Foraging Behavior and Division of Labor in the Colony of Polyrhachis wolfi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

• Main Authors: Chun-Hsien Lin, 林俊賢
• Other Authors: Dr.Chung-Chi Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/95829665212762177989

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 生物學系 === 101 === Division of labor is one of the key determinants for the survival of social insects and successful evolution. Social insects can effectively search, retrieve, and share food by means of division of labor in foraging bahavior. Also, the size of colonies can also leads to different dispatching strategies. Polyrhachis wolfi is an endemic species among its genus in Taiwan. Because it has a large body that it’s easily labeled, it’s suitable to be used in observing colony foraging among this species. This study aims to provide different kinds of food for them and discusses the relation between preferences of foraging as far as colonies of workers are concerned, the size of colonies, and the division of labor. Different colonies of workers (N1=140, N2=24) were all labeled before given pudding and larvae to choose . Video analysis was carried out to explore different colonies’ foraging for workers, foraging time and times in different foraging areas. The study found that both large and small colonies have preference for pudding( p < 0.01). The size of colonies had effect on the strategies of food option. The division of labor between the size of colonies were different( p < 0.01). Large colony was characteristic of constant division of labor whereas small colonies just retain the basic needed without division of labor being observed because of the insufficient number of workers.