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Worker ants store fat to share with colony members during times of need
July 27, 2006In a fascinating new study from the September/October 2006 issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Daniel A. Hahn (University of Florida) explores the ability of ants to store excess fat and pass it to colony members through lipid-rich oral secretions or unfertilized eggs. For perennial organisms, such as ant colonies, investing heavily in nutrient stores when food availability is high is a potential bet-hedging strategy for dealing with times of famine.
"Understanding the regulation of nutrient reserves, particularly fat storage, at the individual and colony levels is critical to understanding both the division of labor characteristics of social insect colonies and the evolution of important colony life-history traits such as the timing of reproduction, founding mode, and over-wintering behaviour," explains Hahn.
In order to better understand how individual fat storage tactics translated into colony-level resources, Hahn captured queens of different species and reared colonies under controlled laboratory conditions in nests for two years, feeding the ants a combination of frozen cockroach and moth eggs, mixed with honey, vitamins, and salt. He then sampled five colonies each of the two different species, and found that, despite similar environments, darker workers and soldiers stored more fat per unit of lean mass than lighter ants did, but the lighter colony involved a greater proportion of soldiers in storage.
"Storing more fat per unit lean mass has been well documented as a tactic for increasing fat storage during ontogeny among colonies of a number of ant species, and now has been shown to contribute to between-species differences as well," Hahn writes. "Differences in individual-level storage tactics between the two desert species could lead to significant behavioral differences, perhaps in the rate that individuals progress through behavioral development, or in their motivation to forage or defend their nests."
University of Chicago Press Journals
"Storing more fat per unit lean mass has been well documented as a tactic for increasing fat storage during ontogeny among colonies of a number of ant species, and now has been shown to contribute to between-species differences as well," Hahn writes. "Differences in individual-level storage tactics between the two desert species could lead to significant behavioral differences, perhaps in the rate that individuals progress through behavioral development, or in their motivation to forage or defend their nests."
University of Chicago Press Journals
Ant Colony Current Events and Ant Colony News RSSA new computer simulator allows to design military strategies based on ants' movements
A researcher of the University of Granada has designed a new system for the mobility of military troops within a battlefield based on the mechanisms used by ant colonies to move using a commercial videogame.
Orphan army ants join nearby colonies
Colonies of army ants, whose long columns and marauding habits are the stuff of natural-history legend, are usually antagonistic to each other, attacking soldiers from rival colonies in border disputes that keep the colonies separate.
Microbes and their hosts -- exploring the complexity of symbiosis in DNA and cell biology
The unique association between microorganisms and their hosts, whether insects, plants, or mammals, provides a fascinating view into how microbial symbionts adapt to changing biological environments.
Hydrocarbon afterglow reveals reproductive cheaters
An 'honest indicator' has been discovered by a scientific team at Arizona State University that reveals reproductive cheating. But before you run out to buy an infidelity identification kit, know that it only works for ants.
Genes and nutrition influence caste in unusual species of harvester ant
Researchers trying to determine whether nature or nurture determines an ant's status in the colony have found a surprising answer.
Nature offers guidance on organising dynamic networks
Today, for many, computer networks are an indispensable infrastructure that interconnects people, places and organisations. But increasingly they are beginning to creak as their complexity grows. Biological systems through years of evolution can offer clues on how to cope, as a research project has demonstrated.
Ants, not evil spirits, create devil's gardens in the Amazon rainforest, study finds
For the first time, scientists have identified an ant species that produces its own natural herbicide to poison unwanted plants.
First EU Marie Curie Awards in recognition of world-class achievements in European research
European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin has presented today the first ever Marie Curie Excellence Awards to five outstanding European researchers, as part of the Marie Curie Week (3-15 November). The ceremony was organised by the Free University of Brussels. The Awards, amounting to EUR50,000 each, are one of the novelties of the EUR20 billion 6th EU Research Framework Program (FP6 2002-2006) and aim to boost the career of world-class researchers by contributing to their international recognition. The prizes are awarded to top researchers who, with the aid of EU "Marie Curie" fellowships and grants, achieve significant research breakthroughs. This year's winners are Paola
Digital Ant Colony System
Whoever thinks that ants are only erratic little beings, whose incessant wanderings are pointless or obey no kind of universal order, is very much mistaken. Their society is so organized and complex that it is already being used as a model for the creation of algorithms, adaptable to a variety of scientific areas. Inspired by the work of Chialvo and Millonas - the creators of the first numeric simulation according to which the formation of collective cognitive maps of social insects can be explained -, Vitorino Castelo Ramos, a young Portuguese researcher in the area of Artificial Research and Image Analysis, has developed a computational model that has a direct application to habitats of di
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Ant Colony Optimization (Bradford Books) by Marco Dorigo (Author), Thomas Stützle (Author) The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. The book first describes the translation of observed ant behavior into working optimization... |
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Fascinations Antworks by Fascinations Fascinations Antworks is the first and only ant habitat to be tested in zero gravity. It provides a total ecosystem for ants and uses a non-toxic blue gel which makes it easy to watch the ants digging their network of tunnels. It includes container, ant catcher, magnifier and activity guide. |
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Classic Ants Colony Films DVD: 1950s Ant Colonies Behavior, Ant Lifecycles, & Ant Extermination and Control History Pictures Films This vintage ant films collection explores the amazing and complex world of ant colonies. The film Ant City examines the hierarchy in ant life while Goodbye, Mrs. Ant, focuses on ant control and extermination while acknowledging their societal sophistication. After all, "when the objective is the human home, ants are pests" Table Of Contents: (1) Ant City (1949) - This playful film discusses the complex and interwoven lives of ants living in an ant colony. Narrated by Johh Kieran and produced by Paul F. Moss, this delightful film compares the lives of ants to that of humans and includes a grand wedding as the queen ant get married. This classic film discusses all facets of ant life focusing on activities of worker ants - 10 Minutes (2) Goodbye, Mrs. Ant (1959) - This ant propaganda piece... |
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