Food Transport of Red Imported Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Vertical Surfaces.

ABSTRACT: Many ants can cooperatively transport large food items (either coordinated or uncoordinated during transportation), which can be rarely observed in other animals besides humans. Although these behaviors have been extensively investigated on horizontal surfaces, few studies dealt with food transport on vertical surfaces. The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is an invasive ant species that commonly forages on trees. Our studies showed that S. invicta used multiple strategies to transport food items on vertical surfaces (tree trunks). Small food items (1 × 1 × 1 mm sausage) were carried and transported by individual ants, and larger food items were either collectively and directly transported or cut collaboratively first and small particles were then transported individually o

SUBMITTER: Qin W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6397150 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature