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First published online August 4, 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 3103-3107 (2005)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2005
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01735

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Shaken, not stirred: a serendipitous study of ants and earthquakes

John R. B. Lighton^1,* and Frances D. Duncan²

¹ Department of Biology, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
² School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, PO Wits 2050, South Africa

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Trail direction ratio (TDR; see text) as a function of temperature at ant height (4 mm) in a foraging trail of a Messor pergandei colony. Filled circles: data from E-day; Landers earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The earthquake struck at the lowest temperature (05:58 h, 28 June, 1992). Temperature is a primary determinant of ant behavior, and also serves to separate data points in time; higher temperatures correspond to later times on all days. Other symbols: control days, all recordings starting at approximately the same time as on E-day. Empty squares, 29 June 1992; filled squares, 2 July 1992; crosses, 3 July 1992. Testing the null hypothesis by ANCOVA (slopes equal) yielded P>0.2. The common slope is 0.0142. Testing the null hypothesis (intercepts equal) yielded P>0.15. The common intercept is 0.138. The regression line for E-day is third from the top.

View larger version (17K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Trail running speed as a function of temperature at ant height in a foraging trail of the same Messor pergandei colony as in Fig. 1. Symbols as in Fig. 1. Testing the null hypothesis by ANCOVA (slopes equal) yielded P>0.1. The common slope is 0.241 cm s–1 deg.–1. Testing the null hypothesis (intercepts equal) yielded P=0.08. The common intercept is –2.34 cm s–1. The negative intercept reflects departure, outside the foraging temperature window, from a linear model of running speed/temperature. This figure shows inbound speed (towards the colony), which was slightly (16%) faster and less variable than outbound speed, which also showed no E-day effect (see text).

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Aerobic catabolism as a function of temperature at ant height in a foraging trail of the same Messor pergandei colony as in Fig. 1. Symbols as in Fig. 1. Trail catabolism measurements were not available early on the second control day (filled squares, 2 July 1992). Testing the null hypothesis by ANCOVA (slopes equal) yielded P>0.15. The common slope is 0.295. Testing the null hypothesis (intercepts equal) yielded P>0.2. The common intercept is –3.14. The common slope corresponds to a Q10 of 10(10x0.295) or 1.97.

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