Nutrition and interference competition have interactive effects on the behavior and performance of Argentine ants

Food availability often influences competitive outcomes through effects on consumer growth. Although it has received less attention, food availability may also affect competition through nutritional effects on behavior. One hypothesis linking nutrition and competition in ants posits that increased a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Ecology (Durham) Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 57 - 64
Main Authors:	Kay, Adam D., Zumbusch, Taylor, Heinen, Justa L., Marsh, Tom C., Holway, David A.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Washington, DC Ecological Society of America 01-01-2010
Subjects:	aggression Animal and plant ecology Animal behavior Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena Animal, plant and microbial ecology Animals Ants Ants - physiology Behavior, Animal - physiology behavioral dominance Biological and medical sciences Carbohydrates defense Diet Dietary carbohydrates Ecological competition Ecosystem Food foraging Formicidae Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General aspects Insect behavior Insect colonies Insect ecology Insects invasive species Linepithema humile macronutrients metabolic fuel hypothesis (MFH) Nonnative species nutrient imbalance Nutrition Pavements protein Proteins resource allocation Worker insects Competition behavioral dominance Insecta Resource allocation foraging Formicoidea Linepithema humile defense nutrient imbalance Carbohydrate Aculeata carbohydrates Formicidae Feeding behavior Nutrition Interference aggression Foraging behavior Protein Invasive species Arthropoda Fuel Defense mechanism Nutrient macronutrients Hymenoptera Invertebrata Performance Macronutrient Agonistic behavior metabolic fuel hypothesis (MFH)
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Summary:	Food availability often influences competitive outcomes through effects on consumer growth. Although it has received less attention, food availability may also affect competition through nutritional effects on behavior. One hypothesis linking nutrition and competition in ants posits that increased access to carbohydrates favors greater investment in worker traits that underlie behavioral dominance. We tested this hypothesis by varying dietary protein: carbohydrate (P:C) ratios and levels of interspecific interference for Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), a widespread invasive species. As predicted, colonies facing interference increased patrolling more when reared on low P:C diets; this result is the first demonstration of an interactive effect of nutrition and interference on ant colonies. Several results suggest that this dietary effect on patrolling was due primarily to changes in colony size rather than worker behavior. Colonies on lower P:C diets had lower worker mortality and larger final colony sizes. Diet had little effect on per capita patrolling, and worker behavior in performance assays depended more on previous exposure to interference than on diet. Our findings indicate that dietary P:C ratios can influence Argentine ant performance in a competitive environment and suggest a mechanism by which monopolization of carbohydrate-rich resources can help invasive ants displace native ant competitors.
Bibliography:	Corresponding Editor: M. D. Dearing. ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	0012-9658 1939-9170
DOI:	10.1890/09-0908.1