Overview

Omnipresent in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems and of undisputed ecological and economical importance, the study of social insects is an area that continues to attract a vast number of researchers. As a consequence, a huge amount of information about their biology and ecology has accumulated. Distilling this scattered information into a highly focused reference, Food Exploitation by Social Insects: Ecological, Behavioral, and Theoretical Approaches unites traditional behavioral and ecological studies with theoretical and mathematical models. The book covers foraging ecology and behavior of social insects, their communication mechanisms, and theoretical models of important aspects. It examines two different but inseparably interlaced levels of social insect foraging: the macroscopic or colony level and the microscopic or individual level. The chapters include discussions of foraging decisions, patterns and strategies of social insect colonies, and information use and information transfer between workers. The book provides examples of how this biological knowledge can be used as a basis for the construction of mathematical and neural network models that in return may increase understanding of social insect foraging. The contributors provide a fresh look on their topics, covering a wide range of subjects and recent scientific developments that are unprecedented in breadth and depth. The coverage of ants, bees, and wasps in one resource is a unique feature of the book. This taxonomic content combined with the variety of research approaches, allows the book to provide deeper insight into the subject.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stefan Jarau ,  Michael Hrncir
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   CRC Press Inc
ISBN:  

9781420075618

ISBN 10:   1420075616
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   21 May 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Electronic book text
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Measuring the Adaptiveness of Social Insect Foraging Strategies: An Empirical Approach, N.E. Raine and L. Chittka Social Cues and Adaptive Foraging Strategies in Ants, C. Detrain and J.-L. Deneubourg Individual and Social Foraging in Social Wasps, R.L. Jeanne and B.J. Taylor Season-Dependent Foraging Patterns: Case Study of a Neotropical Forest-Dwelling Ant (Pachycondyla striata; Ponerinae), F.N.S. Medeiros and P.S. Oliveira Foraging Range and the Spatial Distribution of Worker Bumble Bees, D. Goulson and J.L. Osborne How to Tell Your Mates: Costs and Benefits of Different Recruitment Mechanisms, M. Beekman and A. Dussutour Social Information Use in Foraging Insects, E. Leadbeater and L. Chittka Local Enhancement, Local Inhibition, Eavesdropping, and the Parasitism of Social Insect Communication, W.O.H. Hughes and E.J. Slaa The Role of Scents in Honey Bee Foraging and Recruitment, J. Reinhard and M.V. Srinivasan Trophallaxis: A Mechanism of Information Transfer, W.M. Farina and C. Gruter Mobilizing the Foraging Force: Mechanical Signals in Stingless Bee Recruitment, M. Hrncir Chemical Communication During Food Exploitation in Stingless Bees, S. Jarau The Use of Scent Marks by Foraging Bumble Bees, D. Goulson Information Transfer and the Organization of Foraging in Grass- and Leaf-Cutting Ants, F. Roces and M. Bollazzi An Evolutionary Simulation of the Origin of Pheromone Communication, Y. Nakamichi and T. Arita Mathematical and Neural Network Models of Medium-Range Navigation During Social Insect Foraging, A. Cheung Social Insects and the Exploitation of Food Sources: Concluding Thoughts, S. Jarau and M. Hrncir Index

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