Journal article
Species differ in worker body size effects on critical thermal limits in seed-harvesting desert ants (Messor ebeninusandM. arenarius)
Insectes sociaux, v 67(4), pp 473-479
01 Nov 2020
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Extreme temperatures can constrain foraging behavior, and individual differences in thermal tolerances may affect foraging performance within and among species. Ambient temperatures may thus mediate competitive interactions among species that share resources. Different species of desert seed-harvesting ants (genusMessor) forage for similar food resources, and colonies can overlap in foraging areas. BecauseMessorspecies differ in body size distributions, and thermal tolerance is often size related in ants, we hypothesized that body size differences within and betweenMessorspecies would predict individual variation in worker thermal tolerances. Body size effects on thermal physiology could have implications for interspecific competition. We measured tolerances of extreme high (maximum critical temperature or CTmax) and low temperatures (CTmin) in twoMessorspecies simultaneously at the same study site, smaller bodiedM. ebeninusand larger bodiedM. arenarius. Although the species did not differ significantly in CTmin or CTmax, tolerance of high temperatures was significantly size dependent forM. ebeninus: worker tolerances of high temperatures decreased with body size in this species. The patterns suggest the foraging activity of the smallest workers of smaller bodied species could be more constrained by high ambient temperatures, which could impact the division of labor within colonies as well as interspecific interactions.
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Details
- Title
- Species differ in worker body size effects on critical thermal limits in seed-harvesting desert ants (Messor ebeninusandM. arenarius)
- Creators
- S. O'Donnell - Drexel UniversityS. Bulova - Swarthmore CollegeV. Caponera - Drexel UniversityK. Oxman - Drexel UniversityI. Giladi - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Publication Details
- Insectes sociaux, v 67(4), pp 473-479
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- Drexel University Stein Family Fellowship
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000572004700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85091312709
- Other Identifier
- 991019167722304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Entomology