Tandem communication improves ant foraging success in a highly competitive tropical habitat

Abstract Tropical ants experience intense intra- and interspecific competition for food sources, which influences their activity pattern foraging strategies. Even though different ant species can coexist through spatial temporal niche partitioning, direct cannot be avoided. Recruitment communication is assumed to help colonies monopolize exploit sources successfully, but this has rarely been tested under field conditions. We studied if recruitment helps of the Neotropical Pachycondyla harpax more successful in a highly competitive tropical environment. Additionally, we explored differentiation focal avoid competition. competed with dozens food. Mass-recruiting competitors were often displacing P. from baits. However, when foragers able recruit nestmates they had 4-times higher probability keep access Colonies unlikely displaced during our observations after few arrived at source. Competition was sunset, disproportionate increase sunset allowed successfully sunset. Our results support hypothesis that by helping them establish critical mass large resources. This indicates even small colony size slow method, such as tandem running, benefit