Estimation of haulage capacity and nest activity of different sizes of harvester ant (Messor galla forel) for major small grain cereals in Nigeria

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakari Goji Silas Turaki,
Keyword(s):  
Nest Activity ◽  
Harvester Ant

scholarly journals Cryptic lineages hybridize for worker production in the harvester ant Messor barbarus

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 20160542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Norman ◽  
Hugo Darras ◽  
Christopher Tranter ◽  
Serge Aron ◽  
William O. H. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Messor Barbarus ◽  
Harvester Ant ◽  
Mitochondrial Data ◽  
Genetic Caste Determination ◽  
Worker Castes ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Reproductive Division

The reproductive division of labour between queen and worker castes in social insects is a defining characteristic of eusociality and a classic example of phenotypic plasticity. Whether social insect larvae develop into queens or workers has long been thought to be determined by environmental cues, i.e. larvae are developmentally totipotent. Contrary to this paradigm, several recent studies have revealed that caste is determined by genotype in some ant species, but whether this is restricted to just a few exceptional species is still unclear. Here, we show that the Mediterranean harvester ant Messor barbarus possesses an unusual reproductive system, in which the female castes are genetically determined. Using both nuclear and mitochondrial data, we show that Iberian populations have two distinct, cryptic lineages. Workers are always inter-lineage hybrids whereas queens are always produced from pure-lineage matings. The results suggest that genetic caste determination may be more widespread in ants than previously thought, and that further investigation in other species is needed to understand the frequency and evolution of this remarkable reproductive system.

Identification of Cryptic Hosts for Two Inquiline Parasites of the Seed-Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex and New Localities for P. anergismus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-538
Author(s):  
Kirk E. Anderson ◽  
Sebastian L. Zeltzer ◽  
Rick P. Overson ◽  
William H. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Harvester Ant ◽  
New Localities

Breeding biology of the Critically Endangered Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a bird with a low productivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE BLANVILLAIN ◽  
THOMAS GHESTEMME ◽  
TEHANI WITHERS ◽  
MARK O’BRIEN
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Island Endemics ◽  
Nest Activity ◽  
Considerable Length ◽  
One Year

SummaryWe studied the breeding biology of Tahiti MonarchPomarea nigra, a ‘Critically Endangered’ forest bird endemic to Tahiti (French Polynesia). Nest activity was monitored from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2008 to 2015. During these 12 years, only 2–13 breeding pairs per year produced hatchlings. Egg-laying occurred all year, but usually increased between August and January, peaking around November. Of the 200 nests monitored, 33 (16%) were abandoned shortly after construction, 71 had an egg laid immediately after the nest were completed (34 %) and 96 nests (46 %) had a pre-incubation phase of 18.9 ± 1.9 days (3–62 days;n= 47 nests), during which the birds visited the nest on an irregular basis. Half (49 of 96) of these nests were abandoned before an egg was laid, with incubation subsequently commencing at the remaining nests (n= 47). Although both sexes incubated for an average of 13.6 ± 0.3 days (range 13–15), the female usually spent more time incubating than the male. Only one young per nest was ever observed. The average nestling phase was 15.5 ± 0.7 days (range 13 to 20 days). Parents continue to feed the young after fledging for 74 ± 4.7 days (range 42–174). As with many tropical island endemics, the Tahiti Monarch has low reproductive productivity as indicated by the fact that: 1) only 56% of pairs attempt to lay an egg in any one year, 2) most pairs attempt only one brood per year and 3) the considerable length of the nesting and fledging phases. Because of its low productivity, maximising the reproductive success of the Tahiti Monarch is essential to secure its recovery.

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