Publications scientifiques
Messop‐Youbi Edith Blandine
Autres affiliations : University of Buea
Fomekong Lontchi Judicael
Aléné Desirée Chantal
Champlain Djiéto‐Lordon
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Prey fragmentation and transport modalities were studied in <i>Myrmicaria opaciventris</i>, <i>Platythyrea conradti</i>, <i>Cremtogaster</i> sp., <i>Crematogaster clariventris</i>, <i>Tetramorium aculeatum</i> and <i>Oecophylla longinoda</i>, six tropical ant species with varying levels of adaptation to foraging in the tree canopy. Termites and grasshoppers of different sizes were used as prey and deposited on a hunting arena. After prey capture, we investigated the strategy adopted by each ant species to fragment and transport their prey. The data were analyzed with classification tree, using Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection method to find the variation in prey fragmentation strategies and transportation modalities between arboreal ant species in relation with prey type and prey size. The results showed that prey fragmentation did not occur systematically after capture and varied between ant species with prey type and prey size. Studied ant species cut their prey either completely into tiny pieces or partially into two or three large pieces before cutting them totally into tiny pieces or not at all. Fragmentation strategy, induced variation in transport modalities including (a) transport of large pieces, each by a single worker; (b) transport of large pieces, each, by a group of workers; (c) transport of tiny pieces after total cutting, and (c) transport of entire prey in the nest without fragmentation. Prey fragmentation and transport modalities varied between ant species in relation with their level of adaptation to arboreal area.
