Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Optimization, conflict, and nonoverlapping foraging ranges in ants.

Frederick R Adler1, Deborah M Gordon

  • 1Department of Mathematics and Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA. adler@mathutah.edu

The American Naturalist
|November 18, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Clonal dynamics deviate from neutral drift in zebrafish spermatogenesis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Cells, Bureaucracy and Corruption.

Bulletin of mathematical biology·2026
Same author

Dopaminergic expression and the regulation of foraging in response to water stress.

Journal of insect physiology·2026
Same author

Host genotype and sex shape influenza evolution and defective viral genomes.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Nest Entrance Architecture and the Regulation of Foraging Activity in Desert Harvester Ants.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Prevalence of social parasitism in ant populations: Modeling energetics, demography and space in the Polyergus/Formica system.

Theoretical population biology·2025

Individual-level optimization explains red harvester ant foraging ranges, considering neighbor interactions and resource competition. Models incorporating individual strategy accurately predict foraging behavior and density, unlike colony-level optimization without conflict costs.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Mathematical Biology

Background:

  • Organismal foraging range is influenced by neighbor interactions, resource availability, and information access.
  • The red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) provides a model system for studying foraging behavior due to extensive research on the species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and parameterize models predicting ant foraging allocation based on neighbor behavior, resource dynamics, and information.
  • To compare colony-level versus individual-level optimization strategies, with and without considering conflict costs, in explaining foraging ranges.

Main Methods:

  • Developed and parameterized models incorporating neighbor behavior, resource dynamics, and information for Pogonomyrmex barbatus.
  • Compared model predictions with empirical data on ant time budgets and density.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Evaluated different optimization levels (colony vs. individual) and inclusion/exclusion of conflict costs.

    • Main Results:

    • Colony-level optimization neglecting conflict costs predicted unrealistic overlap.
    • Individual-level optimization accurately predicted realistic foraging ranges, irrespective of conflict cost inclusion.
    • Both individual optimization and colony optimization with conflict costs showed good quantitative agreement with data.

    Conclusions:

    • Individual-level foraging optimization, responding to exploitation and interference competition, largely explains colony foraging ranges.
    • Deviations suggest colonies may over-allocate foragers to inter-colony boundaries, indicating potential complexities beyond simple optimization.