Sand pile formation in Dorymyrmex ants

We studied circular sand pile formation by two colonies of Brazilian Dorymyrmex ants, in which workers dumped sand excavated from their underground nest around the nest entrance hole. In most cases a worker dumped its load just beyond the ridge of the pile. Each dumped piece either stayed where it w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect behavior 2005-07, Vol.18 (4), p.505-513
Main Authors: Tofilski, A, Ratnieks, F.L.W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ant self-organization
Colonies & territories
Dorymyrmex
Formicidae
insect behavior
insect colonies
insect nests
nest excavtion
sand
sand excavation
worker insects
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Summary:We studied circular sand pile formation by two colonies of Brazilian Dorymyrmex ants, in which workers dumped sand excavated from their underground nest around the nest entrance hole. In most cases a worker dumped its load just beyond the ridge of the pile. Each dumped piece either stayed where it was deposited (81.9% in colony A and 73.0% in colony B) or rolled down the outer slope of the sand pile away from the entrance (17.9% in colony A and 27.0% in colony B). Ants almost never dumped in a way that resulted in the load rolling back to the entrance. When one side of the sand pile was experimentally removed, ants preferentially dumped soil on the now flat side, thereby restoring the original circular shape.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0892-7553
1572-8889
DOI:10.1007/s10905-005-5608-8