Abstract
Dinoponera lucida is a poneromorph ant endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The species is classified as endangered in Brazil’s Red List due to its peculiar reproductive biology and high habitat fragmentation. Herein, we characterize D. lucida foraging activity and response to litter surface temperature in a lowland forest remnant in south-eastern Brazil. The mean flow of workers at nest openings was 3.8 ± 0.6 per hour, mean foraging trip was 14.2 ± 2.2 min, and mean foraging distance was 3.8 ± 0.4 m. The time spent per foraging trip and litter surface temperature were positively correlated. Flow of workers at nest openings was higher with mean temperature of litter surface between 21.0 and 27.0 °C. Our results show that D. lucida has a diurnal foraging activity related to habitat temperature. Our data contribute to the knowledge about the ecology of D. lucida and support the hypothesis of optimal food foraging regulated by habitat temperature. In addition, the better understanding of D. lucida activity patterns can assist on conservation planning of this endangered and endemic ant.
Highlights
Foraging requires appropriate decisions related to the time spent in exploration and choosing the appropriate time to maximize net amount of energy gained, foraging efficiency, and survival, or to minimize the risk of starvation (Emlen, 1966; MacArthur & Pianka, 1966; Ydenberg, 2007)
New colonies of D. lucida are generated by fission of extant colonies, increasing inbreeding and reducing genetic diversity, which has led to local extinctions (Mariano et al, 2008; Campiolo et al, 2015), a genetically fragmented distribution (Mariano et al, 2008; Resende et al, 2010; Simon et al, 2016), and endangered (EN) species status on the Brazilian Red List (Ministério do Meio Ambiente, 2014; Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade & Ministério do Meio Ambiente, 2018)
Vale Natural Reserve (VNR) is an important remnant of the Tabuleiro Forest, which is a specific formation of the Atlantic Forest (Kierulff et al, 2014)
Summary
Foraging requires appropriate decisions related to the time spent in exploration and choosing the appropriate time to maximize net amount of energy gained, foraging efficiency, and survival, or to minimize the risk of starvation (Emlen, 1966; MacArthur & Pianka, 1966; Ydenberg, 2007). F Curbani, C Zocca, RB Ferreira, C Waichert, TG Sobrinho, AC Srbek-Araujo – Temperature and Foraging Activity of Dinoponera lucida called giant ants because reach up to 40 mm (Kempf, 1971; Lenhart et al, 2013; Escárraga et al, 2017). Among these species, Dinoponera lucida Emery, 1901 is endemic to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest from the states of Espírito Santo, eastern Minas Gerais and southern Bahia (Peixoto et al, 2010; Simon et al, 2020). Thereby D. lucida conservation is intrinsically linked to the preservation and recovery of the Atlantic Forest and the connection between its forest remnants
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