Active modification of cavity nest‐entrances is a common strategy in arboreal ants

• Published in: Biotropica Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 857 - 867
• Main Authors: Priest, Galen V., Camarota, Flávio, Vasconcelos, Heraldo L., Powell, Scott, Marquis, Robert J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Ants; Brazilian savanna; canopy ants; Cavities; Cerrado; Construction materials; Dead wood; Enlargement; experimental cavities; Field tests; Holes; Neotropical ants; Nesting; nesting resources; Nests; Plant species; Species; trees; Tropical climate; Wood

The majority of tropical arboreal ant species nest in tree cavities. These cavities, often produced initially by wood‐boring beetles, can be in live or dead wood and represent long‐lasting and highly defensible nesting resources. Yet the size of cavity entrances can constrain their use. Active entra...