Foraging efficiency in the wood ant, Formica rufa: is time of the essence in trail following?

Citation
Aj. Denny et al., Foraging efficiency in the wood ant, Formica rufa: is time of the essence in trail following?, ANIM BEHAV, 62, 2001, pp. 139-146
Citations number
44
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences","Neurosciences & Behavoir
Journal title
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
ISSN journal
0003-3472 → ACNP
Volume
62
Year of publication
2001
Part
1
Pages
139 - 146
Database
ISI
SICI code
0003-3472(200107)62:<139:FEITWA>2.0.ZU;2-O
Abstract
Central place foraging in ants is expected to maximize colony efficiency by minimizing the lengths of established trails. Short trails reduce both the time and energy costs of delivering food back to the nest, but which is mo st important? To examine trail route choice in the wood ant Formica rufa, w e used a series of bridges, each with two alternative routes allowing the c omparison of combinations of horizontal, vertical or time-expensive detours of differing lengths or delays. The ants preferred the shortest, quickest routes in all cases, although when vertical and horizontal deviations were equal in length they preferred the former, probably because this represents a reduced risk in terms of navigation errors. When comparing a range of br idge combinations, we were able to separate the relative differences in tim e versus energy saving represented within a series of successive choices. C ontrary to earlier evidence, savings in energy explained significantly more of the variation in ant trail preferences than savings in time. We suggest that our results can be explained by wood ants adaptively adjusting their speed when walking in the vertical plane in response to the additional pote ntial energy costs encountered. (C) 2001 The Association for the Study of A nimal Behaviour.