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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions
Published on: August 30, 2022
Density- and size-dependent spacing of ant nests: evidence for intraspecific competition
J Hall Cushman1, Gregory D Martinsen1, Anthony I Mazeroll1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 86011, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
Abstract:
We present three lines of evidence which each suggest that intraspecific competition has significantly influenced the spacing patterns of Formica altipetens colonies. First, nearest-neighbor analysis of nest spacing patterns detected significant uniformity in six of eight plots. Second, there was a signifcant increase in the distance separating nearest neighbors as ant nest diameters increased. Third, ant nest density predicted substantial variation in the colony dispersion index, indicating the existence of a dispersion continuum at our study site.
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