THE EFFECT OF LABORATORY COLONY CONDITION ON THE TROPHALLACTIC INTERACTIONS OF CAMPONOTUS VAGUS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

Kanizsai, Orsolya and Maák, István and Lőrinczi, Gábor (2014) THE EFFECT OF LABORATORY COLONY CONDITION ON THE TROPHALLACTIC INTERACTIONS OF CAMPONOTUS VAGUS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE). ACTA ZOOLOGICA HUNGARICA, 60 (3). pp. 247-256. ISSN 0236-7130

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Abstract

In this study, our aim was to give a detailed evaluation of the trophallactic interactions among foragers of Camponotus vagus in outside-nest situation, and to find out which properties of trophallaxis may have a role in the information-flow among workers about current nutritional state of the colony. Measured parameters were the number and frequency of trophallactic interactions, the duration of trophallaxes, the frequency of different duration interactions, and the number and size-class of workers participating in trophallactic events outside the nest. Experiments were conducted both with starved and satiated colonies to examine the effect of feeding condition. We demonstrated that the dynamics of trophallaxis is a stable parameter; it was independent from the starvation level. Similarly,the number of partners and the size class distribution of the different sized worker pairs did not differ between the two colony states. Starvation level influenced both the frequency and mean duration of trophallactic interactions. The frequency-distribution of the duration of trophallactic events showed an exponential trend, i.e., the short term interactions were more frequent than the prolonged ones in both colony states. However, the rate of these two distinguished types of trophallaxis was different in the case of the two colony conditions. Different rates of the short term and prolonged interactions may provide information about the current nutritional requirements of the colony, enhancing the speed and efficiency of colony responses to feeding stress. Frequent short term trophallaxis may not only contribute to a high level of cooperation during retrieval of food among foragers, but also maintain the integration of colony members even outside their nest.

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