Current Work

Abstract

Most animals move to gain access to food, shelter, mates, and to escape predators and unfavorable environmental conditions (e.g., heat, wind, competition). However, while moving, environmental conditions often vary, which results in the utilization of various forms of locomotion or movement adjustment, particularly on unconventional terrain. For example, ants are fast runners and have the ability to navigate complex environments. Recent observations in the field suggest that ants alter their typical tripod gait to move through submaximal terrain. The purpose of my experiment is to quantify changes in gait kinematics and speed of Cephalotes atratus while running across dowels that vary in size, replicating semi-natural conditions like vines and twigs. In addition to gait and speed, behavioral changes (i.e., turning around, jumping off, slipping, and falling) was also quantified to determine the role of substrate diameter in behavior while actively foraging. The results of this study improve our understanding of how ants alter their kinematics and behavior when traversing a suboptimal surface.