Rates of seed removal by ants at heath and woodland sites in southeastern Australia.

This article describes the rates of seed removal, estimated using a baiting technique that is tested for its reliability, by the seed-eating ants in adjacent heath and woodland sites in southeastern Australia. The baiting technique consisted of monitoring the removal of seeds placed on a light covering of sand inside modified Petri dishes, which were placed on the ground after clearing the immediate few centimeters of litter. The dishes had lids and an opposing pair of entrances cut in their sides to allow access by ants, but excluded vertebrates and minimized disturbance by rain and wind. Baits were often found disturbed during preliminary trials, presumably by birds or mammals; this was overcome by covering them with 1 cm mesh wire cages. Since natural rates of seed removal cannot be measured directly, the likely reliability of results obtained from baits was determined by testing the influence of various artificial factors associated with the baiting technique.