Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Camargo, Roberto da Silva
Data de Publicação: 2011
Outros Autores: Fujihara, Ricardo Toshio, Forti, Luiz Carlos [UNESP]
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/426719
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/5612
Resumo: Leaf-cutting ant workers dig underground chambers, for housing their symbiotic fungus, interconnected by a vast quantity of tunnels whose function is to permit the entrance of food (leaves), gaseous exchanges, andmovement of workers, offspring, and the queen. Digging is a task executed by a group of workers, but little is known about the group effect and group-constructed functional structures. Thus, we analyzed the structures formed by worker groups (5, 10, 20, and 40 individuals) of the leaf-cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa, for 2 days of excavation. The digging arena was the same for the 4 groups, with each group corresponding to a different density. Our results verified a pattern of tunneling by the workers, but no chamber was constructed. The group effect is well known, since the 40-worker group dug significantly more than the groups of 5, 10, and 20. These groups did not differ statistically from each other. Analysis of load/worker verified that workers of the smallest group carried the greatest load. Our paper demonstrates the group effect on the digging of nests, namely, that excavation is proportional to group size, but without emergence of a functional structure such as a chamber.
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spelling Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.Leaf-cutting ant workers dig underground chambers, for housing their symbiotic fungus, interconnected by a vast quantity of tunnels whose function is to permit the entrance of food (leaves), gaseous exchanges, andmovement of workers, offspring, and the queen. Digging is a task executed by a group of workers, but little is known about the group effect and group-constructed functional structures. Thus, we analyzed the structures formed by worker groups (5, 10, 20, and 40 individuals) of the leaf-cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa, for 2 days of excavation. The digging arena was the same for the 4 groups, with each group corresponding to a different density. Our results verified a pattern of tunneling by the workers, but no chamber was constructed. The group effect is well known, since the 40-worker group dug significantly more than the groups of 5, 10, and 20. These groups did not differ statistically from each other. Analysis of load/worker verified that workers of the smallest group carried the greatest load. Our paper demonstrates the group effect on the digging of nests, namely, that excavation is proportional to group size, but without emergence of a functional structure such as a chamber.Laboratorio de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Producao Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciencias Agronomicas, UNESP, P.O. Box 237, 18603-970 Botucatu, SP, BrazilLaboratorio de Insetos Sociais-Praga, Departamento de Producao Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciencias Agronomicas, UNESP, P.O. Box 237, 18603-970 Botucatu, SP, BrazilUniversidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)Camargo, Roberto da SilvaFujihara, Ricardo ToshioForti, Luiz Carlos [UNESP]2014-05-20T13:20:16Z2014-05-20T13:20:16Z2011-01-01info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/426719Psyche (cambridge). , v. 2012, p. 1-4, 2011.0033-26151687-7438http://hdl.handle.net/11449/561210.1155/2012/426719ZOOREC:ZOOR148020088286187684824965648Web of Sciencereponame:Repositório Institucional da UNESPinstname:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)instacron:UNESPengPsyche (cambridge)0,1620,162info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess2024-04-30T15:56:29Zoai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/5612Repositório InstitucionalPUBhttp://repositorio.unesp.br/oai/requestopendoar:29462024-08-05T17:37:00.721Repositório Institucional da UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
title Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
spellingShingle Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
Camargo, Roberto da Silva
title_short Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
title_full Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
title_fullStr Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
title_full_unstemmed Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
title_sort Nest Digging by Leaf-Cutting Ants: Effect of Group Size and Functional Structures.
author Camargo, Roberto da Silva
author_facet Camargo, Roberto da Silva
Fujihara, Ricardo Toshio
Forti, Luiz Carlos [UNESP]
author_role author
author2 Fujihara, Ricardo Toshio
Forti, Luiz Carlos [UNESP]
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Camargo, Roberto da Silva
Fujihara, Ricardo Toshio
Forti, Luiz Carlos [UNESP]
description Leaf-cutting ant workers dig underground chambers, for housing their symbiotic fungus, interconnected by a vast quantity of tunnels whose function is to permit the entrance of food (leaves), gaseous exchanges, andmovement of workers, offspring, and the queen. Digging is a task executed by a group of workers, but little is known about the group effect and group-constructed functional structures. Thus, we analyzed the structures formed by worker groups (5, 10, 20, and 40 individuals) of the leaf-cutting ant, Atta sexdens rubropilosa, for 2 days of excavation. The digging arena was the same for the 4 groups, with each group corresponding to a different density. Our results verified a pattern of tunneling by the workers, but no chamber was constructed. The group effect is well known, since the 40-worker group dug significantly more than the groups of 5, 10, and 20. These groups did not differ statistically from each other. Analysis of load/worker verified that workers of the smallest group carried the greatest load. Our paper demonstrates the group effect on the digging of nests, namely, that excavation is proportional to group size, but without emergence of a functional structure such as a chamber.
publishDate 2011
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2011-01-01
2014-05-20T13:20:16Z
2014-05-20T13:20:16Z
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/426719
Psyche (cambridge). , v. 2012, p. 1-4, 2011.
0033-2615
1687-7438
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/5612
10.1155/2012/426719
ZOOREC:ZOOR14802008828
6187684824965648
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/426719
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/5612
identifier_str_mv Psyche (cambridge). , v. 2012, p. 1-4, 2011.
0033-2615
1687-7438
10.1155/2012/426719
ZOOREC:ZOOR14802008828
6187684824965648
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Psyche (cambridge)
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reponame:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
instname:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
instacron:UNESP
instname_str Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
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