Nutritional needs and mortality risk combine to shape foraging decisions in ants.

ABSTRACT: When foraging, internal needs for particular nutrients might affect food choice, and external constraints, such as predation risk, might impact trade-offs between foraging and risk avoidance. Examining both internal and external constraints simultaneously can provide important insights into how animals make decisions. We examined how internal nutritional needs and external cues of mortality risk jointly impact the foraging behavior of ants. Ant colonies require carbohydrates to support workers energetically and proteins to raise brood. Furthermore, colonies adjust their foraging activity in response to the environment, such as food availability and the presence of predators or heterospecifics. Here we examine the foraging decisions of groups of Argentine ants Linepithema humile, whi

SUBMITTER: Barbee B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10591143 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature