Schedules of Foraging Activity in Species of Ants

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Abstract
Soil surface temperatures at which colonies of ants forage were measured for 11 communities. Magnitude of the ranges utilized increased with both elevation and latitude, but was unrelated to species diversity. Foraging periods are adjusted by natural selection to minimize foraging activity during the times of year when food is not sufficiently abundant to make foraging profitable. The particular temperatures utilized for foraging activities reflect the season of relative food abundance for that species. As the foraging temperature ranges become broader with increases in elevation and latitude, the overlap in foraging time between species becomes greater. [Campanotus vicinus, Conomyrma insana, C. bicolor, Crematogaster emeryana, Formica altipetens, F. ravida, Formica sp., Iridomyrmex pruinosum, Myrmecocystus kennedei, M. mexicanus, Pheidole gilvescens, P. xerophila, Pogonomyrmex californicus, P. occidentalis, P. owyheei, P. rugosus, Solenopsis xyloni, Tapinoma sessile, Veromessor andrei and V. pergandei were discussed.].