Foraging trail traffic rules:a new study method of trajectories of the harvester ants  

作　　者：Abderrahmane El Boukhrissi Ahmed Taheri Nard Bennas Abdelkhalek Belkhiri Bilal El Ajjouri Joaquín L.Reyes-López 

机构地区：[1]LESCB URL-CNRST N°18,FS,Abdelmalek Essaadi University,Tetouan,Morocco [2]Faculty of Sciences,Chouaïb Doukkali University,El Jadida,Morocco [3]Natural Resources Management and Development Team,Environment and Health Laboratory,Department of Biology,Faculty of Sciences,Moulay Ismaïl University,Meknes,Morocco [4]Joaquín L.Reyes-López,Área de Ecología,Facultad de Ciencias,Campus de Rabanales,Universidad de Córdoba,Córdoba,España

出　　处：《Insect Science》2025年第2期687-700,共14页昆虫科学(英文版)

摘　　要：Harvester ants are one of the most extensively studied groups of ants,especially the group foraging ants,Messor barbarus(Linnaeus,1767),which construct long-lasting trunk trails.Limited laboratory investigations have delved into head-on encounters along foraging trails involving workers moving in opposing directions,with fewer corresponding studies conducted in the natural environment.To address this gap,we devised an in-field experimental design to induce lane segregation on the foraging trunk trail of M.barbarus.Using an image-based tracking method,we analyzed the foraging behavior of this species to assess the costs associated with head-on encounters and to figure out the natural coexistence of outgoing and returning workers on a bidirectional route.Our results consistently reveal heightened straightness and speed in unidirectional test lanes,accompanied by an elevated foraging rate compared to bidirectional lanes.This suggests a potential impact of head-on collisions on foraging behavior,especially on foraging efficiency.Additionally,Kinematic analysis revealed distinct movement patterns between outbound and inbound flows,particularly low speed and sinuous trajectories of inbounding unladen workers.The study of encounter rates in two traffic systems hints at the plausible utilization of individual memory by workers within trails,underscoring the pivotal role of encounters in information exchange and load transfer.

关 键 词：behavior bidirectional route head-on encounters information transfer SEED 

分 类 号：Q968[生物学—昆虫学]