Senior Project Advisor

Peterson, Merrill A., 1965-

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Fall 2003

Keywords

Atta cephalotes, A. cephalotes colonies, Foraging velocity

Abstract

Efficient foraging methods are essential to colony survival in the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes. One parameter of efficiency is the speed at which laden foragers return to the nest. This study examines the effects of ant size, load size, trail activity, and the number of collisions an ant incurs with other ants or objects on velocity for four A. cephalotes colonies in Costa Rica. Multiple linear regression analysis yielded a model which suggests that velocity decreases as loading index and the number of collisions increase. Results of a theoretical analysis using the regression model indicate that the ants select loads smaller than those which maximize the rate of leaf transport to the colony. Possible explanations for sub-optimal load selection are discussed. Additionally, no ants were observed to travel at velocities in the range 1.3-1.5 cm/s. This result differs from those of previous studies and warrants future research.

Department

Biology

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Leaf-cutting ants--Food; Leaf-cutting ants--Costa Rica

Geographic Coverage

Costa Rica

Genre/Form

student projects; term papers

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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