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Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants
Published on: October 5, 2018
Foraging by forest ants under experimental climatic warming: a test at two sites
Katharine L Stuble1, Shannon L Pelini, Sarah E Diamond
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996.
Ecology and Evolution
|March 28, 2013
Summary
Climatic warming impacts ant foraging differently based on location and species. Southern ants and those with lower heat tolerance face greater risks from rising temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Climatic warming is a significant driver of ecological change, affecting individual behavior and community composition.
- The impact of warming on ectotherms is geographically variable, with species near their thermal limits experiencing greater negative effects.
- Ants are important model organisms for studying ecological responses to environmental change due to their ecological roles and sensitivity to temperature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally assess the impact of chronic warming on forest ant foraging behavior across a latitudinal gradient in eastern North America.
- To investigate how temperature influences ant forager abundance, recruitment, and species richness.
- To determine the relationship between species-specific thermal tolerance and foraging responses to warming.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale field experiment involving temperature manipulation of intact forest ant assemblages was conducted at southern (North Carolina) and northern (Massachusetts) sites.
- Measurements included ant forager abundance, recruitment rates, and species richness under ambient and experimentally warmed conditions.
- The critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of key ant species was measured and related to their observed foraging patterns.
Main Results:
- Experimental warming increased forager abundance and species richness at the southern site but not the northern site.
- Individual ant species exhibited varied responses to warming, with some increasing and others decreasing foraging activity.
- Species-specific foraging responses were linked to functional traits, particularly critical thermal maxima; species with higher CTmax showed greater forager densities at elevated temperatures.
Conclusions:
- Climatic warming alters ant foraging patterns in predictable ways, but these shifts are species- and site-specific.
- Southern ant communities and species with lower critical thermal maxima are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of ongoing climatic warming.
- Understanding species-specific thermal tolerances is crucial for predicting community-level responses to climate change.
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