Communal peeing: a new mode of flood control in ants

@article{Maschwitz2000CommunalPA,
  title={Communal peeing: a new mode of flood control in ants},
  author={Ulrich Maschwitz and Joachim Moog},
  journal={Naturwissenschaften},
  year={2000},
  volume={87},
  pages={563-565}
}
Abstract The behavioral response of the obligate bamboo-nesting ant Cataulacus muticus to nest flooding was studied in a perhumid tropical rainforest in Malaysia and in the laboratory. The hollow internodes of giant bamboo, in which C. muticus exclusively nests, are prone to flooding by heavy rains. The ants showed a two-graded response to flooding. During heavy rain workers block the nest entrances with their heads to reduce water influx. However, rainwater may still intrude into the nest… 
View on Springer
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
15 Citations
Background Citations
6

15 Citations

Dual response to nest flooding during monsoon in an Indian ant

It is concluded that focused studies of the monsoon biology of species that dwell in such climatic conditions may help to appreciate how organisms deal with, and adapt to, extreme seasonal changes.

Convergent evolution of levee building behavior among distantly related ant species in a floodplain ant assemblage

The convergent evolution in distantly related ant species of a behavioral trait that minimizes costs of flooding: the construction of earthen levees around nest entrances is reported.

High Survival of Lasius niger during Summer Flooding in a European Grassland

The observed ant species proved to be flood resistant despite experiencing such extreme climatic events very rarely, and the omnipresence of this dominant ant species 1 month after the flood indicates that the colonies were able to survive a 3-week summer flood.

Unveiling a Ghost of Amazonian Rain Forests: Camponotus mirabilis, Engineer of Guadua Bamboo 1

High foliar nitrogen concentration in occupied than in control stems suggests that coccids and ants parasitize host resources, and isotopic analyses fail to show that occupied culms utilize either nitrogen from carton or carbon respired by ants or decomposing debris.

ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS O Bambu Merostachys fi scheriana (Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) como Habitat para Formigas de Floresta Tropical Montana

The plant’s morphology allowed the occurrence of additional species of ants in the canopy and infl uenced the composition of the entire ant assemblage.

[The bamboo Merostachys fischeriana (Bambusoideae: Bambuseae) as a canopy habitat for ants of Neotropical Montane Forest].

The plant's morphology allowed the occurrence of additional species of ants in the canopy and influenced the composition of the entire ant assemblage.

Nematode associates and bacteria in ant-tree symbioses

It is hypothesized that with this new type of two-step association the ants obtain and recycle scarce nutrients in a system where the specific ants are highly adapted to the association, and depend exclusively on plant resources as they do not hunt and forage off the plant.

Behavioural traits mediating effects of two plant-ants on their specific myrmecophyte host

The results suggest that prey capture may be important as a source of food for Petalomyrmex, in addition to its function in increasing plant-provided resources through protection.

The structure and importance of nest mounds in a tropical ant Diacamma indicum

Nest mounds are an integral part of many subterranean insect species, and they aid in thermoregulation, gaseous exchange, and flood prevention and this will impact the colonies' fitness.

Ant-Plant Diversity in Peninsular Malaysia, with Special Reference to the Pasoh Forest Reserve

The overview of ant-plants in Peninsular Malaysia presented here covers: (i) diversity of participating ant and plant taxa; (ii) specificity of associations; (iii) morphological diversity of plant…

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 18 REFERENCES

Flood Control by Ants: Water-Bailing Behaviour in the Southeast Asian Plant-Ant Genus Cladomyrma Wheeler (Formicidae, Formicinae)

The ability of Cladomyrma to remove water from its nest site appears to be an adaptation to their obli-gate colonization of myrmecophytes(ant-plants), which protects their hostplants against herbivores and prune (at least in part) encroaching vegetation.

Nesting biology of the mangrove mud-nesting ant Polyrhachis sokolova Forel (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in northern Australia

  • M. Nielsen
  • Environmental Science
    Insectes Sociaux
  • 1997
The nest sites of the mud-nesting ant Polyrhachis sokolova were studied in Darwin Harbour mangroves and the nesting behaviour with trapped air in the galleries is necessary for survival in these environments.

Life Strategies of Ants in Unpredictable Floodplain Habitats of Alpine Rivers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The ant communities of 2 distinct ecological groups in 3 adjacent stretches of the Upper Isar (Germany) was analysed and it was demonstrated, that peak floods are necessary to provide suitable habitats for some ant species of pristine floodplains which do not survive in more densely vegetated habitats.

The arthropod community of bamboo internodes in Peninsular Malaysia: microzonation and trophic structure

Bamboo internodes are among the most species-rich of all phytotelmata and several factors contribute to this extraordinary diversity: the nutrients that become available from the decomposition of the internode wall; the secluded and therefore well protected terrestrial zone above the water surface; and the occurrence of different types of internodes that provide a panoply of different ecological conditions.

The two-partner ant-plant system of Camponotus (Colobopsis) sp. 1 and Macaranga puncticulata (Euphorbiaceae): natural history of the exceptional ant partner

Summary: In the tropical peat swamp forests of South-East Asia, the ant-plant Macaranga puncticulata is specifically associated with Camponotus (Colobopsis) sp. 1 (Formicidae: Formicinae), a member…

The natural history of Polyrhachis (Myrmhopla) muelleri Forel 1893 (Formicidae Formicinae), a weaver ant with mimetic larvae and an unusual nesting behaviour.

Habitat selecton, plant specificity, competition, nestbuilding, and other aspects of the behavioural ecology of P. muelleri are discussed.

The biology of leaf nesting ants in a tropical wet forest

The observed differences between the four species reflect the great taxonomic distance between them and indicate that each evolved the leaf nesting habit independently rather than through a common leaf nesting ancestor.

Sodium Uptake by Puddling in a Moth

Cationic analyses showed puddling to lead to systemic sodium gain, a potential benefit to Gluphisia, whose larval food plant is low in sodium, which is transferred to the female at mating, for eventual incorporation into the eggs.

Flood control by ants: water-bailing behaviour in the south-east Asian plantant genus Cladomyrma Wheeler (Formicidae

  • Formicinae). Naturwissenschaften
  • 1997

The evolution of communal nest-weaving in ants.