How is the hierarchy built in the anthill?

Ants live in one large family in an anthill, a common nest. In nature, these insects do not exist alone. In addition, each individual in the colony has its own specific task, but all activities are aimed at ensuring the life and prosperity of the entire anthill.

All residents can be divided into several types - soldiers, workers, males and females, queen. All interaction of insects is made using food and signaling channels.

Hierarchy

The head of an anthill is usually the uterus is a big insect who continuously lay eggs, providing replenishment of the community with new residents. Ants-workers solve daily tasks of grooming eggs and pupae, searching for food, repairing an anthill. Soldiers guard the entrances to the dwelling and cut off aliens. Males and females are involved in the breeding process.

The soldiers

Ants warriors are a separate subspecies of simple workers, differing from the latter a little larger. In addition, this ant more developed mandibles muscles which occupy most of the head. In some species of ants, because of the characteristic structure of the head, the soldiers lost the possibility of self-feeding - as a result, the workers have to feed them.

The main function of soldier ants in the community is the protection of the territory and the anthill from the penetration of enemies into it, the protection of foragers delivering writing. In addition, the soldiers with their powerful jaws help dismember the prey into several parts, if the workers can not carry it away.

Role in the family of a working ant and structural features

Ants builders are the first species which appears in the uterus after the foundation of a new anthill. They are the ones engaged in the construction of the colony, the preparation of food and the care of eggs and pupae. In a developed anthill, workers have a predominant number among all individuals.

REFERENCE! The distribution of occupations among ants-workers depends on their general condition and mental inclinations.

So, Initiative insects with good response become scouts and hunters, and slow and unhurried individuals go to graze and collect sweetish secretions. In addition, the change of profession occurs as aging.

Juveniles usually do work inside the nest - take care of the eggs, females, build new moves and cameras.

If a significant part of the workers of one profession dies - for example, they are destroyed by birds or as a result of chemical processing, their duties are redistributed among the remaining inhabitants of the anthill.

How strong are the ants and how much weight do they lift?

The insect has a huge endurance - an ant can lift and carry a weight 50 times more than its own. Moreover, if several individuals work together and unite their efforts, this indicator can increase many times over. This is possible due to the fact that the ant has a large percentage of muscles per unit of body weight.

The power of ants allows them to successfully perform the tasks of finding and harvesting food. If the insect is unable to raise prey, it can drag it for a long time.

REFERENCE! Many ants, connecting paws, can form long living bridges to overcome streams or crevices. Such bundles can withstand a weight of several kilograms.

Who is the main king of the ant?

All life in the anthill is based on the queen queen. She does not participate in the conservation of the nest or in the collection of food, but it is this individual who is charged with the task of maintaining and increasing the number of colonies.

The uterus is a former female that was fertilized by a male and was able to organize a new anthill. In the process of growing the first population, they bite their wings.

The uterus lives up to 20 years, laying up to 500 thousand eggs during this time. As long as this individual is alive, the colony has every chance of recovering, no matter what losses it suffers.

The anthill is clearly established hierarchy of society. At the head of the entire settlement is the uterus. The most numerous are workers, who, depending on their preferences, can perform various tasks — food search, intelligence, care for the uterus and eggs. Soldiers are individuals with large, powerful jaws that guard the anthill and foragers.

A photo

Next you will see a photo of the ant hierarchy - from workers to soldiers:

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Watch the video: Children Learn About The Ant (May 2024).