Myrmecology (; from Greek: μύρμηξ, ''myrmex'', "ant" and λόγος, ''logos'', "study") is a branch of

entomology Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as ara ...

focusing on the

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

study of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

s. Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and sought to find solutions to human problems by studying them. Ants continue to be a model of choice for the study of questions on the evolution of

social system In sociology, a social system is the patterned network of relationships constituting a coherent whole that exist between individuals, groups, and institutions. It is the formal structure of role and status that can form in a small, stable group. A ...

s because of their complex and varied forms of

eusocial Eusociality (from Greek εὖ ''eu'' "good" and social), the highest level of organization of sociality, is defined by the following characteristics: cooperative brood care (including care of offspring from other individuals), overlapping gen ...

ity (social organization). Their diversity and prominence in ecosystems also has made them important components in the study of

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

and conservation. Recently, ant colonies are also studied and modeled for their relevance in

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

, complex interactive networks, stochasticity of encounter and interaction networks,

parallel computing Parallel computing is a type of computation in which many calculations or processes are carried out simultaneously. Large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which can then be solved at the same time. There are several different f ...

, and other computing fields.

History

The word myrmecology was coined by

William Morton Wheeler William Morton Wheeler (March 19, 1865 – April 19, 1937) was an American entomologist, myrmecologist and Harvard professor. Biography Early life and education William Morton Wheeler was born on March 19, 1865, to parents Julius Morton Wheeler ...

(1865–1937), although human interest in the life of ants goes back further, with numerous ancient folk references. The earliest scientific thinking based on observation of ant life was that of

Auguste Forel Auguste-Henri Forel (1 September 1848 – 27 July 1931) was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. For example, he is considere ...

(1848–1931), a Swiss psychologist who initially was interested in ideas of instinct, learning, and society. In 1874 he wrote a book on the ants of Switzerland, ''Les fourmis de la Suisse'', and he named his home ''La Fourmilière'' (the ant colony). Forel's early studies included attempts to mix species of ants in a colony. He noted polydomy and monodomy in ants and compared them with the structure of nations.Sleigh, Charlotte (2007) Six Legs Better: A Cultural History of Myrmecology. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Wheeler looked at ants in a new light, in terms of their social organization, and in 1910 he delivered a lecture at Woods Hole on "The Ant-Colony as an Organism", which pioneered the idea of superorganisms. Wheeler considered trophallaxis or the sharing of food within the colony as the core of ant society. This was studied using a dye in the food and observing how it spread in the colony. Some, such as

Horace Donisthorpe Horace St. John Kelly Donisthorpe (17 March 1870 – 22 April 1951) was an eccentric British myrmecologist and coleopterist, memorable in part for his enthusiastic championing of the renaming of the genus ''Lasius'' after him as ''Donisthorpea ...

, worked on the systematics of ants. This tradition continued in many parts of the world until advances in other aspects of

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

were made. The advent of genetics, ideas in

ethology Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objecti ...

and its evolution led to new thought. This line of enquiry was pioneered by E. O. Wilson, who founded the field termed as

sociobiology Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within ...

Interdisciplinary application

Ants often are studied by

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the li ...

for

biomimicry Biomimetics or biomimicry is the emulation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" are derived from grc, βίος (''bios''), life, and μίμησ ...

and by network engineers for more efficient networking. It is not known clearly how ants manage to avoid congestions and how they optimize their movements to move in most efficient ways without a central authority that would send out orders. There already have been many applications in structure design and networking that have been developed from studying ants, but the efficiency of human-created systems is still not close to the efficiency of ant colonies. Furthermore, there are efforts to use ant algorithms and the behavioral strategies of ants in modern management.

Myrmecologists in fiction

The black and white 1954 Warner Bros. movie '' Them!'' describes the visiting expert Dr. Harold Medford (played by Edmund Gwenn) from the Department of Agriculture in Washington DC as a myrmecologist. Dr.

Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appeared in '' Tales ...

is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

and the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

List of notable myrmecologists

''Note: Names are listed alphabetically.'' * Ernest André (1838–1911), French entomologist *

Thomas Borgmeier Thomas Borgmeier (31 October 1892 – 11 May 1975) was a German-Brazilian priest and entomologist and became a specialist on the ants of Brazil and on the flies in the family Phoridae. He was also the founder of the journals ''Revista de Entomologi ...

(1892–1975), German-Brazilian theologian and entomologist * Murray S. Blum (1929–2015), American chemical ecologist, an expert on pheromones * William L. Brown Jr. (1922–1997), American entomologist * Giovanni Cobelli (1849–1937), Italian entomologist, director of the Rovereto museum * Arthur Charles Cole Jr. (1908–1955), American entomologist * Walter Cecil Crawley, British entomologist * William Steel Creighton (1902–1973), American entomologist *

(1870–1951), British myrmecologist, named several new species *

Carlo Emery Carlo Emery (25 October 1848, Naples – 11 May 1925) was an Italian entomologist. He is remembered for Emery's rule, which states that insect social parasites are often closely related to their hosts. Early in his career Carlo Emery pursue ...

(1848–1925), Italian entomologist *

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

(1745–1808), Danish entomologist, student of Linnaeus *

Auguste-Henri Forel Auguste-Henri Forel (1 September 1848 – 27 July 1931) was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. For example, he is considered a ...

(1848–1931), Swiss myrmecologist, studied brain structure of humans and ants * Émil August Goeldi (1859–1917), Swiss-Brazilian naturalist and zoologist * William Gould (1715–1799), described by Horace Donisthorpe as "the father of British myrmecology" * Robert Edmond Gregg (1912–1991), American entomologist * Thomas Caverhill Jerdon (1811–1872), British physician, zoologist and botanist *

Walter Wolfgang Kempf Walter Wolfgang Kempf (26 March 1920 – 20 August 1976) was a German-Brazilian Franciscan priest and an entomologist who specialized on the ants of South America. Kempf was born in Speyer from where his father had been forced by the National So ...

(1920–1976), Brazilian myrmecologist * Heinrich Kutter (1896–1990), Swiss myrmecologist * Nicolas Kusnezov also as Nikolaj Nikolajevich Kuznetsov-Ugamsky (1898–1963) *

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom ...

(1762–1833) French entomologist *

Sir John Lubbock John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury, 4th Baronet, (30 April 183428 May 1913), known as Sir John Lubbock, 4th Baronet from 1865 until 1900, was an English banker, Liberal politician, philanthropist, scientist and polymath. Lubbock worked in his fam ...

(the 1st Lord and Baron Avebury) (1834–1913), wrote on hymenoptera sense organs * William T. Mann (1886–1960), American entomologist *

Gustav Mayr Gustav L. Mayr (12 October 1830 – 14 July 1908) was an Austrian entomologist and professor in Budapest and Vienna. He specialised in Hymenoptera, being particularly known for his studies of ants.Carlo Menozzi also as Carlo Minozzi (1892–1943), Italian entomologist *

William Nylander William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius (born 1 May 1996) is a Canadian-born Swedish professional ice hockey right winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nylander was selected by the Maple Leafs in th ...

(1822–1899), Finnish botanist, biologist, mycologist, entomologist and myrmecologist * Basil Derek Wragge-Morley (1920–1969), research included genetics, social behaviour of animals, and the behaviour of agricultural pests * Fergus O'Rourke (1923– 2010), Irish zoologist * Julius Roger (1819–1865), German

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as ara ...

and

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

Felix Santschi Felix Santschi (1 December 1872 – 20 November 1940) was a Swiss entomologist known for discovering that ants use the sun as a compass and for describing about 2000 taxa of ants. Santschi is known for his pioneering work on the navigational abil ...

(1872–1940), Swiss entomologist * Theodore Christian Schneirla (1902–1968), American animal psychologist * Frederick Smith (1805–1879), worked in the zoology department of the British Museum from 1849, specialising in the Hymenoptera * Roy R. Snelling (1934–2008), American entomologist credited with many important finds of rare or new ant species * Erich Wasmann (1859–1931), Austrian entomologist * Neal Albert Weber (1908–2001), American myrmecologist *

John Obadiah Westwood John Obadiah Westwood (22 December 1805 – 2 January 1893) was an English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents. He published several illustrated works on insects and antiquities. He was among the first entomologist ...

(1805–1893), English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents *

(1865–1937), curator of invertebrate zoology in the American Museum of Natural History, described many new species *

Edward Osborne Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, entomologist and writer. According to David Attenborough, Wilson was the world's leading expert in his specialty of myrmecology, the study of an ...

(1929–2021),

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

winning American myrmecologist, revolutionized the field of sociobiology

Contemporary myrmecologists

* Donat Agosti, Swiss entomologist * Cesare Baroni Urbani, Swiss ant taxonomist *

Barry Bolton Barry Bolton is an English myrmecologist, an expert on the classification, systematics, and taxonomy of ants, who long worked at the Natural History Museum, London. He is known especially for monographs on African and Asian ants, and for encyclo ...

, English ant taxonomist * Alfred Buschinger, German myrmecologist * Henri Cagniant, French myrmecologist * John S. Clark, Scottish myrmecologist * Cedric Alex Collingwood, British entomologist * Mark Amidon Deyrup, American myrmecologist * Francesc Xavier Espadaler i Gelabert, Spanish myrmecologist, specialist in Mediterranean and

Macaronesia Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic islands ...

n ants and in invasive species * Deborah Gordon (1955–), studies ant colony behavior and ecology * William H. Gotwald Jr., American entomologist * Michael J. Greene studies interactions between chemical cues and behavior patterns * Bert Hölldobler (1936–),

winning German myrmecologist * Laurent Keller (1961–), Swiss evolutionary biologist and myrmecologist * John E. Lattke * John T. Longino, American entomologist * Mark W. Moffett (1958–), American entomologist and photographer * Corrie S. Moreau, American evolutionary biologist and entomologist, wrote on evolution and diversification of ants * Justin Orvel Schmidt, American entomologist, studies the chemical and behavioral defenses of ants, wasps, and arachnids * Bernhard Seifert, German entomologist * Steven O. Shattuck, American-Australian entomologist * Marion R. Smith, American entomologist * Robert W. Taylor, Australian myrmecologist * Alberto Tinaut Ranera, Spanish myrmecologist * Walter R. Tschinkel, American myrmecologist *Laurel D. Hansen, (1940–) American myrmecologist, studies carpenter ant biology and urban management * James C. Trager, American myrmecologist * Gary J. Umphrey, American biostatistician and myrmecologist * Philip S. Ward, American entomologist * Daniel Kronauer American myrmecologist * Alejandro G. Farji-Brener, Argentinean myrmecologist * Susanne Foitzik, German myrmecologist

Related terms

*Myrmecochorous (adj.) dispersed by ants *Myrmecophagous (adj.) feeding on ants * Myrmecophile (n.) an

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells ( cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fu ...

that habitually shares an ant nest, ''myrmecophilous ''(adj.), ''myrmecophily ''(n.) *

Myrmidons In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons (or Myrmidones; el, Μυρμιδόνες) were an ancient Thessalian Greek tribe. In Homer's ''Iliad'', the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of ...

(n.) ant-men in

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

and in Homer's

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...

, where they are Achilles' warriors

References

External links

Documentary about myrmecology
{{Authority control Subfields of entomology