Ant and Related Entomology Terms
(terms restricted to the study of social insects; such as, ants and words that apply generally to entomology)
At certain times of the year, alate ants fly and swarm around, and are also called alates.
In heterozygous pairings, one allele is usually dominant, and the other recessive. Complex traits, such as height and longevity are usually caused by the interactions of numerous pairs of alleles, while simple traits, such as eye color may be caused by just one pair.
It evokes a response that is adaptively favorable to the emitter but not to the receiver; for example, a lure used by a predator in attracting its prey.
- The head
- The thorax or mid-section.
- The abdomen or gastor.
Three pairs of legs are attached to the thorax, and like all insects, their bodies are encased in a hard, shell-like covering or exoskeleton and their legs are jointed.
The thorax can be broken down into two major parts: the alitrunk which contains the legs and wings, and the petiole which is found directly anterior to the gastor and is found only in ants.
Ants have mandibles (jaws) which are of varied structures. These varied structures provide for a plethora of functions ranging from grasping, tearing, cutting and other special tasks.
Most ants have a stinger at the end of the gastor. Some ants can release this stinger similar to the way honeybees do it. The stinger is only found in female ants and is a modified ovipositor (egg laying organ).
Ants have compound eyes which have not been shown to effect their behavior, although some ants seem to be able to detect movements. They have very sensitive antennae that are used for a wide array of communication.
Nearly all ants have a unique gland found on the petiole called the metapleural gland. Most importantly, this gland has been shown to contain antibacterial and antifungal chemicals which are essential for survival in the humid, dark nests in the ground or rotting vegetation.
This gland secretes an antiseptic substance that at times acts as a repellent to attacking organisms. It is also thought that the metapleural gland releases pheromones for communication.
Their varied mandibles are an irreplaceable tool for accomplishing the jobs necessary for the multiple behaviors displayed by various individuals of colonies.
The metapleural gland excretes antifungal and antibacterial materials that ants spread throughout their colonies through their wanderings. This protects their brood and their food supplies in the humid underground environment.
After selecting a nest site, a queen will begin laying eggs and caring for her brood. The first workers that develop assume brood care, leaving the queen to simply lay eggs.
Ant colonies can have single or multiple queens. The number of queens in multiple queen colonies varies by species, ranging from a few queens to nearly half the population in a colony.
Depending on the ant species, queens may live from months to years.
2. Males, that serve one purpose which is to mate or breed with the queen.Males typically die soon after mating or are forced to leave the colony and are normally alive solely during the colony's reproductive stage or period.
3. Workers, which are sterile, wingless females that form the main members of the colony.They perform the tasks necessary for the survival and growth of the colony; such as, foraging for or finding food, caring for the brood (eggs, larvae, plus the queen), and excavating or enlarging the nest.
Epiphytes are plants: such as, a tropical orchid or a staghorn fern, that grows on another plant upon which it depends for mechanical support but not for nutrients. They are also called aerophytes or "air plants".
One of the most complex mutualisms between plants and ants is the ant garden
To qualify as a true ant garden, the plants must benefit from the ant associations which is an aggregate of epipytes assembled by ants.
The ants bring the seeds of the epiphytes into their carton nests and as the plants grow, nourished by the carton and detritus brought by the ants, their roots become part of the framework of the ant nests.
The ants also feed on the fruit pulp, the elaiosomes (food bodies) of the seeds, and the secretions of the extra-floral nectaries.
- Monomorphic, all the same size.
- Dimorphic, of two sizes.
- Polymorphic, more than two sizes.
Workers divide labor, so some leave the nest to find food while most of them stay in the nest to take care of all of the other tasks which need to be done.
Here are two additional word units that deal directly with "ants": formic- and myrmeco-.
Index of additional Scientific and Technological Topics.
Bibliography of Entomology or Insect Terms (The Ants).