Muhammad, Amira Aqilah and Mamat, Noorhidayah and Yong, Kien-Thai and Abdullah, Nurul Ashikin (2024) Not just any tree: the influence of leaf characteristics on the nest site selection of Asian weaver ants. Turkish Journal Of Zoology, 48 (7). ISSN 1300-0179, DOI https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0179.3202.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
The connection between plant species and nest site preference for the Asian weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina remains poorly understood despite their common occurrence in the urban areas of tropical regions. We predicted that plant species with specific leaf characteristics influence the nesting preference of Asian weaver ants, given that plant foliage is the main component of their nest structure. We studied the leaf characteristics of the tree species in which their nests were detected, including leaf shape, leaf apex shape, and leaf arrangement. Of the 206 total trees among the 20 tree species sampled, 185 trees from 18 tree species had at least one nest. Trees of the genus Lagerstroemia had the highest median nest abundance, whereas all Roystonea regia and Caryota no trees, and some Samanea saman trees, were not occupied by O. smaragdina. For the trees found to have O. smaragdina nests, the nest abundance in each tree ranged between 1 and 16 nests, with the majority having fewer than 10 nests per tree (4.38 +/- 4.45). Based on nest abundance, the oblong and elliptic leaf shapes (LS), the cuspidate leaf apex shape (LX), and the opposite leaf arrangement (LR) were the most used for nest construction, consisting of more than 50% of the total in each respective category. A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that O. smaragdina nest site preference is influenced by LX and LR but not by LS. Additionally, O. smaragdina nest abundance was negatively correlated to leaf surface ratio but insignificant for leaf surface area. These preferred qualitative and quantitative leaf characteristics determine the species of plants used as nesting sites to facilitate nest-building efficiency and the establishment of Asian weaver ant colonies.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Formicidae; foliage characteristics; Oecophylla; plant-insect interaction; tropical climate; urban ecosystem |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history Q Science > QL Zoology |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Institute of Biological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Jan 2025 02:49 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jan 2025 02:49 |
| URI: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/47646 |
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