Effect of temperature and agricultural machinery on ant foraging inactivity and role of body size on metabolic rate

Abstract

Ants are insects extremely complex insects that have high behavioral plasticity in which allowed them to adapt to several environments. Ants forage at a circadian rhythm, but these patterns can be influenced by numerous factors, and may even cause foraging to be inactivated for several days. The factors that cause this behavior remain unknown. However, some hypotheses should be tested since they strongly influence the behavior of ants. The first hypothesis is that inappropriate weather conditions can cause inactivity in the foraging of ants, such as temperature. In fact, temperature is one of the factors that most influence foraging patterns in ants, so it is necessary to understand whether this factor is sufficient to cause inactivity and how it influences the energy expenditure of workers. Another issue is that, since these insects have a high behavioral plasticity, it is understandable to believe that ants present means of dealing with the scarcity of leaves after this period of inactivity. Another important factor is the use of agricultural machinery, as the damage caused by the tractor wheel can cause inactivity at the expense of leaf collection, but this still needs to be tested. Knowing the influence of these factors on foraging inactivity is essential for the knowledge of the behavior of these ants and their use in the management of these important pests.