| 3 | Wormlions prefer both fine and deep sand but only deep sand leads to better performance显示文摘Wormlions are small fly larvae that dig pits in loose soil to trap their prey. Similar to other trapbuilding predators, like spiders and antlions, they depend on the habitat structure for successful trap construction and prey catch. We examined whether sites at which wormlions are present differ in sand depth and particle size from nearby sites, at which wormlions are absent. Next, in the laboratory we manipulated both sand depth and type (fine vs. coarse) to determine their joint effect on microhabitat pref ere nee, the size of the con structed pit, wormlion movement, and their latency to respond to prey. We expected better performance by wormlions in fine and deep sand, and the sand in wormlions' natural sites to be finer and deeper. However, in only partial agreement with our expectations, wormlion sites featured finer sand but not deeper sand. In the laboratory, wormlions preferred both fine and deep sand, and moved more in shallow and coarse sand, which we interpret as an attempt to relocate away from unfavorable conditions. However, only deep sand led to larger pits being constructed and to a faster response to prey. The preference for fine sand could, therefore, be related to other ben efits that sand provides. Fin ally, body mass was a domi nant factor, interacting with the preference for both deep and fine sand: deep over shallow sand was more favored by large wormlions and fine over coarse sand by smaller ones. Our results suggest that several factors should be incorporated when studying microhabitat selection. | Michael A Bar-Ziv Darar Bega Aziz Subach Inon Scharf | 2019 | Current Zoology2019，65，4： | 0 |
| 4 | The value of spatial experience and group size for ant colonies in direct competition显示文摘Animals often search for food more efficiently with experience.However,the contribution of experience toforaging success under direct competition has rarelybeen examined.Here we used colonies of an individually foraging desert ant to investigate the value of spatial experience.First,we trained worker groups of equal numbers to solve either a complex or a simple maze.We then tested pairs of both groups against one another in reaching a food reward.This task required solving the same complex maze that one of the groups had been trained in,to determine which group would exploit better the food reward.The worker groups previously trained in the complex mazes reached the food reward faster and more of these workers fed on the food than those trained in simple mazes,but only in the intermediate size group.To determine the relative importance of group size versus spatial experience in exploiting food patches,we then tested smaller trained worker groups against larger untrained ones.The larger groups outcompeted the smaller ones,despite the latter's advantage of spatial experience.The contribution of spatial experience,as found here,appears to be small,and depends on group size:an advantage of a few workers of the untrained group over the trained group negates its benefits. | Aziz Subach Bar Avidov Arik Dorfman Darar Bega Tomer Gilad Mark Kvetny May Hershkovitz Reshef Susanne Foitzik Inon Scharf | 2023 | Insect Science2023，30，1： | 0 |
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