Oecologia

, Volume 44, Issue 2, pp 281–282 | Cite as

Is the mound ofFormica polyctena foerst. in orgin a simulation of a rock

  • D. Ch. Brandt
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Summary

The red wood antFormica polyctena builds a mound of dead vegetable material which is accumulated into a sort of loose thatch. Some taxonomic relatives ofFormica nest beneath rocks and the two nest types are closely related in a physical sense. Possibly this similarity is more than just coincidental. The hypothesis is suggested that the mound ofFormica polyctena has evolved as a simulation of a rock.

Keywords

Physical Sense Taxonomic Relative Nest Type Vegetable Material Dead Vegetable 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1980

Authors and Affiliations

  • D. Ch. Brandt
    • 1
  1. 1.Zoological Laboratory, Department of EcologyUniversity of LeidenLeidenthe Netherlands

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