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Nest-moving by the polydomous ant Cataglyphis iberica

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Abstract

In this paper we analyze emigration from nests by the polydomous ant Cataglyphis iberica. Social carrying of workers of this species between different nests of the colony is frequent. In Bellaterra (Barcelona, NE Spain), we monitored field emigration of C. iberica by noting for each nest the migratory behavior of C. iberica workers and, when the nests were attacked by another ant species, Camponotus foreli, we noted the number of C. foreli workers involved in the attacks. Emigration of C. iberica from nests was highly variable. We suggest the main factor determining emigration by this species was attack by workers of C. foreli, so emigration from C. iberica nests was much faster when harassment by C. foreli increased. The system of multiple nests of C. iberica enables this species to abandon attacked nests and to reinstall their population in other nests of the same colony. This reduces risk to the colonies because the route between the different nests is well known by transporter workers.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partly funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (BOS2003-01536 to X.C.). An earlier version of the manuscript was written during different stays of X.C. and J.R. at the LEEC (Université Paris Nord) supported by Spanish-French grants from MEC (HF93-133B and HF94-345B). X.C.’s stay at IRBI was supported by a sabbatical grant from MEC (PR2004-0539). We are grateful to Rocío Requerey and Elena Angulo for bibliographic assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté Poly-disciplinaire, Département des Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Université Caddi Ayyad, Safi, Morocco

    Abdallah Dahbi

  2. Unitat d’Ecologia i CREAF, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Javier Retana

  3. IRBI, Institut de Recherches sur la Biologie de l’Insecte, UMR CNRS 6035, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Faculté des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200, Tours, France

    Alain Lenoir & Xim Cerdá

  4. Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Apdo. 1056, 41080, Sevilla, Spain

    Xim Cerdá

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  1. Abdallah Dahbi
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  2. Javier Retana
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  4. Xim Cerdá
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Correspondence to Javier Retana.

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Dahbi, A., Retana, J., Lenoir, A. et al. Nest-moving by the polydomous ant Cataglyphis iberica . J Ethol 26, 119–126 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-007-0041-4

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