Visual navigation in the Neotropical ant Odontomachus hastatus (Formicidae, Ponerinae), a predominantly nocturnal, canopy-dwelling predator of the Atlantic rainforest

Autor(es)

Rodrigues, Pedro A. P. ^[1] ; Oliveira, Paulo S. ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Grad Program Ecol, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Behavioural Processes; v. 109, n. A, SI, p. 48-57, NOV 2014.
• Citações Web of Science: 9

Resumo

The arboreal ant Odontomachus hastatus nests among roots of epiphytic bromeliads in the sandy forest at Cardoso Island (Brazil). Crepuscular and nocturnal foragers travel up to 8 m to search for arthropod prey in the canopy, where silhouettes of leaves and branches potentially provide directional information. We investigated the relevance of visual cues (canopy, horizon patterns) during navigation in 0. hastatus. Laboratory experiments using a captive ant colony and a round foraging arena revealed that an artificial canopy pattern above the ants and horizon visual marks are effective orientation cues for homing 0. hastatus. On the other hand, foragers that were only given a tridimensional landmark (cylinder) or chemical marks were unable to home correctly. Navigation by visual cues in 0. hastatus is in accordance with other diurnal arboreal ants. Nocturnal luminosity (moon, stars) is apparently sufficient to produce contrasting silhouettes from the canopy and surrounding vegetation, thus providing orientation cues. Contrary to the plain floor of the round arena, chemical cues may be important for marking bifurcated arboreal routes. This experimental demonstration of the use of visual cues by a predominantly nocturnal arboreal ant provides important information for comparative studies on the evolution of spatial orientation behavior in ants. ``This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neotropical Behaviour{''}. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 07/52974-8 - Estudo experimental sobre orientação e marcação de ninho na formiga arbórea Odontomachus hastatus (Formicidae: Ponerinae)
• Beneficiário: Pedro Augusto da Pos Rodrigues
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/18580-8 - Estudos sobre formigas neotropicais: interações com insetos herbívoros, ecologia comportamental e organização social
• Beneficiário: Paulo Sergio Moreira Carvalho de Oliveira
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 12/23671-5 - Interações entre formigas e plantas com nectários extraflorais: padrões comunitários ao longo de um gradiente latitudinal no bioma do cerrado
• Beneficiário: Paulo Sergio Moreira Carvalho de Oliveira
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular