Nest architecture and social parasites of the pyramid ant, Dorymyrmex bureni

The pyramid ant, Dorymyrmex bureni, is one of the most common and conspicuous ants of open, sandy habitats in the southeastern US. To examine the architecture of D. bureni nests in different habitats, I made wax casts of the subterranean tunnels and chambers of nests in a disturbed college campus site (n=3) and a relatively undisturbed greenway preserve site (n=5). Nests of pyramid ant, Dorymyrmex bureni, consist of two basic units : horizontal chambers and descending shafts connecting them. Chambers near the surface are tunnel-like with branches arranged in a nexus, while deeper chambers were more compact in outline. Chamber height is more or less constant, but chamber shape becomes more complex and lobed in characteristic ways as chambers enlarge. Nests have a top-heavy distribution of chamber area at all sizes because chambers are larger and closer together in the upper nest regions.