In this study, we assessed possible adaptations of E. procera’s
foraging system to its spatiotemporally unpredictable diet. We
determined its food preferences in detail by offering a wide range of
wild-growing mushrooms. In addition, mushroom growing sites
were monitored systematically to survey their predictability as a
food source in space and time. To evaluate how the ants’ foraging
strategy is adapted to the growth patterns of mushrooms, we
recorded the colonies’ entire trail network over a period of 1 month.
Owing to the expected unpredictable growth and the ephemeral
character of mushrooms, we expected to find a nonpermanent,
highly flexible trail system consisting of only short-lived trails,
which should be quickly created once a mushroom appears and
quickly abandoned as soon as it disappears.