Table 1.
Seed species found in the nests of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius.
Each species is linked to its image below. Seeds were collected from 31 nests in 1989 and 9 in 2014. The frequency of each is shown in the columns as percent of total number of seeds. Each seed image has a link to return to this table, a link to the Atlas of Florida Plants at the University of South Florida (AOFP) and a link to the images of the plant specimens in the R.K. Godfrey Herbarium at Florida State University (FSU herbarium).
Table 2.
The species in Table 1 arranged alphabetically.
Fig 1.
Chamaecrista nictitans (Fabaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 2.
Cnidoscolus stimulosus 0.1% (Euphorbiaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 3.
Commelina erecta 0.7% (Commelinaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 4.
Crotalaria rotundifolia 0.1% (Fabaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 5.
Croton argyranthemus 0.1% (Euphorbiaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 6.
Croton michauxii 12.2% (Euphorbiaceae).
Seeds from P. badius nest; Top: close-up shows detail. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 7.
Chrysopsis lanuginosa (Asteraceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 8.
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 9.
Cyperus retrorsus 0.1% (Cyperaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 10.
Seeds from P. badius nest. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 11.
Dichanthelium commutatum 35.1% (Poaceae).
Top & middle; Seeds from P. badius nest; Top: close-up shows detail; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 12.
Digitaria sp. A 5.5% (Poaceae).
Upper panel shows immature seeds.Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 13.
Diodia teres 3.2% (Rubiaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 14.
Eriogonum tomentosum 0.1% (Polygonaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 15.
Euphorbia floridana (Euphorbiaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 16.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 17.
Galactia volubilis 0.1% (Fabaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 18.
Gaylussacia dumosa 0.2% (Ericaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 19.
Hypericum hypericoides (Clustaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 20.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 21.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 22.
Lespedeza hirta 1.7% (Fabaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 23.
Magnolia grandiflora (Magnoliaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 24.
Magnolia virginiana (Magnoliaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium
Fig 25.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 26.
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 27.
Paspalum setaceum 29% Poaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; middle: seeds from herbarium; bottom: seeds collected from plants in the field. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 28.
Paspalum notatum 0.2% Poaceae).
Lower panel: fresh seeds. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 29.
Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 30.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 31.
Pinus palustris 0.0% (Pinaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 32.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 33.
Polygonella gracilis 2.4% (Polygonaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 34.
Rhus copallinum 0.2% (Anacardiaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 35.
Rhus glabra 3.7% (Anacardiaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 36.
Rubus trivialis 0.5% (Rosaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 37.
Rumex hastatulus (Polygonaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 38.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 39.
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 40.
Senna obtusifolia 0.0% (Fabaceae).
Seed morphology is highly variable, as seen in these three examples. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 41.
Smilax auriculata 0.1% (Smilacaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 42.
Stillingia sylvatica (Euphorbiaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 43.
Stylisma humistrata 0.2% (Convulvulaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 44.
Stylosanthes biflora (Fabaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 45.
Tradescantia ohiensis 0.2% (Commelinaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 46.
Trichostema dichotomum 2.6% (Lamiaceae).
Top: seeds from P. badius nest; bottom: seeds from herbarium. Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 47.
Vicia sativa –uncertain ID .5% (Fabaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 48.
Vitis rotundifolia (Vitaceae).
Table 2 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 49.
Fig 50.
Fig 51.
Fig 52.
Fig 53.
Fig 54.
Fig 55.
Fig 56.
Fig 57.
Fig 58.
Table 3.
Seeds found at the study site, Ant Heaven, but not in the nests of harvester ants.
Each species name is linked to its image below. These species are only a small sample of those found at Ant Heaven.
Fig 59.
Agalinis tenuifolia (Orobanchaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 60.
Bulbostylis ciliatifolia (Cyperaceae) Field seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 61.
Carphephorus odoratissimus (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 62.
Crocanthemum carolinianum (Cistaceae) Field seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 63.
Crotalaria purshii (Fabaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 64.
Elephantopus tomentosus (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 65.
Froelichia floridana (Amaranthaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 66.
Gelsemium sempervirens (Gelsemiaceae) Field seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 67.
Hieracium gronovii (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 68.
Hypericum tenuifolium (Clustaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 69.
Ilex glabra (Ericaceae) Field seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 70.
Ilex vomitoria (Ericaceae) Field seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 71.
Liatris tenuifolia (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 72.
Lupinus villosus (Fabaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 73.
Palafoxia integrifolia (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 74.
Penstemon multiflorus (Plantaginaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 75.
Polypremum procumbens (Tetrachondraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 76.
Sabatia brevifolia (Gentianaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 77.
Sericocarpus tortifolius (Asteraceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Fig 78.
Seymeria cassioides (Orobanchaceae) Herbarium seed.
Table 3 / AOFP / FSU Herbarium.
Table 4.
Species distribution among families.
Seed species represented 20 plant families, with the most species from the Fabaceae, followed by Poaceae. Ten families were represented by more than one species, and 12 by a single species each.
Fig 79.
The relative weights of seeds (relative to the smallest) and sizes of ants.
Silhouettes show seeds from P. badius nests that the ants are able to open (blue) and unable to open (pink). P. badius major and minor workers are shown to the same scale. Ants can open only the smallest of this array of seeds. Details can be found in Tschinkel and Kwapich [21]. The seed list is not complete, but is representative of the total. Seed silhouette positions on the abscissa are in approximate order of their relative weights. The number in each seed silhouette is the U.S. Standard testing sieve on which the seed was retained. Ant images modified from antweb.org. Photos by April Nobile: minor worker:URL: https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0104423&shot=p&number=1. Major worker: https://www.antweb.org/bigPicture.do?name=casent0103057&shot=p&number=1.