Life Sciences Commons^™

Foraging Behavior Of Tetramorium Caespitum In An Urban Environment: The Effect Of Food Quality On Foraging, Nicole A. Crofton, Sabrina R. D'Mello, Nene S. Sy

Student Publications

Animals' foraging strategies are directly related to their fitness. Proposed models of optimal foraging assume that animals strategize in terms of maximizing benefits over the cost of acquiring resources. Ants are social insects that are comparable in biomass to humans inhabiting the plant. As such, it is crucial to understand the foraging strategies of such an influential member of the ecosystem. With the ever-increasing rate of urbanization and human encroachment, it is even more important to consider the foraging patterns of species inhabiting urban areas. In this study we investigate optimal foraging strategies in the pavement ant, Tetramorium caespitum. Specifically, …