Abstract
AbstractForagers from the species Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) were given a choice between four different plant discs in the laboratory: Manihot esculenta (Crantz.) (cassava) varieties A and B; Ipomea batatas (L.) (sweet potato); and Dioscorea cayenensis cayenensis (Lam.) (yellow yam). Disc pick-up was not random among 8 of 11 individual foragers nor for the whole colony. Variations in preference were observed between days of the experiment and between foragers for the same day. Some foragers were not seen every day of the experiment. Variations between foragers might be an effect of age or genetic make-up. The existence of such variation may be adaptive for the colony as it ensures a better sampling of the plants available around the nest and avoids problems that would arise from the disappearance of a plant if it were the exclusive source of substrate for the colony.
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