Respiratory physiology and water relations of three species of Pogonomyrmex harvester ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Abstract
The respiratory physiology and water relations of three harvester ant species ( Pogonomyrmex rugosus Emery, P. occidentalis [Cresson] and P. californicus [Buckley]) were examined at three temperatures (15, 25 and 35°C) using a flow‐through respirometry system. As intact ants tended to be active during testing, we performed a parallel set of experiments on individuals rendered motionless by decapitation. Both intact and decapitated ants exhibited discontinuous ventilation. Decapitation caused metabolic rate (V˙CO 2 ) and burst frequency to decrease in all three species. Burst volume either remained constant or increased after removal of the head, though mass‐specific V˙CO 2 was unaffected except in P. rugosus . Mass‐specific V˙CO 2 s of headless harvesters were comparable with published values derived from motionless specimens of other ant species. The mean Q 10 for intact ants of all three species was 2.37; for decapitated insects the mean was 2.32. Respiratory water constituted a small (< 5%) fraction of total loss, and we believe that discontinuous ventilation does not act to conserve water in these organisms, although it may serve other functions.

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