Top-predators maintain biodiversity in an ecosystem by preventing any single species from becoming too numerous. Past research has shown that army ants are predominantly specialist predators of other ants, which are themselves highly abundant and have dominant ecological footprints in Neotropical rainforests. My research quantitatively addressed the dietary specialization of Neotropical army ants, to better understand the predator-prey dynamics promoting species coexistence in Panama. I performed field based experiments by presenting encountered army ant raids with odors derived from a range of potential prey-ant species, filming interactions, and measuring army ant recruitment rates and raid speeds as quantitative measures of specialization. We found that all army ant species tested only initiate predatory behaviors in response to specific prey-odors, allowing for food partitioning and coexistence.
