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Slave-making Ant
Slave-making ants or slaver ants are brood parasites that capture Offspring, broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their ant colony, colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their own colony, while parasite workers only concentrate on replenishing the labor force from neighboring Host (biology), host nests, a process called slave raiding. The slave-making ants are specialized to Parasitism, parasitize a single species or a group of related species, and they are often close relatives to their hosts, which is typical for social parasites. The slave-makers may either be Obligate parasite, permanent social parasites (thus depending on enslaved ants throughout their whole lives) or Facultative parasite, facultative slave-makers. The behavior is unusual among ants but has evolved several times convergent evolution, independently. Terminology Among animals, theft of Offspring, brood for the purpose of employing the stolen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyergus Lucidus With Host Formica Archboldi
''Polyergus'' is a small genus of ants with 14 described species. They are also referred to by the names "slave-raiding ants" and "Amazon ants". They are characterized by their habit of raiding nests (of ''Formica'') for workers. Reproduction ''Polyergus'' workers are incapable of caring for brood, for the most part due to their dagger-like, piercing Mandible (insect mouthpart), mandibles. As such, they have evolved to rely on certain species of ants in the genus ''Formica''. They have lost the instinct for carrying out even rudimentary brood care, and even for feeding themselves (which they are unable to do). ''Polyergus'' 'workers' exist more as a force of improvised soldiers, acting in essence solely to raid the ''Formica'' nests. The captured ants are generally referred to as "slaves" in scientific and popular literature, though recent attempts have been made to apply other human cultural models. Some of these describe the ''Polyergus'' as "raiders", "pirates", or "kidnappe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formica Sanguinea
''Formica sanguinea'', or blood-red ant, is a species of facultative slave-maker ant in the genus ''Formica'' characterized by the ability to secrete formic acid. It ranges from Central and Northern Europe through Russia to Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula, Africa and also the United States. This species is coloured red and black with workers up to 7 mm long. A colony of ''F. sanguinea'' can live either as a free colony or as a social parasite of ''Formica'' species, most commonly '' Formica fusca'', '' Formica japonica'', '' Formica hayashi'' and '' Formica rufibarbis''. Raiding Blood-red ants, ''F. sanguinea'', are facultative slave-makers, meaning colonies can live either alone or be parasitic. This allows them to be a good model organism to study the origins of brood stealing. A fertilized ''F. sanguinea'' queen will enter the nest of the host ant species and kill their queen. She then takes advantage of the workers who tend to her and her brood. ''F. sanguinea'' wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formica
''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the subfamily Formicinae, including species commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''Formica'' is the European red wood ant '' Formica rufa''. Ants of this genus tend to be between 4 and 8 mm long. Ants belonging to the ''Formica'' genus possess a single knob or bump located between their thorax and abdomen. These ants primarily feed on honeydew, a sugary liquid produced by aphids. ''Formica'' ants appear to take on a shepherding role with smaller aphids, relocating them to different parts of plants to ensure a continuous food source for the aphids. By doing so, the ants can establish a relatively sustainable honeydew supply for both themselves and their colony. Etymology The genus name ''Formica'' comes directly from the Latin ''formīca'', meaning "ant". Formic acid, which is produced by thes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fitness (biology)
Fitness (often denoted w or ω in population genetics models) is a quantitative representation of individual reproductive success. It is also equal to the average contribution to the gene pool of the next generation, made by the same individuals of the specified genotype or phenotype. Fitness can be defined either with respect to a genotype or to a phenotype in a given environment or time. The fitness of a genotype is manifested through its phenotype, which is also affected by the developmental environment. The fitness of a given phenotype can also be different in different selective environments. With asexual reproduction, it is sufficient to assign fitnesses to genotypes. With sexual reproduction, recombination scrambles alleles into different genotypes every generation; in this case, fitness values can be assigned to alleles by averaging over possible genetic backgrounds. Natural selection tends to make alleles with higher fitness more common over time, resulting in Darwini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imprinting (psychology)
In psychology and ethology, imprinting is a relativly rapid learning process that occurs during a particular developmental phase or stage of life and leads to corresponding behavioural adaptations. Originally, the term was used to describe situations in which an animal or human internalises (learns) the characteristics of a perceived object, independent of a theory of psychological development occurring in phases ( critical period). Even ancient philosophers speculated about the material nature of the memory what would be necessary for the lerning process, assuming a kind of tabula rasa in the brain like consisting of clay or wax and empty until an experience were mechanicaly "imprinted" on it. More recently, the founder of psychoanalysis developed the thesis that the brain can store experiences in its neural network through "a permanent change after an event", providing the first scientific explanation of how imprinting work. Filial imprinting The best-known form of imprint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proformica
''Proformica'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus is known from the Palearctic realm, from Mongolia through Central Asia to Spain. Colonies are small, generally containing a few hundred individuals, with a single queen ( monogyne) or multiple ergatogyne queens. Unique in the tribe Formicini, some species have specialized workers ("honeypot ants") gorged with food; they function as living storage containers. Parasite host Four species are host to obligate slave-making ant Slave-making ants or slaver ants are brood parasites that capture Offspring, broods of other ant species to increase the worker force of their ant colony, colony. After emerging in the slave-maker nest, slave workers work as if they were in their ...s in the genus '' Rossomyrmex'', with each species forming a coevolving pair: *'' Rossomyrmex proformicarum''–'' Proformica epinotalis'' *'' Rossomyrmex quandratinodum''–''Proformica'' sp. *'' Rossomyrmex anatolicus''–'' Proformica ko ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rossomyrmex
''Rossomyrmex'' is a genus of slave-making ant in the subfamily Formicinae. The genus consists of four species, each with a single host from the genus '' Proformica'', and has a very wide range of distribution from China to southeastern Spain, from huge extended plains to the top of high mountains. Species * '' Rossomyrmex anatolicus'' Tinaut, 2007 – Turkey * '' Rossomyrmex minuchae'' Tinaut, 1981 – Spain * '' Rossomyrmex proformicarum'' Arnol'di, 1928 – Caucasus and Volga plains, Russia * '' Rossomyrmex quandratinodum'' Xia & Zheng, 1995 – Kazakhstan and China Distribution The Asian parasite-host pairs live mostly in extended plains whereas the Spanish pair ''R. minuchae''–''P. longiseta'' inhabits the top of three high mountains in southern Spain. Despite this apparent difference in habitat (extended plains versus high mountains), the abiotic conditions are quite similar and are consistent with a typical arid steppe. However, the main difference co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pupae
A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages thereof being egg, larva, pupa, and imago. The processes of entering and completing the pupal stage are controlled by the insect's hormones, especially juvenile hormone, prothoracicotropic hormone, and ecdysone. The act of becoming a pupa is called pupation, and the act of emerging from the pupal case is called eclosion or emergence. The pupae of different groups of insects have different names such as ''chrysalis'' for the pupae of butterflies and ''tumbler'' for those of the mosquito family. Pupae may further be enclosed in other structures such as cocoons, nests, or shells. Position in life cycle The pupal stage follows the larval stage, or in some cases a prepupal stage, and precedes adulthood ('' imago'') in insects with compl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larvae
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their Biological life cycle, life cycle. A larva's appearance is generally very different from the adult form (''e.g.'' caterpillars and butterfly, butterflies) including different unique structures and organs that do not occur in the adult form. Their diet may also be considerably different. In the case of smaller primitive arachnids, the larval stage differs by having three instead of four pairs of legs. Larvae are frequently adapted to different environments than adults. For example, some larvae such as tadpoles live almost exclusively in aquatic environments but can live outside water as adult frogs. By living in a distinct environment, larvae may be given shelter from predators and reduce competition for res ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pheromones
A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavior of the receiving individuals. There are '' alarm pheromones'', ''food trail pheromones'', '' sex pheromones'', and many others that affect behavior or physiology. Pheromones are used by many organisms, from basic unicellular prokaryotes to complex multicellular eukaryotes. Their use among insects has been particularly well documented. In addition, some vertebrates, plants and ciliates communicate by using pheromones. The ecological functions and evolution of pheromones are a major topic of research in the field of chemical ecology. Background The portmanteau word "pheromone" was coined by Peter Karlson and Martin Lüscher in 1959, based on the Greek () and (). Pheromones are also sometimes classified as ecto-hormones ("ecto-" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strongylognathus
''Strongylognathus'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae. Many of its species are endemic to specific regions. Species *''Strongylognathus afer'' Emery, 1884 *''Strongylognathus alboini'' Finzi, 1924 *''Strongylognathus alpinus'' Wheeler, 1909 *''Strongylognathus arnoldii'' Radchenko, 1985 *''Strongylognathus caeciliae'' Forel, 1897 *''Strongylognathus chelifer'' Radchenko, 1985 *''Strongylognathus christophi'' Emery, 1889 *''Strongylognathus dalmaticus'' Baroni Urbani, 1969 *''Strongylognathus destefanii'' Emery, 1915 *''Strongylognathus huberi'' Forel, 1874 *''Strongylognathus insularis'' Baroni Urbani, 1968 *''Strongylognathus italicus'' Finzi, 1924 *''Strongylognathus kabakovi'' Radchenko & Dubovikov, 2011 *''Strongylognathus karawajewi'' Pisarski, 1966 *''Strongylognathus kervillei'' Santschi, 1921 *''Strongylognathus koreanus'' Pisarski, 1966 *''Strongylognathus kratochvili'' Silhavy, 1937 *''Strongylognathus minutus'' Radchenko, 1991 *''Strongylognathus palaesti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
