1983] 
Gordon — Pogonomyrmex badius 
421 
TIME PERIOD 
Figure 2. 
Mean temperature on the soil surface, both directly under the lamp and on the 
opposite side of the tank, plotted as a function of the times of measurement. 
because results may be affected by the times of day at which data are 
collected (e.g., Gordon 1983d and 1983b). 
The results show that, though colonies are similar to one another, 
distinct colonies have distinct activity rhythms (Figure 1). Thus, 
intercolony variation should also be taken into account when 
designing experiments. The main point of this study, then, is not 
that the activity rhythms of P. badius are those shown in Figure 1, 
but that each colony exhibits some temporal pattern of activities. In 
every colony, certain tasks are undertaken at characteristic times. 
Clearly, we need to consider temporal patterns when we endeavor to 
understand the social organization of the ant colony. 
