Founding, Foraging, and Fighting: Colony Size and the Spatial Distribution of Harvester Ant Nests Author(s): Deborah M. Gordon and Alan W. Kulig Reviewed work(s): Source: Ecology, Vol. 77, No. 8 (Dec., 1996), pp. 2393-2409 Published by: Ecological Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265741 . Accessed: 28/09/2012 12:10 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecology. http://www.jstor.org Ecology, 77(8), 1996, pp. 2393-2409 (? 1996 by the Ecological Society of America FOUNDING, FORAGING, AND FIGHTING: COLONY SIZE AND THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF HARVESTER ANT NESTS' DEBORAH M. GORDON Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 USA ALAN W. KULIG Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 USA Abstract. This study examines how the spatial distribution of nests is related to the behavioral interactions of conspecific neighbors in a population of the seed-eating ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Colonies live for 15-20 yr, reaching reproductive age and a stable size at =:5 yr. Spatial distributions were measured for 6 yr (1988-1993) in a population of -::250 colonies of known age.