polydomy
English
Noun
polydomy (uncountable)
- (entomology) The situation where an ant colony is established across multiple nest sites.
- 1987, Jörg Eder, Chemistry and biology of social insects, page 35:
- Thus polydomy ensues when an entire colony breaks up into several nesting aggregations.
- 1990, Bert Hölldobler, The Ants, page 390:
- The outpost phenomenon probably accounts for many cases of polydomy, defined as the dispersal of the colony into multiple nest sites.
- 1995, Andrew F. G. Bourke, Social Evolution in Ants, page 187:
- Although this uncertainty exists, the lack of absolute male bias confirms that seasonal polydomy is not a major influence on the population sex ratio.
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Antonyms
- monodomy
Derived terms
- polydomous