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Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

Published on: October 12, 2018

How patrollers set foraging direction in harvester ants.

Michael J Greene¹, Deborah M Gordon

¹Department of Biology, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 173364, Campus Box 171, Denver, Colorado 80211, USA. michael.greene@cudenver.edu

The American Naturalist

|January 4, 2008

Summary

Harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, use specific ants called patrollers to choose daily foraging directions. Patrollers deposit chemical cues, influencing thousands of foragers without leading them directly to food sources.

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Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants

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Published on: October 12, 2018

Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants (Atta) in Laboratory Conditions

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Published on: August 30, 2022

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Chemical ecology
Social insects

Background:

Ant colonies often use chemical trails or direct escort for recruitment to resources.
Foraging direction in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) has been observed to vary daily.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanism by which Pogonomyrmex barbatus colonies determine daily foraging direction.
To identify the role of specific ant behaviors and chemical signals in regulating foraging pathways.

Main Methods:

Observation of foraging patterns in Pogonomyrmex barbatus colonies.
Experimental manipulation of patroller access to nest mound sectors.
Application of Dufour's gland secretions and poison gland extracts to nest mound sectors.

Main Results:

Patrollers regulate foraging direction by depositing Dufour's secretions on the nest mound.
Reduced forager traffic was observed when patrollers were excluded from nest mound sectors.
Application of Dufour's gland extract restored foraging direction, while poison gland extract did not.
In patroller-absent conditions, foragers tended to repeat previous day's direction.

Conclusions:

Colony patrollers act as gatekeepers, selecting foraging directions for thousands of ants.
Dufour's secretions are key chemical cues used by patrollers to influence foraging pathways.
Patrollers initiate foraging direction but do not recruit or lead ants to distant food sources.