DigitalUM :: Browsing by Subject "Recolección"

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Seed predation by ants in south-eastern Spain (Desierto de Tabernas, Almería)
(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2002) Hensen, Isabell; Sin departamento asociado; Facultad de Biología
Seed predation by ants was studied in the Tabernas Desert (Province of Almería, south-eastern Spain). Eight different species of harvester ants were found collecting seeds in single or foraging trails. Six of them feed mainly or exclusively on seeds. The most important predators are polyphagous Messor ants collecting all available seed types from the soil surface as well as directly from the mother plant. Predation of seeds was confirmed for 41 plant species. Their seed masses vary between 0.08 – 95.9 mg. Resource partitioning according to seed size was not observed, indicating that coexistence of ant species may be facilitated by different foraging strategies. To estimate the influence of seed predation on the vegetation structure, the number of collecting runs per colony per day and composition of food items brought in were determined for Messor bouvieri and M. timidus in a Stipa tenacissima dominated grassland. Collecting-activity correlates strongly with soil temperature. The major part of their diet consists of seeds of Helianthemum almeriense and Launaea lanifera. Both Messor species are very similar with respect to worker size range, size of collected seeds, and foraging strategy, which results in a high degree of dietary overlap