Worker size variability and foraging efficiency in Veromessor pergandei (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) |
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Authors: | Steven W. Rissing Gregory B. Polloek |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Zoology, Arizona State University, 85287 Tempe, Arizona, USA;(2) School of Social Science, University of California, 92717 Irvine, California, USA |
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Abstract: | Summary As foragers of the harvester ant, Veromessor pergandei, travel further from their nest they spend significantly more time sampling seeds in experimental patches. Although accepted seeds are heavier than offered seeds, mass of accepted seed is not correlated with sampling time. Variably sized V. pergandei workers do not size-match; little, if any, variance in size of seed selected can be attributed to body size of forager. The lack of size-matching in V. pergandei suggests individual performance may be an inadequate measure of colony foraging success. |
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