Recapture studies of the harvester ant, <i>Pogonomyrmex owyheei</i> Cole, using a fluorescent marking technique

Abstract

Abstract. Mark—recapture sampling must be stratified because populations of foragers and defenders are partitioned by trunk trails and order of emergence respectively. Foragers and defenders form overlapping subsets of the total colony population, each of which is correlated with total colony population size. Foragers and defenders have an average life expectancy of approximately 2 weeks. The fluorescent marking procedure did not significantly affect harvester ant mortality and only temporarily affected their behaviour. Combinations and mixtures of fluorescent ink allow at least eight groups in a colony to be distinctly marked for periods exceeding 4 months.