Standard energy metabolism of a desert harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex rugosus: Effects of temperature, body mass, group size, and humidity
- Univ. of California, Los Angeles (USA)
Pogonomyrmex rugosus is an important seed predator in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. Its standard rate of O{sub 2} consumption (Vo{sub 2}) varied significantly with temperature. The ratio of the Vo{sub 2} values at 10{degree}C increments in body temperature, Q{sub 10}, also varied with temperature; methods of calculating Vo{sub 2} from temperature with a shifting Q{sub 10} are described. Vo{sub 2} also varied with body mass. Vo{sub 2} was inversely related to relative humidity and was independent of group size. The rise in Vo{sub 2} at low relative humidities was caused by increased activity and resulted in higher rates of net water loss. The primary metabolic adaptation to xeric conditions in P. rugosus appears to be a lower-than-predicted metabolic rate.
- OSTI ID:
- 5514216
- Journal Information:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Vol. 85:13; ISSN 0027-8424
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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