewards, the previous seed selected, and the dietary history of the colony. Individual seed choices generally converged on the most energetically profitable species, suggesting that foragers exhibit labile preference, but for a portion of the foragers, seed specialization was also partially due to constancy, defined as a tendency to select seed species that were previously collected. When colonies were presented with one seed type for 1 h and then were offered a mix of that seed and a novel seed type, individuals showed a strong preference for the novel seeds. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationBehavioral Ecology & Sociobiology
Pages377-384
Number of pages8
Volume28
Edition6
StatePublished - 1991

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • General Environmental Science

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