The Dramatic Life of Camponotus saundersi
Habitat
The amazing Camponotus saundersi is
most commonly found in the southern part of Asia. (Bluthgen 2010).
Malaysia, a country found in the southern region of Asia, is known for
its wet, tropical rainforests. According to MOSTI (Ministry of Science,
Technology) the monsoon season in Malaysia usually commences in early
November and ends in March. Monsoons, which are periods of heavy
rainfall, create a perfect environment for these little critters. In
other words, the area that this species particularly thrives in is moist,
warm, and dense with humidity.
. colobopsis,
is morphologically similar and shares many traits with C. saundersi.
Therefore we are able to use C. colobopsis species to generalize
the overall characteristics. Within the habitats of the creatures, nests
were found exclusively inside the domatia of M. puncticulata. Due
to this life style there is strong intraspecific competition for host
plants during several stages of the colony development. This was
observed through the pushing of queens to inhabit the same young plant.
A battle, if you will, of the most powerful queen. All and all, the
relationship between the plant and the ant is a beneficial one. The ants
reduce other competitors that would take up the space, and resources of
the M. puncticulata plant, and the plant gives the ant protection
and shelter.
The process of colonizing one of these saplings goes a bit like this. The queen ant flies around until she discovers a perfect Macaranga puncticulata leaf. After landing, she crawls up and down repeatedly, looking for the largest diameter of the plant. She then, if not disturbed, sheds her wings and begins to chew a hole at the most favorable spot and crawls in, sealing the opening behind her. At this point, she usually doesn’t leave, and after a month the first working ants appear and break through the sealed opening (Federle et al. 1998).
To see how this organism adapts to better thrive in its habitat, be sure to continue to the form and functions page!