Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

14.2K
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.
14.2K
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

22.3K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
22.3K
Microbial Interactions: Predation01:28

Microbial Interactions: Predation

36
Microbial predation refers to the process by which one microorganism kills and consumes another to obtain nutrients and energy. It encompasses both bacterial and protozoan predators. This interaction plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and regulating nutrient cycling.Bacterial Predators: Epibiotic vs. EndobioticBacterial predators are classified based on their mode of attack as either epibiotic or endobiotic. Epibiotic predators, such as Vampirococcus, attach to the surface of...
36
Microbial Interactions: Cooperation01:26

Microbial Interactions: Cooperation

37
Microbial cooperation involves beneficial interactions in which different species work together for individual or mutual advantage. These interactions can profoundly influence ecological dynamics and evolutionary processes, and they are essential to many pathogenic and symbiotic relationships.Nematode–Bacteria CooperationA striking example is the relationship between the Gram-negative bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila and the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Juvenile nematodes...
37
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

38.5K
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
38.5K
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores02:40

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

17.2K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
17.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

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

Journal of insect physiology·2026
Same author

Nest-founding paper wasps aggregate in "social leks" and decrease aggression during partner selection.

Current zoology·2026
Same author

Empowerment gain and causal model construction: children and adults are sensitive to controllability and variability in their causal interventions.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2026
Same author

Spirituality and Harmful or Hazardous Alcohol and Other Drug Use: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.

JAMA psychiatry·2026
Same author

Meta-analysis with Jeffreys priors: Empirical frequentist properties.

Research synthesis methods·2026
Same author

A meta-analytic review of cultural variation in affect valuation.

Psychological bulletin·2026
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 Video

Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions
10:11

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

Published on: August 30, 2022

4.5K

Interactions Increase Forager Availability and Activity in Harvester Ants.

Evlyn Pless1, Jovel Queirolo1, Noa Pinter-Wollman2

  • 1Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.

Plos One
|November 6, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Harvester ant foragers experience more interactions in the nest entrance chamber before foraging. Returning foragers regulate the number of available ants, influencing collective behavior.

More Related Videos

A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants
08:10

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

Published on: October 12, 2018

11.9K
Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model
10:58

Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model

Published on: August 29, 2013

11.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions
10:11

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

Published on: August 30, 2022

4.5K
A Visual Guide for Studying Behavioral Defenses to Pathogen Attacks in Leaf-Cutting Ants
08:10

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

Published on: October 12, 2018

11.9K
Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model
10:58

Obtaining Specimens with Slowed, Accelerated and Reversed Aging in the Honey Bee Model

Published on: August 29, 2013

11.8K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral ecology
  • Social insect behavior
  • Collective intelligence

Background:

  • Social insects, like harvester ants, rely on worker interactions to coordinate colony activities.
  • Forager activation in harvester ants involves antennal contact within the nest before departing.
  • The entrance chamber serves as a critical site for regulating forager activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare interaction rates between departing foragers and non-foraging ants in the nest entrance chamber.
  • To investigate the relationship between forager return rates and the availability of ants in the entrance chamber.
  • To identify the specific locations within the nest entrance where interactions are densest.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of harvester ant behavior within the nest entrance chamber.
  • Quantification of antennal interactions experienced by individual ants.
  • Correlation analysis between forager return rates and ant traffic in the entrance chamber.

Main Results:

  • Ants that left to forage experienced significantly more interactions than those that did not.
  • Higher rates of forager return increased the number of ants descending into the deeper nest.
  • Increased deeper nest traffic stimulated more ants to ascend to the entrance chamber, increasing forager availability.
  • Dense interactions were observed near the nest entrance and tunnel openings to the deeper nest.

Conclusions:

  • Local interactions with returning foragers are key to regulating the activation of waiting ants.
  • The rate of forager return dynamically influences the number of available foragers in the entrance chamber.
  • This interaction-based regulation system optimizes collective foraging behavior in harvester ant colonies.