Synchronized group retrieval of honeydew by Prenolepis ants in Singapore

Tropical forests show exceptionally high diversity of ant species. In Borneo, up to 717 species and 52 subspecies have been recorded (Pfeiffer et al. 2011). The numerous factors that account for niche separation are incompletely understood. Different ant species include predators, scavengers and herbivores (feeding on honeydew excreted by aphids and scale insects), and a great variety of foraging strategies are used (Lanan 2014). Moreover, a large range of body sizes means that the same lifestyles can be repeated multiple times at different scales (Peeters & Ito 2015). Another important factor are diel differences (24-hour period) in foraging activity among ant assemblages (Carroll & Janzen 1973, Yamane et al. 1996). In tropical rainforest on Borneo, baits on trunks were primarily occupied by ground ants during day-time, and arboreal ants at night (Hashimoto et al. 2010). Furthermore, ground ants preferred honey baits while arboreal ants preferred tuna baits, indicating that ground ants forage in the canopy to acquire carbohydrate nutrients, mostly during day-time (Hashimoto et al. 2010). (Copied from article)