Fascinating Ants Essay -- Biology Biological Ant Ants Research Papers

Among the mankindy an(prenominal) hundreds of thousands of astonishing organisms with which we mustsh ar this world, there is one plain ordinary group of specimens whichfascinates m some(prenominal) people beyond completely others. in that location is nothing too peculiar inthe proportions or appearance of ants, alone it is their history and culture thatinduces a second look. These insects ar ab forth as different from us mammals as devil organisms goat be, yet it appears that of both the known animals their way of action appears closest to our human way of life. The similarities in the ways inwhich we take our lives ar astounding. Ants be doubtlessly the most supremacyful of all the social insects of the Hymenoptera, an smart set also includingwasps and bees.The earliest known specimens be found entombed in the Scandinavian Baltic Ambersamples which scientists date in upwards of 100 one thousand thousand years old (The Ant small town 89). These primitive samples cu rb evolved into the 5000 to ten thousandspecies known today which vary amongst themselves as widely as the songsuggest (Social Insects 68). These remarkably adaptive creatures are found in virtually form on all continents and all habitats however the extreme arctics. Theirsuccess is manifested in the claim that at any period there are at least 1quadrillion alert ants on earth(Groliers 93).All species of ants are social. They live in unionised communities or colonies,which may contain anywhere from a few hundred to more(prenominal) than 20 millionindividuals. These are organized into a complex carcass which may contain two ormore castes and sub castes which can be roughly organized into three groups.Queens, males and wagerers.The tabby cat is much big than the other ants, and has wings until mating. Her primary quill task is to ballad eggs for the colony. most colonies have one queenothers have up to 5000. Queens fail from fertilized ordinary eggs, nobodyis just now c ertain what causes these to develop into queens but it is ordinarylythought that the crop comes from an altered diet in the pupae and larvaestages and as a pheremone response, which will ulterior be discussed. Queens havean panoptic life span of up to 25 years and can lay millions of eggs in thattime (Ant Colony 89).Male ants are fly as well, their sole project is to mate with the queens.For this reason they are the shortest lived ants in the colony. Hatching in the... ...ne species everywhere another found in characteraside from we humans is the slave-making species. These foray other colonies andsteal worker pupae that they subjugate to carry out the work of their colonies.Some species, such as the ants of the virago are so vary for capturingslaves that they can not forage for nutrient or care for their young. Withoutslaves they readily perish.Ants are often called the most entrancing insects of all. While they can bevastly destructive, stripping valuable trees sever e in the tropics, and a generalnuisance marching through kitchens and pantries they are extremely helpful toman as they help to swooning the earth of pests like termites. Wood ants clearforests of millions of tree-destroying insects over a single summer. They havebeen here for approximately 53 million years, and 56 percent of generadelineate among the extensive Baltic brownish-yellow are living today, and show no signof dying out soon. In our great pursuit of familiarity it is my hope that we can come in something of value from studying the culture and life-style of thehardest working organisms in the world. (With the exception, of course, of theVillanova biota teachers). Fascinating Ants Essay -- Biology Biological Ant Ants Research documentAmong the many hundreds of thousands of astonishing organisms with which we mustshare this earth, there is one seemingly ordinary group of specimens whichfascinates many people beyond all others. There is nothing too extrao rdinary inthe proportions or appearance of ants, but it is their history and culture thatinduces a second look. These insects are about as different from us mammals astwo organisms can be, yet it appears that of all the known animals their way oflife appears closest to our human way of life. The similarities in the ways inwhich we organize our lives are astounding. Ants are doubtlessly the most booming of all the social insects of the Hymenoptera, an order also includingwasps and bees.The earliest known specimens are found entombed in the Scandinavian Baltic Ambersamples which scientists date in upwards of 100 million years old (The AntColony 89). These primitive samples have evolved into the 5000 to 10000species known today which vary amongst themselves as widely as the numberssuggest (Social Insects 68). These remarkably adaptive creatures are found insome form on all continents and all habitats but the extreme arctics. Theirsuccess is manifested in the claim that at any time ther e are at least 1quadrillion living ants on earth(Groliers 93).All species of ants are social. They live in organized communities or colonies,which may contain anywhere from a few hundred to more than 20 millionindividuals. These are organized into a complex system which may contain two ormore castes and sub castes which can be roughly organized into three groups.Queens, males and workers.The queen is much larger than the other ants, and has wings until mating. Herprimary task is to lay eggs for the colony. Some colonies have one queenothers have up to 5000. Queens develop from fertilized ordinary eggs, nobodyis exactly certain what causes these to develop into queens but it is generallythought that the process comes from an altered diet in the pupae and larvaestages and as a pheremone response, which will later be discussed. Queens havean extended life span of up to 25 years and can lay millions of eggs in thattime (Ant Colony 89).Male ants are winged as well, their sole purpose is to mate with the queens.For this reason they are the shortest lived ants in the colony. Hatching in the... ...ne species over another found in natureaside from we humans is the slave-making species. These raid other colonies andsteal worker pupae that they enslave to carry out the work of their colonies.Some species, such as the ants of the Amazon are so specialized for capturingslaves that they can not forage for food or care for their young. Withoutslaves they quickly perish.Ants are often called the most fascinating insects of all. While they can bevastly destructive, stripping valuable trees bare in the tropics, and a generalnuisance marching through kitchens and pantries they are extremely helpful toman as they help to clear the earth of pests like termites. Wood ants clearforests of millions of tree-destroying insects over a single summer. They havebeen here for approximately 53 million years, and 56 percent of generarepresented among the extensive Baltic amber are living tod ay, and show no signof dying out soon. In our great pursuit of knowledge it is my hope that we canderive something of value from studying the culture and life-style of thehardest working organisms in the world. (With the exception, of course, of theVillanova biology teachers).