Gourt > Science > Biology > Flora and Fauna > Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Hymenoptera > Ants
Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects in the animal kingdom. They are of particular interest because they are a social insect and form highly organized colonies or nests which sometimes consist of millions of individuals. Colonies of invasive ant species will sometimes work together and form super-colonies, spanning a very wide area of land. Ant colonies are sometimes described as superorganisms because they appear to operate as a single entity.
Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth. They can constitute up to 15% of the total animal biomass of a tropical rainforest; in the Amazon the combined weight of the ants is said to be four times larger than that of the tetrapods in the same area. As of 2006, there are 11,880 known ant species, most of which reside in hot climates.
Ancestry
Ants are classified as a family, Formicidae, belonging to the order Hymenoptera which also includes sawflies, bees and wasps. Ants are a lineage derived from within the vespoid wasps. Unlike bees and more advanced wasps, ants have never evolved the ability to build comb cells, which is often an advantage if the colony is under attack and the offspring needs to be moved into safety. Also, the rise of army ants would probably be a lot more difficult if they depended on cells. Molecular clock analysis indicates that ants evolved from other groups of wasps in the Cretaceous period about 140 to 168 million years ago to become the Leptanillinae After the rise of angiosperms about 100 million years ago, ant evolution also showed rapid change, and about 60 million years ago they really started to achieve ecological dominance. [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/312/5770/15h. Several fossils from the Cretaceous are intermediate in form between wasps and ants, further confirming the wasp ancestry of ants. Like other Hymenoptera, the genetic system employed by ants is Haplodiploidy. More on [ Ant ]
Ants :: Insects
Arthropods :: Invertebrates
Today, a coworker discovered a full colony of tiny ants underneath the ivy plant on her desk. Anyone know how they all survive in one pot?
GardenPosse (The Garden Posse) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:46:37 -0000
Today, a coworker discovered a full colony of tiny ants underneath the ivy plant on her desk. Anyone know how they all survive in one pot?
Ants?! xD http://meadd.com/danieldgg/21741329
danieldgg (Daniel Gallotte) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:40:52 -0000
Ants?! xD http://meadd.com/danieldgg/21741329
Honey-pot Ants | Zevs - Unusual, Interesting facts and Cute pictures http://ff.im/-dcmQv
GreenEcos (Green Eco) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:39:37 -0000
Honey-pot Ants | Zevs - Unusual, Interesting
A Checklist of the Ants of Michigan - The taxonomy of the 113 ant species recorded in Michigan, with an introduction describing the history of Michigan myrmecology.
Ant Baits: A least toxic control - University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County factsheet on using baits to control ants found indoors.
Ant Colonies - Describes how various species organize their society. Includes facts on feeding, communication, and government.
Ant Colony Cycle - View photos and read explanations of the life and building cycle of an ant colony. Click on the images for additional details.
Ant Control - University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County factsheet on controlling ants found in and around the home.
Ant Identification - Illustrations and key from the University of Nebraska for indentification of common one-node and two-node ants.
Ant News - Links to recent scientific research papers about ants and other social insects.
Ant Photo Library - Commercial photo archive offers images of Australian and international insect, wildlife, landscapes and plants. Browse a full listing of subjects.
Meta Description: [ Australian Photo Library with over 10,000 Australian Wildlife pictures, available as high res files on-line, to professional image researchers for use in editorial and advertising. ]
Ant: A Morphological Tour of the Super Organism - Tour of the external anatomy of the Fire Ant.
Ants of Arizona - A large collection of photos of ants in the their natural habit in Arizona. Photos are divided by species.
Meta Description: [ Photographs of Arizona Ants ]
Ants of Borneo - Photos and information on 130 species (57 genera) of Formicidae (ants) from Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia.
Ants of Borneo - Includes introduction to this family of ants, species list, and identification keys.
Ants of Costa Rica - John Longino's article about Costa Rican ants, as well as information on how to interpret the names of ant species and how to properly mount ant specimens for museum use.
Ants of the Cowling Arboretum and McKnight Prairie, Carleton College - This is a presentation of the research being done at the Cowling Arboretum, with general information on how to collect, identify and study ants.
Ants of West Africa and the Congo Basin - An electronic book by Brian Taylor covering geography and history, ant mosaics, economic importance of ants, biodiversity and niches, and taxonomy.
AntWeb - Extensive information about the ants of California and Madagascar from the California Academy of Sciences. Includes browsable and searchable high-resolution images of specimens.
Argentine Ants - Why Argentine Ants invade homes in Southern California.
Argentine Ants - Information about Linepithema humile, one of the world's most invasive ant species, in New Zealand.
Army Ants - Offers facts regarding the Army ant's feeding habits and social structure.
Atta sexdens - Leaf cutter ant.
Australian Ants Online - Guide to the Australian ant fauna. Biology, species list, identification keys, and descriptions.
Meta Description: [ Australian Ants Online, Australian Ants Online - general info on ants, identification keys and descriptions. ]
Behavior of ants - Facts concerning ant trails and foraging behavior.
Camponotus pennsylvanicus - North American carpenter ant.
Carpenter Ants - This University of Kentucky site offers detailed information about behavior and physiology of the common carpenter ant.
Carpenter Ants - Information on carpenter ants and photography.
Meta Description: [ Stunning insect macrophotography combined with informative descriptions. Browse through the database and develop a respect and appreciation for these extraordinary animals. ]
Carpenter Ants - Detailed guidelines about dealing with carpenter ants in the home.
Meta Description: [ Got bugs inside or out? All About Home and Terminix have tips for pest-proofing, extermination and prevention. Do-it-yourself or find an expert/professional to help. ]
Carpenter Ants - University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County factsheet on carpenter ants--their behavior and control.
Ecology - Displacement of Native Ants - Research paper printed in 1999 investigates the causes behind Argentine ant invasions.
Meta Description: [ Competitive mechanisms underlying the displacement of native ants by the invasive Argentine ant from Ecology in Array provided free by LookSmart Find Articles. ]
Facts about ants - Ant facts: Interesting facts about ants
Meta Description: [ Ant facts: Interesting facts about ants ]
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FORMIS: bibliography of ant literature - The master source of ant literature on the WWW.
Imported Fire Ant - Imported Fire ant Information from Purdue University
Imported Fire Ant - Frequently asked questions about Fire Ants from University of Texas.
Imported Fire Ants - Research and management of the fire ant from Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Tech University,University of Texas, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Imported Fire Ants - Biology of Imported Fire ants and control techniques for lawns and turf from University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service.
Introduction to Ants (Formicidae) of the Tallgrass Prairie - The ecology and taxonomy of ants in the central U.S.
Meta Description: [ Brief review of the ecological roles of ants in tallgrass prairies, including their biogeographic and taxonomic characteristics, and their relationships to prairie restoration and management activities ]
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Japanese Ants Color Image Database - A guide to Japanese ants and their taxonomy, as well as general information about ants. Available in English and Japanese.
Lurker's Guide to Leafcutter Ants - A guide to the leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex), including biology, research, care, and images.
Meta Description: [ The Lurker's Guide to Leafcutter Ants is a comprehensive guide to the Leaf cutter ants, including research, notes, images, and multimedia. ]
Myrm's Ant Nest - The basics of myrmecology (the study of ants), concentrating on species found in the British Isles.
Meta Description: [ Myrmecology - the study of ants. Concentrating on those species of ant found in the British Isles. Aiming to teach people about this fascinating subject, taking the approach that the reader is a complete beginner and knows nothing about ants. ]
Myrmecology - A comprehensive website about the nature of ants, including pictures and links.
Meta Description: [ Gateway to the science of ants with scientific news, link directory, information, FAQ, project blogs and many more. ]
Myrmecos.net - Close-up images of ants and other insects by Alex Wild.
New World Army Ants - A review of army ants of the new world. Includes maps and keys.
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Non-native ants: Exotic and invasive species - A worldwide resource for tracking exotic ants
Notes From Underground - Illustrated articles on ant biology, behavior, and ecology.
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Online Catalog of Ants of North America - Comprehensive resource includes nomenclature (scientific names), natural history, genus-level identification guide, and annotated bibliography.
Photos of ants - Photo encyclopedia of various ants showing their biology and habits.
Red Harvester Ants - Description, pest control, management, and the effect of the diminishing red harvester ant population on the Texas horned lizard which is a protected threatened species.
Meta Description: [ Red harvester ants are one of the more noticeable and larger ants in
open areas in Texas. However, harvester ants are not near-ly as common today as they were
during the earlier 1900s. The decline, particularly in the eastern part of the state, has
caused some alarm because these ants serve as... ]
Red Imported Fire Ant - History, biology and control of the Red Imported Fire Ant , an IPM pest fact sheet.
Meta Description: [ Four species of fire ants are currently found within the contiguous southeastern U.S. Fire ants are omonivorous, feeding on
almost any plant or animal material; although insects sseem to be their preferred food. The arrival of imported fire ants into an ecosystem wrecks havoc on the local
ecolo... ]
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Smithsonian Magazine - Small Matters - Illustrated article about how leafcutter ants learned to grow fungi.
Meta Description: [ Articles from the Smithsonian Institution's award-winning, monthly general interest magazine, plus exclusive Web articles, videos, blogs, photographs and more. ]
Solenopsis invicta - Imported Fire Ant.
The Ant Farm - A personal site with links to information about ants, including keeping them as pets. Includes FAQ and message board.
Meta Description: [ A personal Web site with ants in mind. Like an Ant Farm, many tunnels lead to various
chambers filled with ants, goodies, and outdoor sweets (favorite links). ]
The Pharaoh Ant - Ohio State University Extension Factsheet on the pharaoh ant, and how it has established itself as a nuisance in hospitals, rest homes, and day care centers.
Meta Description: [ Pharaoh ants have become a serious nuisance pest in hospitals, rest homes, apartment dwellings, hotels, grocery stores, food establishments and other buildings. ]
The Secret Life of Ants - Discusses the architecture of ant nests, the growth of the colony, and the behavior of various species.
Meta Description: [ A myrmecologist captures the delicate subterranean mansions of the insect world's master architects. Visit Discover Magazine to read this article and other exclusive science and technology news stories. ]
USDA Areawide Suppression of Fire Ants - Information on fire ant control in the USA, including biology, chemical and biological controls, publications, contacts, and distribution maps.
White-Footed Ants - Biology, identification and control of white-footed ants.
Meta Description: [ White Footed Ants: prevention, identification, biology and habits of the white-footed ant. ]
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