Killer ants make peace. (Life News).What can the world learn from the planet's largest insect colony, or social community? Plenty, like how to get along. In May 2001, French biologist Tatiana Giraud discovered a colossal ant colony An ant colony is an underground lair where ants live. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating. stretching 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) along the Mediterranean coast from Portugal to Italy--about the distance between Maine and California. The colony is home to hundreds of billions of Argentine ants The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile, formerly Iridomyrmex humilis) is a tiny dark ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil. (Linepithema humile) in millions of nests, living together in harmony. The ants' pacifist behavior is so unusual it has some scientists totally antsy--or at least baffled. In their native land, Argentine ants act like territorial thugs that "grab each other, cut at legs and antennae, and don't separate until mutual death," says Giraud. She scoured scour 1 v. scoured, scour·ing, scours v.tr. 1. a. To clean, polish, or wash by scrubbing vigorously: scour a dirty oven. b. the Mediterranean coast by car and sucked up ants from their nests with a little mouth-powered vacuum. Back in a lab, she staged mini-gladiatorial bouts between ants from different nests. To her amazement, the ants refused to do battle. The ants' surprisingly communal behavior is actually the key to the supercolony's success. The behavior also defies a basic concept of evolution--the kin selection From the time of antiquity field biologists have observed that some organisms tend to exhibit strategies that favor the reproductive success of their relatives, even at a cost to their own survival and/or reproduction. theory. The theory assumes that among animals--including humans--good-natured interactions typically exist only among related individuals, which in turn helps a family reproduce successfully. So why do unrelated Argentine ant families get along in Europe--but not in Argentina? Two key principles of biology come into play: ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR Adaptive behavior is a type of behavior that is used to adapt to another type of behavior or situation. This is often characterized by a kind of behavior that allows an individual to substitute an unconstructive or disruptive behavior to something more constructive. : When Argentine ants were accidentally introduced to Europe in 1920--perhaps via coffee and sugar ships en route from Argentina--they entered a bonanza habitat: ample food (lots of bugs) and no natural enemies. So instead of waging war, the ants learned to pool their energy for their mutual benefit. "Why fight if there's plenty of food?" says ant expert Ken Ross at the University of Georgia Organization The President of the University of Georgia (as of 2007, Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. . NATURAL SELECTION: If a physical or behavioral characteristic aids survival, then gradually the overall population will acquire that trait. In Europe, Argentine ants that cooperate have a survival advantage over those that fight, proving once again that peace beats war. SUPERCOLONY: Millions of Argentine ant nests dot 6,000 km of European coastline. The invader species has infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: homes and displaced wildlife. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion