Territory, Trail Structure and Activity Patterns in the Wood-Ant, Formica rufa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Limestone Woodland in North-West England
- 1 June 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in Journal of Animal Ecology
- Vol. 49 (2), 381-394
- https://doi.org/10.2307/4253
Abstract
A novel ant counting device is described, incorporating a simple pulse storage system, an ability to count incoming and outgoing ants and the possibility of automatic readout. The existence of territory in F. rufa is confirmed. Aggression between close nests is shown. Estimated territory sizes range from 272-1616 m2. The relevance of territory and trail patterns to intraspecific competition is discussed. Nests may be over-dispersed. Ant activity is diel and probably controlled by a combination of trail surface temperature and nest temperature. No intrinsic rhythm is demonstrated.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Growth and Distribution of the Mounds of Lasius flavus (Fabricius) (Hym: Formicidae) in Silwood Park, BerkshireJournal of Animal Ecology, 1962
- Mechanical Time-Sorting of Pitfall CapturesJournal of Animal Ecology, 1958
- Food Collection by a Scottish Ant CommunityJournal of Animal Ecology, 1955
- Distance to Nearest Neighbor as a Measure of Spatial Relationships in PopulationsEcology, 1954