Ants: general characteristics
Ants are insects that live in almost all corners of our planet, with the exception of Greenland and Antarctica, as well as some oceanic islands. They populated not only steppes and forests, but also deserts. There are 13.5 thousand species of ants, 300 of them are common in our country.
Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera, phylum of arthropods, class of insects, family of ants. These are social insects, clearly divided into three castes: males, females, and workers. These little hardworking creatures cannot live alone, so they always create colonies.
How are mosses different from ferns?
Mosses cannot be confused with ferns because mosses:
In addition, mosses are not tree-like and appeared on the planet before ferns.
Physiological features
The body structure of these insects is divided into three parts, covered with a chitinous shell: the head, as well as the chest and abdomen connected by a thin waist. The eyes, which consist of many lenses, distinguish movement, but do not produce a clear image. Ants move with the help of six thin legs with claws at the ends, which allow the insect to climb upward.
The antennae, segmented, are located on the head. These are organs of touch that not only detect odors, but also feel the vibration of the soil and the movement of air currents. The structural features of the insect and the size of the ants depend on their species, as well as their status in the colony. On average it ranges from 1 mm to 3 cm.
The largest individuals in some species are females, in others their size is no larger than the size of working individuals. Females have wings that fall off after the mating season. The colors of ants can vary from black, red, yellow and brown to unusual green or bluish. Ants are difficult to classify, since twin species and numerous hybrids are common in nature. Only specialists can distinguish them by appearance.
What's the harm?
Many species of ants are considered beneficial to humans, but two species - turf and garden ants (black and red) - cause harm to gardens and vegetable gardens. In particular, these insects use the sweet secretions of sucking pests as an additional (and sometimes the main) source of nutrition. For this reason, ants protect aphids, psyllids, scale insects and false scale insects from attacks by enemies, and contribute to their settlement and reproduction. And our plants are left with bloodless leaves, contaminated with sticky honeydew, which serves as a breeding ground for sooty fungi.
In addition, the inhabitants of anthills damage the roots, eat the seeds in the soil without leaving a trace, and gnaw on seedlings and seedlings with appetite.
How long do ants live?
This depends on a number of factors. The type of insect and caste, habitat, season - these are the main reasons that influence how long ants live in natural conditions. Worker ants live on average from one to three years. Smaller species have shorter lifespans than their larger relatives. Surprisingly, ants in cold regions live longer than their tropical relatives.
Males live for several weeks. During this period, they bring the only benefit to the population: they take part in mating. They are then destroyed by the colony or become prey to predators. The longest-living individual in the ant kingdom is the queen. In some species, its lifespan reaches 20 years.
Types of ants
Ant queen
- Female (queen) ants - the main job is to lay eggs.
- Worker ants build, clean and repair the anthill.
- Guards - protect the entrance from attacks by foreign ants and other insects.
- Breadwinners - get food for the whole family.
- Nannies - monitor the condition of larvae, eggs and pupae.
- Educators - take care of the young animals, walk them and teach them.
- Food Keepers – Responsible for the quality and storage of food.
- Doctors take care of the sick and wounded.
- Farmers grow mushrooms.
Stages of building an anthill
The construction of an ant house begins with the appearance of the sexually mature generation. Under favorable conditions, the queen (queen) lays ant eggs. Subsequently, the workers take care of them. Sexually mature females and males leave their anthill to build a new colony and reproduce.
It is interesting to watch how ants build an anthill. First, they find and carefully examine a site for a new home. It is important for them that there are no dead ants in the selected area; it is advisable that there be “hunted” prey there (a large caterpillar, a frog, a beetle, a pile of sugar, seeds and mushrooms). The place should be in the shade, have normal humidity and ventilation.
Ants build a common house from various blades of grass, leaves, earth, and bark. The building material is carefully crushed and glued together with ant glue. The work is carried out very carefully and thoroughly, for centuries. Construction continues around the clock as the ant colony grows rapidly. Almost all their lives, these hard workers build their home, increasing it both in depth and height.
What is moss and where does it grow?
Mosses, also known as bryophytes, are spore-bearing plants that have a stem and green leaves, but lack roots, a vascular system, flowers and seeds. Scientists, however, do not consider the organs of mosses to be real stems and leaves, but we will not go into scientific subtleties now.
Mosses are small plants. Most land mosses reach only a few centimeters in height. There are midgets that are five times smaller than a millimeter. But among aquatic mosses there are real giants with a meter-long stem. The modest size of mosses is probably due to the absence of a conducting system. Without it, how would they deliver water and nutrients to all ends of the large body?
Exterior view of the ant house
An anthill outwardly resembles a mountain of blades of grass, twigs, and pieces of soil, but in reality it is a well-organized dwelling, inside of which interesting life is in full swing. From above, the anthill structure is a cone-shaped mound with small openings-entrances. This shape is not accidental - it allows the anthill to be well warmed up by the sun, not to get wet when it rains, and to receive the necessary access to oxygen.
Over the years, the anthill grows to several meters in height. Raindrops that fall on the outer layer do not penetrate inside. The open entrances, which are guarded by a large army of soldiers, are ventilation shafts through which air constantly flows into the ant house. In the Tomsk region, scientists discovered a huge anthill 3 meters high and about 5 meters in diameter. Experts believe that this structure took about 20 years to build.
Supercolonies, the largest anthill in the world
A supercolony occurs when many ants over a large area come together. They recognize species differences in order to mate, but within a supercolony they avoid aggression.
Until 2000, the largest known ant supercolony was located on the Ishikari coast of Hokkaido, Japan. There are 306 million worker ants and one million queens living in 45,000 nests connected by underground passages over an area of 2.7 km 2 (670 acres).
2000, a huge supercolony of Argentine ants is discovered in Southern Europe. Of 33 populations, covering 6,004 kilometers along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Southern Europe. Thirty belong to one supercolony with many millions of nests and a billion workers.
The researchers argue that this case of unicoloniality is not explained by a loss of genetic diversity.
In 2009, it was proven that the largest Japanese, Californian, European Argentine ant supercolonies are part of a single global “megacolony”. This intercontinental megacolony represents the most populous animal society on earth, excluding humans.
Another supercolony, approximately 100 km (62 mi) in size, discovered near Melbourne, Australia, 2004.
Internal organization
From the inside, the anthill amazes with the thoughtfulness and well-functioning work of the builders. Inside, this structure is a collection of passages - an anthill, with many exits and various chambers. The structure goes deep underground, is divided into two parts and houses a whole colony of hardworking inhabitants.
Insects spend most of their time in the upper tier and live here during the warm season. The chambers are well heated, and all conditions for raising offspring are created here. The lower part, which goes one and a half to two meters underground, has similar structures. It is designed for wintering insects that wait out cold weather underground and store food reserves.
Each part is divided into chambers that perform specific functions:
- Queen's room. The queen lives in it and lays eggs there. It is looked after by worker ants who lay eggs.
- Egg storage. The ants bring eggs here and ensure that conditions are provided for their development.
- Chamber for larvae. The hatched ants are shaped like worms and are characterized by their insatiable gluttony. They are placed several in one chamber and provided with food.
- The anthill structure also includes a food storage room. Moreover, there are separate rooms for grains, seeds, insect parts, and aphids.
- Garbage storage warehouse.
- Wintering room.
The chambers are connected by numerous passages, which are carefully guarded by soldier ants. With the onset of cold weather or the approach of danger, the openings of the ant house close.
Do ants have enemies and who destroys anthills in the forest? These insects have plenty of enemies. If in the city even pets - dogs or cats - can cause damage to an anthill, then in the forest bears pose a great danger to them. The clubfooted owner of the taiga uses his clawed paw to rake anthills to feast on larvae and ants. Hedgehogs, like mice, will not refuse a light snack if they encounter an anthill on their way.
Many of us have known about the structure of ant homes since school, and most know that they cannot be destroyed. Unfortunately, the reality is different.
Myrmecologists are engaged in serious research into the life of these hardworking insects.
Orientation by mosses and lichens
This is perhaps one of the most popular ways to navigate the area. The trunks of large trees in the forest, aspens, poplars, fir, and cedars from the north are covered with various lichens and mosses due to excess moisture. Even if the entire tree is overgrown with moss, from the north its thickets are denser and wetter. This is noticeable if you examine the trunk at the bottom. On boulders, screes and kurumniks from the north of the stones you can also observe thickets of moss and lichen. These are plants that cannot tolerate direct sunlight, bright light and intense heating. The soil north of the rocks feels wetter to the touch.
How does a colony appear?
To find out how the life of ants proceeds in an anthill, you need to start with the birth of new offspring. Once a year, male and female ants emerge from the eggs, ready to reproduce. Females have wings and fly in different directions to mate.
Males die after fertilization, and females go in search of a place to create a new colony. Having discovered it, the female bites off her wings to obtain the necessary nutrients and begins to actively lay eggs.
At first, she survives thanks to an impressive layer of fat, but when the first representatives of the offspring are born, they provide the uterus with everything it needs. The queen ant mates only once, but she has enough sperm to last her entire life to reproduce.
other methods
Forest inhabitants will help tourists navigate the terrain without a compass or map. The squirrel inhabits only hollows protected from the prevailing winds. Insect paths on tree trunks are often on the south side. Migratory birds fly north in the spring and south in the fall. In spring, the snow begins to melt on the southern slopes of hollows and ravines, and the grass here is subsequently thicker and taller. In summer, on hot days, there is lush grass on the northern side of buildings, stones, and forest edges. The soil is drier and berries ripen earlier on southern slopes.
Using a nail, a sewing needle, or a piece of wire, you can make a homemade tourist compass. At the same time, you need to understand that it will point to the magnetic pole and there will be a small error. This piece of steel must be magnetized by rubbing it on wool. In one case, it can be tied on a long thread by the center of gravity, it will rotate and stop in the north-south position. In another case, a magnetized needle is placed on a dry leaf in a small pond, the needle will indicate the north-south direction.
Given all the knowledge about orienteering without a compass, you should remember that you should not use one or two methods. Use your knowledge repeatedly, test it and if several observations are correct, the group will find the right direction.
How to navigate by the cardinal directions if you are in the forest? and got the best answer
Answer from Condorita[guru] I navigate in the forest by lichens (my grandfather taught me as a child), everything else is below
There are several ways to navigate in the forest without a compass: by tree branches by rings on a cut tree by lichens on stones and a tree trunk by spring melting of snow (if it’s early spring) by an anthill By tree branches If you look at the diagram, you can see that a separate tree has fewer branches on the north side. We stand facing north and determine the rest of the world. From the rings of a cut tree, it will be clear from the cut of a stump that the rings are located (displaced) to the north and extend to the south. We stand facing North and define South, East and West. By lichens If you look closely at the tree trunk, you can easily notice: on the north side of the tree trunk there is more moss. The same rule applies to stones - moss grows on the north side. According to the spring melting of snow If you get lost in the forest in early spring, then you should pay attention to the melting of the snow: on the north side the snow melts noticeably longer. By anthill The most famous and popular method: the anthill has a gentle slope in the south - and a sharper, steeper slope in the north, just as anthills are usually located south of the tree. Determining the cardinal directions If you turn your face to the NORTH, then there will always be SOUTH behind, WEST on the left, EAST on the right. the bark of most trees is coarser on the north side, thinner, more elastic (birch is lighter) on the south; in pine, the secondary (brown, cracked) bark on the north side rises higher along the trunk; on the north side, trees, stones, wooden, tiled and slate roofs are covered earlier and more abundantly with lichens and fungi; on coniferous trees, resin accumulates more abundantly on the south side; anthills are located on the south side of trees, stumps and bushes; in addition, the southern slope of the anthills is gentle, and the northern slope is steep; in spring, the grass cover is more developed on the northern edges of the clearings, warmed by the sun's rays; in the hot period of summer - on the southern, shaded ones; berries and fruits acquire the color of maturity earlier (turn red, turn yellow) on the south side; in summer, the soil near large stones, buildings, trees and bushes is drier on the south side, which can be determined by touch; snow melts faster on southern slopes; as a result of thawing, notches are formed on the snow - “spikes” directed to the south; in the mountains, oak often grows on the southern slopes. Other features: clearings in large forest areas, as a rule, are oriented in the north-south and west-east directions; the numbering of forest blocks in the USSR goes from west to east and further to the south;
A real tourist is never lost, he is simply exploring new territory! But what do you do in an unfamiliar wilderness if you don't have a compass or GPS with you? There are a number of orientation methods that allow you to do without a compass and navigation devices.
Interesting life inside an anthill
Ants live in large colonies that persist for several years. All members of such a colony are relatives. From a social point of view, an anthill for ants can be considered a city, the population of which is divided into castes and is perfectly organized. Experts believe that a parallel civilization is developing under our feet.
If people interact through speech, facial expressions and gestures, then ants communicate by exchanging food and using smells: each ant has a unique smell, and each colony has special shades of aromas. Thanks to them, insects can sense that a stranger has entered their home. In addition, ants interact using pheromones. This is how they inform their relatives about danger or the place where food is located.
Forest “light bulbs” and “lighthouses”
In order not to get lost in the forest, you need to select clearly visible landmarks in advance, which help determine the location, direction of movement and measure the distance to the intended points along the route. The writer A. Avdeenko in his book “Above the Tisa” talks about his hero Kablukov like this:
“The thick fog did not prevent Kablukov from finding his way. By signs scattered here and there along the patrol path, he easily determined where he was. Here is the rocky bed of a ditch, washed by spring rains, which means that more than a third of the path has already been passed. After fifty steps there should be the stump of an old oak tree. Yes, that's right, here it is. In seven minutes, through the thickness of the fog, the bare trunk of an oak tree, broken by lightning, will blacken, then, on the other, on the right flank, a large boulder will appear, deeply rooted in the ground.”
In areas of the forest affected by honey fungus, there are peculiar, unusual landmarks - “light bulbs”. You are walking in the silence of the forest at night, and suddenly in the impenetrable darkness bright lights of phosphorescent light flash: the growing ends of the rhizomorphs of honey mushrooms glow. Rhizomorphs
are plexuses of honey fungus mycelium, very long, shiny black-brown cords, similar to electrical cords. As many rhizomorphs are around, there are as many “light bulbs”.
Honey fungus usually settles on stumps and other rotting remains of wood. The mycelium of the honey fungus, covered with a dense shell, is highly branched under the bark of trees, especially weak ones, penetrates with its branches into living wood, sucks the juices out of it and destroys the tree. The ends of the mycelium (rhizomorphs), protruding outwards, glow like bright miniature light bulbs. On a summer night, forest “beacons” can indicate the way along a winding taiga path. These are rotten things
, sparkling with phosphoric fire.
Rotten stumps phosphorescent most brightly. Trembling luminous streams “flow” from top to bottom along them. Myriads of bacteria nest here. Bioluminescent microbes contain complex chemicals - luciferin and luciferose. Different bacteria have their own fluorescents, differing in luminescence intensity and color. These lights gave rise to many superstitions. But the cold light at night has a simple explanation. This is bioluminescence
, that is, a living glow, especially active in windy weather, with an abundance of oxygen and moisture. It doesn't stop around the clock. So, in order to avoid wandering in the forest at night when returning from a route taken during the day, it is advisable to remember in advance the location of rotting trees or dilapidated stumps, which will serve as kind of light indicators along the way; in addition, orientation by moss or anthill will help you find the right direction.
If you are a fan of frequent walks and long hikes in the forest, then you need to have many useful survival skills in the wild. Such knowledge includes the ability to navigate the terrain well without a compass. There are a variety of natural landmarks, and one of these is an anthill.
Caste division
Most of the colony consists of worker ants. Half of them provide coziness and comfortable living inside the building, the other takes care of food supplies and is engaged in external construction of the house. The hierarchy is headed by the female, who is more often called the queen or queen. It is she who, having been fertilized at a young age, produces offspring throughout her life and finds a place for an anthill.
After two weeks, ants appear, usually a worker clan. It is they who begin the construction. A small part of the colony consists of young males. Their fate is unenviable - after the female is fertilized, they die within two weeks.
Which side does moss grow on trees?
The northern part of the trunk is illuminated by the luminary when it is already leaning toward sunset. The low sun heats the bark less, more moisture remains there, which means there are optimal development conditions for mosses and lichens. If a tree trunk or stump is covered entirely with a green carpet, then you should pay attention to the part where there is more of it, it is thicker and wetter. This is easier to detect at the root, at the junction of the trunk and the soil. The location of the greatest accumulation will most likely be on the northern side of the horizon.
It has been noticed that moss appears on relatively old trees. It usually doesn’t happen on young people. Does it harm the garden? Moss and lichen themselves are not dangerous either for cultivated species or for humans. Some types are used in landscape design, some are used for stuffing pillows. However, developing on the trunk, mosses cover the bark of the tree, which contributes to the deterioration of its respiration. Garden pests take refuge in the thicket and find a permanent habitat.
It is also believed that the presence of this species in the garden on trees (no matter which side the moss grows on) indicates excessive shading of the area, and perhaps pruning should be done. On the other hand, the presence of lichen indicates the relative ecological purity of the garden. These plants do not live in polluted areas. If necessary, you can get rid of moss with a wooden scraper. It is torn off the bark with this device, and the area is treated with a solution of lime or vitriol.
Ant "professions"
There are many of them. Among them:
- Invading warriors. Their main task is to seize new territories and attack neighboring anthills to steal cocoons and larvae, which later become slaves working for the prosperity of someone else's anthill.
- Builders. They maintain the condition and structure of the anthill, build new communications and tunnels. As the size of the colony increases, every day hundreds of builder ants carry twigs and needles from above to the deeper layers of their home, and lift them up from the lower floors. This maintains stable humidity. Thanks to this, the dome of the anthill does not mold or rot.
- Orderlies. Sick ants are isolated from society; if a patient's leg is damaged, the orderlies amputate it - they simply chew it off.
- Getters. Their main task is to find and then carefully store food.
- Security guards. These individuals reliably protect the entrances to the anthill from strangers and ensure the safety of the larvae and the queen.
- Shepherds (milkers). Ants have "pets". Aphids feed on vegetation and secrete a sweet liquid called honeydew. Ants tickle aphids and collect sweet nectar, which is a nutritious and tasty food and source of carbohydrates for them.
- Transporters - carry honeydew into the anthill.
- Maternity hospital workers. The eggs are transferred to special compartments and are responsible for maintaining the desired temperature.
- Guardians of nectar. These workers are necessary in case of famine in the anthill, when the foraging ants will not be able to bring food. In this case, products are used that are always stored in abundance by thrifty keepers.
Depending on the number of insects living in the anthill, a division of labor occurs. In a small family, the principle of interchangeability is practiced. In a large colony, specializations emerge and the ants are assigned certain responsibilities.
Law of development: choose a profession you like
But, perhaps, what was even more unexpected was that the ants were found to have different personalities that influenced their choice of professions. In general, among social Hymenoptera (to which ants also belong), each individual usually changes several professions in life. Immediately after emerging from the pupa, she works inside the nest - as a nanny, as a cleaner, then carries out security service at the entrance to the nest or near it, and, finally, moves into the category of food collectors - foragers. In some species of ants, the matter goes further: different professions require different body structures, and by the time the larva pupates, it is a foregone conclusion whether this pupa will emerge as a soldier, a nanny, or even a living barrel for storing sweet syrup. But in most species, workers can change their professions. Moreover, as it turns out, in accordance not only with age, but also with the needs of the family and one’s own inclinations. For example, almost all adult ants go through the profession of nanny, but the overwhelming majority of them then move on to other occupations, while some remain nannies for life. On the other hand, when in an experiment scientists completely removed nannies from some nests, some of the foragers returned to this profession and, in most cases, successfully coped with it.
Transport of leaves by leaf-cutter ants (Peru)
However, within each profession there is a choice. While getting food for your family, you can be a hunter, alone exploring distant areas in search of game. If he is lucky, the hunter will provide his family with a substantial portion of valuable animal protein, but no one guarantees him this luck. Or you can be a shepherd, walk a familiar path every day to the same branch of a plant where a colony of aphids sits, and return to the anthill with a constant yield of honeydew (the sugary secretions of aphids). Some foragers scout out rich sources of food and, returning to the nest, mobilize their comrades to develop them, while others only respond to such calls. Special studies have shown: under normal conditions (when there is no acute shortage of workers in a particular specialty in the family), it is not the profession that shapes the individual character of the ant - initiative, curiosity, the ability to captivate others, etc. - but this character determines the choice of profession. Scouts, observers, and coordinators of construction activities make up a very small part of the anthill population. But, as far as one can judge, they are the ones who make the decisions.
Interesting facts about ants
- Despite their miniature size, ants can carry objects that weigh five thousand times more than insects.
- These are one of the most intelligent insects: their brain has 250 thousand cells.
- Some types of ants are poisonous; their bites are deadly to humans.
- These are the most ancient insects on our planet - scientists believe that the first individuals appeared on Earth more than a hundred million years ago.
- Ants move only in formation; these insects can show both aggression towards each other and touching care. After an individual is injured, relatives look after him throughout the entire illness and even bring him food.
- Ants can stay under water for several days, and this does not threaten them with negative consequences.
- In addition to the queen, other females live in the anthill, but none of them can give birth to offspring.
According to the sun
From the school course that everyone took, it is known that sunrise begins in the East. Based on knowledge of this dependence, you can determine the cardinal directions without any problems. Wristwatches also allow you to perform this action. They need to be removed and the device placed in the direction of movement of the celestial body. During this process, you will notice that the hour hand and the number 12 form an angle that must be divided into two even parts. An angle divided in half will indicate South. If there is a need to understand how to determine the cardinal directions without a compass, and the sun has already risen, then you should not be upset. It must be remembered that sunset occurs in the Western Hemisphere. Guided by this rule, determining the cardinal directions is also very simple and, by and large, comes down to ordinary observations of the celestial body.
