Prey Fragmentation and Transport in Six Tropical Arboreal Ant Species

Tadu Zephirin,Djieto-Lordon Champlain,Messop-Youbi Edith Blandine,Alene Desiree Chantal,Fomekong Lontchi Judicael

doi:10.11648/j.cbb.20210901.13

Tadu Zephirin, Djieto-Lordon Champlain + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cbb.20210901.13

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Abstract

Prey fragmentation and transport modalities were studied in Myrmicaria opaciventris, Platythyrea conradti, Cremtogaster sp., Crematogaster clariventris, Tetramorium aculeatum and Oecophylla longinoda, six tropical ant species with varying levels of adaptation to foraging in the tree canopy. Termites and grasshoppers of different sizes were used as prey and deposited on a hunting arena. After prey capture, we investigated the strategy adopted by each ant species to fragment and transport their prey. The data were analyzed with classification tree, using Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection method to find the variation in prey fragmentation strategies and transportation modalities between arboreal ant species in relation with prey type and prey size. The results showed that prey fragmentation did not occur systematically after capture and varied between ant species with prey type and prey size. Studied ant species cut their prey either completely into tiny pieces or partially into two or three large pieces before cutting them totally into tiny pieces or not at all. Fragmentation strategy, induced variation in transport modalities including (a) transport of large pieces, each by a single worker; (b) transport of large pieces, each, by a group of workers; (c) transport of tiny pieces after total cutting, and (c) transport of entire prey in the nest without fragmentation. Prey fragmentation and transport modalities varied between ant species in relation with their level of adaptation to arboreal area.

Highlights

In their environment, ants exploit diverse food items including prey, making them generalist predators, scavengers and omnivores [1]
Nestmates are recruited using various mechanisms including (1) stochastic individual strategies by a single worker, (2) stochastic collective or tandem strategies found in ponerine ants [3], (3) group recruitment strategies with limited or (4) unlimited group sizes found in various myrmicine and formicine species [4, 5], and (5) leader-independent trail communication found in the formicine genus Polyrhachis [5]
Collective prey retrieval was observed in M. opaciventris, P. conradti and O. longinoda, total fragmentation in tiny pieces in T. aculeatum, partial fragmentation in large pieces in M. opaciventris and partial fragmentation in large pieces followed by fragmentation in tiny pieces before transport in the nest was observed in C. clariventris

Summary

Introduction

Ants exploit diverse food items including prey, making them generalist predators, scavengers and omnivores [1]. Ants need to forage in their territory to find food. Recruitment of nestmates during prey capture appears to be a crucial stage that determines the success of the prey capture in many arboreal ant species. Nestmates are recruited using various mechanisms including (1) stochastic individual strategies by a single worker, (2) stochastic collective or tandem strategies found in ponerine ants [3], (3) group recruitment strategies with limited or (4) unlimited group sizes found in various myrmicine and formicine species [4, 5], and (5) leader-independent trail communication found in the formicine genus Polyrhachis [5]. Huntresses of many arboreal ants species, cooperatively spread-eagle the prey. This prey is subsequently cut up before being transported as seen with Tetramorium aculeatum Mayr [6] and Crematogaster sp. In some arboreal ant species like Platythyrea conradti Emery [8] and

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