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"An ant ( *Camponotus compressus* ) traverses the edge of a wall during a serene sunset in Southern India. These species, native to tropical regions, are known for their strength and social structures, playing a vital role in the ecosystem by aerating soil and aiding in decomposition."
Harpegnathos saltator, sometimes called the Indian jumping ant or Jerdon's jumping ant, is a species of ant found in India. They have long mandibles and have the ability to leap a few inches. [1] They are large-eyed and active predators that hunt mainly in the early morning. The colonies are small and the difference between workers and queens ...
Ants evolved from a lineage within the stinging wasps, and a 2013 study suggests that they are a sister group of the Apoidea. [9] However, since Apoidea is a superfamily, ants must be upgraded to the same rank. [10] A more detailed basic taxonomy was proposed in 2020.
A queen ant (formally known as a gyne) is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; she is usually the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants, such as the Cataglyphis, do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning, and all of those offspring will be female. [1]
By asexual reproduction, an organism creates a genetically similar or identical copy of itself. The evolution of sexual reproduction is a major puzzle for biologists. The two-fold cost of sexual reproduction is that only 50% of organisms reproduce [1] and organisms only pass on 50% of their genes. [2]
Charles Darwin considered the evolution of eusociality a major problem for his theory of natural selection.In The Origin of Species, he described the existence of sterile worker castes in the social insects as "the one special difficulty, which at first appeared to me insuperable and actually fatal to my whole theory".
Leafcutter ants can create bottom-up gaps by forming their large nests. The ants excavate soil rich in organic matter, and store additional organic matter in their underground chambers. This creates rich soils that promote plant growth. The ants can also trim the leaves of plants in the understory, allowing for more light to hit the forest ...
Altruistic individuals increase other individuals' fitness at the expense of their own. Carpenter ants perform altruistic actions toward their nestmates so that their shared genes are propagated more readily or more often. In many social insect species like these ants, many worker animals are sterile and do not have the ability to reproduce.