Intraspecific aggression trials were conducted on July 29,2008. A total of 24
pairings of colonies were used. Some source colonies were used more than once, but all
pairings were unique. There were 24 total pairings: 8 replicates of pairings with the same
sugar level but different protein type, 6 replicates of pairings with different sugar levels
but the same protein type, 6 replicates of pairings differing in sugar level and protein
type, and 4 replicates of pairings of the same sugar level and protein type. In order to
distinguish between the two treatments of crazy ants in aggression trials, workers were
coated with either pink or green fluorescent powder (Day Glo Color Corp. Cleveland,
Ohio, USA) using a small paintbrush in an intermediate holding container a few minutes
before they were added to the Petri dish. After the ants had ceased grooming and
resumed moving about the container, they were placed into the Petri dish. Aggression
and fighting data were recorded for 5 minutes, and the number of dead ants of each color
was recorded at 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. As a control, the average mortality of un-
powdered crazy ants kept in a Petri dish for 2 hours was tested.
Because data were non-normal, even with transformations, a Wilcoxon signed
rank test was used to determine if peak interaction score varied significantly when colony
pairs differed by protein type, sugar level, both, or neither. The same test was also used
to determine if diet differences affected mortality after 1 or 2 hours. Additionally, a
Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare 1 and 2 hour mortality of all pairings of
different colonies and powdered controls of 10 workers from the same colony and
unmanipulated controls of 5 workers from the same colony.
Crazy ants receiving different diets vs. fire ants
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