masterThesis
Ritmo de atividade de forrageio de Dinoponera quadríceps em ambiente natural
Fecha
2012-03-27Registro en:
MEDEIROS, Jeniffer da Camara. Ritmo de atividade de forrageio de Dinoponera quadríceps em
ambiente natural. 2012. 47 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Estudos de Comportamento; Psicologia Fisiológica) - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2012.
Autor
Medeiros, Jeniffer da Camara
Resumen
In order to characterize the seasonal and daily rhythm of Dinoponera quadriceps
foraging activity in natural environment, four colonies of D. quadriceps were observed
in an area of secondary Atlantic forest in northeastern Brazil. Data collection was
performed during 72 hours every three months during an annual cycle. Colonies of D.
quadriceps exhibited seasonal variation in foraging activity, peaking in the early dry
season, followed by a sudden decline at the end of this season and increasing again at
the late rainy season. The seasonal rhythm of foraging was positively related to the
duration of the daylight and luminosity, and negatively to the time of sunrise and
rainfall. Regarding the daily rhythm, foraging activity was predominantly diurnal
independent of season. At the early dry season, the colonies had two activity peaks, one
in the morning and another in the afternoon, with a decrease in foraging at midday,
while in the rest of the year foraging activity was distributed more evenly throughout
the daylight. The daily rhythm of foraging activity had a stronger and positive relation
with light intensity. The second most important factor determining the daily rhythm of
foraging was temperature that was also positively related for most of the year. Relative
humidity showed a weak and negative relation with the daily rhythm of foraging in just
one month of observation