Why ants are so successful
It appears that ants were the first, and remain the only, social insect predators to utilize the moist, dark dirt and rotting vegetation for nesting. Since ants shed their wings after mating, they can crawl into a much smaller space than their relatives, the wasp. The wasp has wings and a relatively large thorax which limits where it can nest. The ant retains some of the weapons of the wasp, i.e. the stinger and other chemical weapons, which make the ant a mean and efficient predator.
One of the greatest advantages for ants is their social behavior. Working as a colony with specialized duties, they are more efficient than non-social insects in getting necessary jobs done. For example, when you have a number of individuals solely responsible for feeding larvae, there is a higher likelihood that the larvae will be fed by at least one individual. Other ants in the colony are responsible for bringing food to the feeders. Others are responsible for bringing food into the colony, etc. The feeders are specialized to complete their single task, and, therefore, do not have to succeed at a great number of tasks to get the food to the larvae.
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.
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Science Education Connection Department of Biochemistry The University of Arizona Tuesday, April 29, 1997 warder@u.arizona.edu
http://biology.arizona.edu/sciconn/lessons/shindelman/ |