Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard
Weaver ants, Oecophylla spp., are famous for being efficient biological control agents as they prey on a variety of insects, and they are capable of suppressing a large number of pest species. Here, the search rate and functional response of Oecophylla longinoda were investigated in a Tanzanian mang...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/817251 |
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| author | Thora Samsø Fast Jørgen Aagaard Axelsen Gina Kier Lynegaard Maulid Mwatawala Joachim Offenberg |
| author_facet | Thora Samsø Fast Jørgen Aagaard Axelsen Gina Kier Lynegaard Maulid Mwatawala Joachim Offenberg |
| author_sort | Thora Samsø Fast |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Weaver ants, Oecophylla spp., are famous for being efficient biological control agents as they prey on a variety of insects, and they are capable of suppressing a large number of pest species. Here, the search rate and functional response of Oecophylla longinoda were investigated in a Tanzanian mango orchard using feeding experiments. This was done by following the removal of prey, which constituted the foundation for estimating the search rate by aid of the Nicholson-Bailey and Lotka-Volterra models. The overall mean search rate was 3.2 ×10-4 and 1.7 ×10-4 over 30 minutes, when calculating the search rate using the Nicholson-Bailey equation and the Lotka-Volterra equation (modified Holling equation), respectively. The functional response investigations showed a linear relationship between removed prey and available prey, suggesting type I functional response or, alternatively, the initial phase of type II functional response. The results presented here are probably the first attempt to identify the functional response type of a colony of living predatory eusocial insects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fd25dcbc0b6b429bb8459896c221c5f0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-fd25dcbc0b6b429bb8459896c221c5f02025-02-03T01:00:52ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382015-01-01201510.1155/2015/817251817251Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango OrchardThora Samsø Fast0Jørgen Aagaard Axelsen1Gina Kier Lynegaard2Maulid Mwatawala3Joachim Offenberg4Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, DenmarkDepartment of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, DenmarkDepartment of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, DenmarkDepartment of Crop Science and Production, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, TanzaniaDepartment of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, DenmarkWeaver ants, Oecophylla spp., are famous for being efficient biological control agents as they prey on a variety of insects, and they are capable of suppressing a large number of pest species. Here, the search rate and functional response of Oecophylla longinoda were investigated in a Tanzanian mango orchard using feeding experiments. This was done by following the removal of prey, which constituted the foundation for estimating the search rate by aid of the Nicholson-Bailey and Lotka-Volterra models. The overall mean search rate was 3.2 ×10-4 and 1.7 ×10-4 over 30 minutes, when calculating the search rate using the Nicholson-Bailey equation and the Lotka-Volterra equation (modified Holling equation), respectively. The functional response investigations showed a linear relationship between removed prey and available prey, suggesting type I functional response or, alternatively, the initial phase of type II functional response. The results presented here are probably the first attempt to identify the functional response type of a colony of living predatory eusocial insects.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/817251 |
| spellingShingle | Thora Samsø Fast Jørgen Aagaard Axelsen Gina Kier Lynegaard Maulid Mwatawala Joachim Offenberg Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard |
| title_full | Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard |
| title_fullStr | Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard |
| title_full_unstemmed | Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard |
| title_short | Search Rate and Functional Response of a Eusocial Insect (Oecophylla longinoda) in a Tanzanian Mango Orchard |
| title_sort | search rate and functional response of a eusocial insect oecophylla longinoda in a tanzanian mango orchard |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/817251 |
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