The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance, foraging performance, and competition in cavity dwelling ants

Human disturbance including rapid urbanization and increased temperatures can have profound effects on the ecology of local populations. Eusocial insects, such as ants, have adapted to stressors of increasing temperature and urbanization, however these evolutionary responses are not consistent among populations across geographic space. Here we asked how urbanization and incubation temperature influence critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and various ecologically relevant behaviors in three ant species in urban and rural locations in Worcester, MA, USA. We did this by incubating colonies of three species of cavity dwelling ant (Aphaenogaster picea, Tapinoma sessile, and Temnothorax longispinosus) from 2 habitat types (Rural and Urban), for 60-days at multiple temperatures. We found that incubation temperature, urbanization and species of ant all significantly affected overall colony critical thermal maximum. We also found that recruitment time, colonization time and defense response were si..., , , # The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance, foraging performance, and competition in cavity dwelling ants

Human disturbance including rapid urbanization and increased temperatures can have profound effects on the ecology of local populations. Eusocial insects, such as ants, have adapted to stressors of increasing temperature and urbanization, however these evolutionary responses are not consistent among populations across geographic space.

Here we asked how urbanization and incubation temperature influence critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and various ecologically relevant behaviors in three ant species in urban and rural locations in Worcester, MA, USA. We did this by incubating colonies of three species of cavity dwelling ant (*Aphaenogaster picea, Tapinoma sessile,* and *Temnothorax longispinosus*) from 2 habitat types (Rural and Urban), for 60-days at multiple temperatures.

Included here are the .csv files with data from the project and r code for the anal...