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Taxonomy
Formicidae
EOL Text
In some parts of the world, including the United States, ant species have been accidentally brought in from other continents. These invader ants are causing a lot of problems.
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Ants
Ants are small.
But ants don't have a beard at all.
They're under the ground almost all the time,
But they just don't know how to rhyme.
Out your door and beneath your feet,
They're digging nonstop, with every heartbeat!
- Poem written by William in Ms. McCurdy's 3rd Grade Class, North Falmouth Elementary School.
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A few genera are divided into parts, reflecting distinct characters sets outlined in Table 1.
1. Two distinct, long, narrow spines or lobes present on apical portion of abdominal sternum IX (Fig. 3a) or, if absent, then mandibles extremely elongated, distinctly longer than head, and volsella massive, claw-shaped, directed dorsally. Pygostyles absent........................................................... Cerapachyinae
- Spines or lobes absent on apical portion of abdominal sternum IX or the apical portion bilobed, with each lobe very wide (Fig. 3b). Mandibles not elongated, distinctly shorter than head. Volsella moderate, not claw-shaped, not directed dorsally. Pygostyles present or absent......................................................2
2. Abdominal segment III much smaller than segment IV in lateral view (Fig. 3c)....................................3
- Abdominal segment III nearly as large as segment IV in lateral view (Fig. 3d)......................................4
3. Hind tibia with two spurs (Fig. 3e)......................................................................... Pseudomyrmecinae
- Hind tibia with one spur or without spurs (Fig. 3f) ............................................................. Myrmicinae
4. Anal region of hind wing vestigial. Oblique mesopleural furrow reaching pronotum close to its posteroventral corner (Fig. 4a)...................................................................................................... Proceratiinae
- Anal region of hind wing well developed. Oblique mesopleural furrow not reaching pronotum, its anterior termination well separated from the pronotum (Fig. 1a)..................................................................5
5. Petiole (abdominal segment II) broadly and dorsally attached to abdominal segment III; dorsal constriction between petiole and abdominal segment III very shallow or indistinct in lateral view (Fig. 4b......... ........................................................................................................................................ Amblyoponinae
- Petiole (abdominal segment II) narrowly and ventrally attached to abdominal segment III; dorsal constriction between petiole and abdominal segment III deep in lateral view (Fig. 6a)...6
6. Scuto-scutellar suture usually longitudinally sculptured. Forewing clearly with cross vein 2rs-m (Fig. 1b); if vein weak then at least with vestigial branches on Radial sector and Media. Scape short, not reaching posterior margin of head in full-face view (Fig. 5c). Constriction between abdominal segments III and IV present in some cases.............................................................................................. Ponerinae
- Scuto-scutellar suture not longitudinally sculptured. Forewing usually without any trace of cross vein 2rs-m (Fig. 4c). Scape short (Fig. 4d) or long (Fig. 2a). Constriction between abdominal segments III and IV absent...........................................................................................................................................7
7. Many minute, serrate teeth present on masticatory margin of mandible (Fig. 4d), or, if teeth absent, then scape not reaching posterior margin of head in full-face view........................................ Dolichoderinae
- Several larger teeth present on masticatory margin of mandible (Fig. 2a). Scape long, distinctly exceeding posterior margin of head in full-face view (Fig. 2a)........................................................ Formicinae
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Communication is resilient: Temnothorax ants
Communication behaviors in Temnothorax ants are resilient because they have evolved as anytime algorithms.
"Tandem runs are a form of recruitment in ants. During a tandem run, a single leader teaches one follower the route to important resources such as sources of food or better nest sites. In the present study, we investigate what tandem leaders and followers do, in the context of nest emigration, if their partner goes missing. Our experiments involved removing either leaders or followers at set points during tandem runs. Former leaders first stand still and wait for their missing follower but then most often proceed alone to the new nest site. By contrast, former followers often first engage in a Brownian search, for almost exactly the time that their former leader should have waited for them, and then former followers switch to a superdiffusive search. In this way, former followers first search their immediate neighbourhood for their lost leader before becoming ever more wide ranging so that in the absence of their former leader they can often find the new nest, re-encounter the old one or meet a new leader. We also show that followers gain useful information even from incomplete tandem runs. These observations point to the important principle that sophisticated communication behaviours may have evolved as anytime algorithms, i.e. procedures that are beneficial even if they do not run to completion." (Franks et al. 2010:1697)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Franks NR; Richardson TO; Keir S; Inge SJ; Bartumeus F; Sendova-Franks AB. 2010. Ant search strategies after interrupted tandem runs. Journal of Experimental Biology. 213: 1697-1708.
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Ants are found just about every habitat on land except the very coldest. All ant species need sheltered places to nest and take care of their offspring. Most species nest underground, but some nest in trees. Some very small ant species can make nests inside acorns and other small hiding places.
Adult ants can live in drier conditions than many other invertebrates, but ant eggs and young need humid conditions to survive.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; polar ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; taiga ; desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; chaparral ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest ; mountains
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp ; bog
Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Formicidae/ |
Colonies distribute food after famine: Temnothorax ants
Colonies of Temnothorax ants distribute food effectively and safely after famine using multiple techniques, including food dilution, strategic food location within community, and living 'silos'.
"Resource distribution is fundamental to social organization, but it poses a dilemma. How to facilitate the spread of useful resources but restrict harmful substances? This dilemma reaches a zenith in famine relief. Survival depends on distributing food fast but that could increase vulnerability to poisons. We tested how Temnothorax albipennis ants solve this dilemma in the distribution of honey solution after 48 h of starvation in four colonies with individually marked workers. We constructed the complete network of liquid food transmission (trophallaxis) between individuals. Within the first 30 min of famine relief, 95% of the workers received food and the distribution rate was an order of magnitude faster compared to the controls. We tested the assumptions of a simple analytical model that best fitted our data. Good mixing during famine relief was facilitated by the movement of internal workers away from the brood pile and the movement of foragers with food away from the nest entrance. This is intriguing because T. albipennis workers have spatial fidelity zones and in the controls internal and external workers were segregated. We discovered that colony vulnerability to poisons during famine relief might be mitigated by: (1) the dilution of food from the same source through mixing, (2) the concentration of food in workers positioned midway between the colony centre and its periphery and (3) the existence of living 'silos'. The latter are expendable foragers, who stay inside the nest and store food during famine relief, thus acting as potential disposable testers for food toxicity." (Sendova-Franks et al. 2010:473)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Sendova-Franks AB; Hayward RK; Wulf B; Klimek T; James R; Planqué R; Britton NF; Franks NR. 2010. Emergency networking: famine relief in ant colonies. Animal Behaviour. 79(2): 473-485.
- Viegas J. 2010. Poison-taster ants help save colonies. Discovery News [Internet],
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Most ants are females. In fact only the princes are males. Nearing mating season the queen produces large amounts of male unfertilized egg to cope up with the short supply of males and ensure successful breeding. During mating seaon a number of ants swarm outside their colony to take part or root for for the "marriage fligt" wherein prince and princess ants take off from their colony , mate in the air and fly off to a new place to start a new colony. The only role of male ants is to mate with the queen and they die alone shortly after mating.
- http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/harvant.html
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Collaborating for group decisions: honeybees
Honeybees collaborate when foraging, selecting a new hive through knowledge sharing.
"Researchers at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led by principal researcher Feniosky Pena-Mora, are looking at ways to improve human collaboration during disaster relief efforts. They are attempting to draw inspiration from the collaboration patterns that honeybees use in their decision-making process when selecting a new hive or foraging, ants' behavior when they are under threat, and how infectious diseases spread among human populations. The team includes biological, computer, and social scientists, and civil engineers. The team believes that civil engineers should be a fourth group of first-responders at disaster relief efforts involving critical physical infrastructures. The researchers will develop ad hoc communication networks to spread critical information among first responders, similar to how a virus spreads. Models of collaboration based on study of ants and bees may be useful in understanding the basic principles and best practices when developing strategies to coordinate knowledge sharing in chaotic social settings." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
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Ant species eat many different foods. Some specialize in sugary liquids like nectar and the "honeydew" produced by aphids and other insects (see Aphididae). Many eat other Insecta and other small animals, and scavenge dead meat. Some others specialize in eating seeds or fungus. Ants drink from dew, rain drops, and puddles, and sometimes they get their moisture from their food (like nectar).
Many ant species store food in their nests, especially the seed-eating ants. Others eat fungus that they grow in their nest. Ants that find a big food source leave a chemical trail, so that their nestmates can find the food too. Pretty soon there is a busy column of ants going back and forth from the nest to the food source.
Leaf-cutter ants live in warm climates, they cut up leaves and carry them into their nests underground. They eat the fungus that grows on the leaves. Army ants and driver ants roam through jungles and tropical habitats eating any animals they can find. They are big ants with sharp jaws, and there are many thousands of them in a group. They will eat any animals, even large ones, that they can catch.
Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Formicidae/ |
Relationship provides nutrients, protection: ant-plants and ants
Ant-plants and their ant lodgers gain nutrients and protection thanks to their mutualistic relationship.
"One group of plants, the ant-plants, provide even more lavish accomodation for their ant-lodgers. They are epiphytes, and are very common growing on the branches of mangroves. In such a position, without roots in the ground, they are in particular need of mineral nutrients. Their guests provide it. The ant-plant's stem is swollen into a globe the size of a football and armoured on the outside by prickles. Ants swarm all over it, scurrying in and out of holes on the surface. Within, there are a number of large interconnected chambers. Some are the ants' living quarters. There the queen sits, steadily producing her eggs, and there too are the nurseries where the young larvae are kept and reared. These apartments have smooth light-coloured walls. But other chambers are different. These have darker walls which are covered with small warty outgrowths. Here the ants deposit the remains of their insect meals and their droppings. Both are rich in phosphates and nitrates, exactly the nutrients that the plant badly needs since, hanging on the branches of a mangrove tree in a brackish swamp, it is cut off from the soil. It absorbs them through the walls of these compartments and so is able to flourish in one of the most difficult and impoverished of habitats for a plant. But it can only do so because its insect lodgers pay rent by feeding it." (Attenborough 1995:209-211)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.
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