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Intraspecific aggression in the difficult ant, Technomyrmex difficilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Date Issued:
2010
Summary:
One mechanism allowing ant species to successfully invade new areas at a rapid pace is unicoloniality, the formation of large networks connecting colonies over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. These large networks of colonies, or "supercolonies" lack any form of intraspecific aggression, thus fighting between them is absent. I used aggression assays to study unicoloniality between colonies of the invasive difficult ant, Technomyrmex difficilis on the Florida Atlantic University Wilkes Honors College campus and a household located ~32 km northwest from the college. I found that for all trial combinations, no aggression took place among the ants. From these results, I conclude that T. difficilis does display unicoloniality in South Florida.
Title: Intraspecific aggression in the difficult ant, Technomyrmex difficilis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
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Name(s): Sollins, Benjamin H.
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Issuance: multipart monograph
Date Issued: 2010
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic resource
Extent: v, 8 p. : ill.
Language(s): English
Summary: One mechanism allowing ant species to successfully invade new areas at a rapid pace is unicoloniality, the formation of large networks connecting colonies over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. These large networks of colonies, or "supercolonies" lack any form of intraspecific aggression, thus fighting between them is absent. I used aggression assays to study unicoloniality between colonies of the invasive difficult ant, Technomyrmex difficilis on the Florida Atlantic University Wilkes Honors College campus and a household located ~32 km northwest from the college. I found that for all trial combinations, no aggression took place among the ants. From these results, I conclude that T. difficilis does display unicoloniality in South Florida.
Identifier: 779618601 (oclc), 3335456 (digitool), FADT3335456 (IID), fau:1412 (fedora)
Note(s): by Benjamin H. Sollins.
Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Honors College, 2010.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Technomyrmex difficilis
Ants -- Behavior
Insect colonies
Predation (Biology)
Held by: FBoU FAUER
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3335456
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Host Institution: FAU

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