How do ants carry food?

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How Ants Carry Food: Mechanisms and Strategies

Cooperative Food Transport in Ants

Collective Transport in Pheidole oxyops

Ants often engage in cooperative transport to move large food items back to their nests. In the Neotropical ant Pheidole oxyops, minor workers collectively transport larger dead insects, with 29% of items and 78% of the total mass being transported collectively. The ants exhibit a non-random configuration, with more ants positioned at the corners of the food item, which increases carrying speed by up to 29%.

Load Transport in Messor barbarus

The seed-harvesting ant Messor barbarus uses two primary methods to transport food: carrying and dragging. The choice between these methods depends on the mass and linear dimensions of the food item. Larger ants tend to drag heavier items, while smaller ants are more efficient in terms of relative transport rate, making them more beneficial for the colony's food transport tasks.

Overcoming Obstacles

When ants encounter obstacles during cooperative transport, they exhibit bi-stable dynamics, alternating between oscillatory and convergent modes of motion. This behavior helps them navigate around obstacles, demonstrating an emergent problem-solving strategy at the group level .

Individual and Sequential Food Transport

Trail Development and Food Quantity

Ants may develop a trail tract between the food source and the nest depending on the quantity of food available. For instance, species like Pheidole roberti and Monomorium pharaonis are more likely to create a trail when the number of food particles exceeds a certain threshold, facilitating efficient transport.

Load-Size Selection Based on Food Quality

In leaf-cutting ants like Acromyrmex lundi, the size of the load selected by recruited workers is influenced by the quality of the food. Workers recruited to higher quality food sources (e.g., higher sugar concentration) tend to cut smaller fragments and exhibit faster transport speeds, although this does not necessarily translate to higher individual efficiency.

Nutritional Strategies and Food Sharing

Nutritional Challenges and Foraging Behavior

Ant colonies, such as those of Odontomachus hastatus, adjust their foraging behavior and energy storage strategies in response to nutritional challenges. They regulate the amount of food entering the nest and allocate workers to different tasks based on the colony's nutritional needs, demonstrating a flexible and adaptive approach to food collection .

Liquid Foraging and Biophysical Constraints

Foraging for liquid food presents unique challenges. Some ants, like those in the genus Diacamma, use different methods to transport liquid based on its viscosity. They may switch from drinking to mandibular grabbing to optimize the amount of liquid food returned to the nest, highlighting their ability to adapt to varying conditions.

Conclusion

Ants employ a variety of strategies to transport food, ranging from cooperative efforts to individual and sequential methods. Their ability to adapt to different food types, quantities, and environmental challenges underscores their efficiency and resilience as foragers. These behaviors not only ensure the survival of the colony but also illustrate the complex and dynamic nature of ant foraging strategies.