Abstract

NOVOA, Sidney; REDOLFI, Inés  and  CERONI, Aldo. Daily activity pattern of the Camponotus sp. ant on the flowering buttons of the Neoraimondia arequipensis subsp. roseiflora ( Werdermann & Backeberg ) Ostolaza cactus. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2005, vol.4, n.1-2, pp.77-81. ISSN 1726-2216.

Monitoring of the daily activity of the Camponotus sp. ant over the Neoraimondia arequipensis subsp. roseiflora ( Werdermann & Backeberg ) Ostolaza cactus was investigated at Umarcata hills, lower Chillon river basin, Lima, Peru. There were three visits to this site: on September 2003, January and August 2004. In each visit, hourly, for a 24-hour period, the number of working-ants on the button surface on the moment that the observer set his or her eyes on the floral button ( n=7 buttons on each of 10 plants ) was registered. Results show that the activity pattern of Camponotus sp. on these three visits was unimodal, with a maximum between 6 and 7 pm, and a minimum between 6 and 7 am. Similarly, Camponotus sp. presented greater dynamism during night hours. Ant daily activity is not related to temperature, nor relative humidity, but it might be related to photoperiod and the cactus-food offer, which might be reaching its highest nectar production peak during the night, similarly to many other nocturnal flowering cacti.

Keywords : Camponotus sp.; arid ecosystem; ant-cactaceae; Neoraimondia arequipensis subsp; roseiflora; daily activity pattern.

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