The Ants

1530 Pages·1990·75.97 MB·English

by  Bert Hölldobler

The Ants
Wilson, Edward O. Hölldobler, Bert
Apress - A (1990)
Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
CHAPTER 1 - The Importance of Ants
CHAPTER 2 - Classification and Origins

THE TAXONOMY OF ANTS
ORIGIN OF THE ANTS
BEGINNINGS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
THE CAUSES OF SUCCESS
TAXONOMIC KEYS

CHAPTER 3 - The Colony Life Cycle

STAGES OF COLONY GROWTH
NUPTIAL FLIGHTS AND MATING
COLONY FOUNDING AND GROWTH
BROOD CARE AND LARVAL RECIPROCATION
DEMOGRAPHY OF COLONY MEMBERS
COLONY MOVEMENTS
ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES IN COLONY LIFE CYCLES

CHAPTER 4 - Altruism and the Origin of the Worker Caste

ALTRUISM
KIN SELECTION
PARENTAL MANIPULATION
OFFSPRING CONSENT
TESTING THE KIN SELECTION THEORY
EUSOCIALITY AND CHROMOSOME NUMBERS
OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 5 - Colony Odor and Kin Recognition

KIN RECOGNITION: GENERAL PRINCIPLES
DISCRIMINATORY ABILITY
BROOD DISCRIMINATION
SOURCE OF THE COLONY ODOR
THE ONTOGENY OF RECOGNITION
PROSPECT

CHAPTER 6 - Queen Numbers and Domination
THE ORIGINS OF POLYGYNY AND MONOGYNY
GYNY AND SPECIES DIVERSITY
PLEOMETROSIS
DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF GYNY AND OF DOMINANCE ORDERS
WHO IS IN CHARGE, QUEENS OR WORKERS?

CHAPTER 7 - Communication

CHEMICAL COMMUNICATION
RITUALIZATION
SIGNAL ECONOMY AND “SYNTAX”
MODULATORY COMMUNICATION
SYNERGISM
CASTE AND COLONY DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION
ACOUSTICAL COMMUNICATION
TACTILE COMMUNICATION
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
ALARM COMMUNICATION
PROPAGANDA
RECRUITMENT
ADULT TRANSPORT
TRUNK TRAILS AND “HIGHWAYS”
INTERSPECIFIC TRAIL FOLLOWING
MARKING OF HOME RANGES, TERRITORIES, AND NEST ENTRANCES
ATTRACTION AND SURFACE PHEROMONES
TROPHALLAXIS
FACILITATION AND GROUP EFFECTS
AUTOSTIMULATION
MEDIATION OF LARVAL DIAPAUSE
NECROPHORESIS OR CORPSE REMOVAL

CHAPTER 8 - Caste and Division of Labor

CASTE, TASK, ROLE
ADAPTIVE DEMOGRAPHY
THE EVOLUTION OF PHYSICAL CASTES
TEMPORAL CASTES
CASE HISTORIES
SPECIALIZATION BY MAJORS: DEFENSE
SPECIALIZATION BY MAJORS: MILLING AND FOOD STORAGE
CASTE OPTIMIZATION
THE ALLOMETRIC SPACE
ELITES
PATROLLERS AND RESERVES
CLIQUES AND TEAMS
PULSATILE ACTIVITY
MALES AND LARVAE AS CASTES
CASTE DETERMINATION

CHAPTER 9 - Social Homeostasis and Flexibility

SERIES-PARALLEL OPERATIONS
MULTIPLIER EFFECTS
RULES OF THUMB
THE SUPERORGANISM
REGULATION OF HOMEOSTASIS
ADAPTIVE SHIFTS IN BEHAVIOR
VARIATION AMONG COLONIES
POSITIVE FEEDBACK AND RUNAWAY REACTIONS
CASTE AND BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY
TEMPO
LEARNING
ANTS DO NOT PLAY
THERMOREGULATION
HUMIDITY REGULATION

CHAPTER 10 - Foraging Strategies, Territory, and Population Regulation

FORAGING THEORY
THE TEMPERATURE-HUMIDITY ENVELOPE
DAILY CYCLES OF ACTIVITY
FORAGING STRATEGIES
SOLITARY FORAGERS
ORTSTREUE AND MAJORING
CENTRAL-PLACE FORAGING
ENERGY MAXIMIZERS VERSUS TIME MINIMIZERS
SPECIAL STRATAGEMS THAT IMPROVE HARVESTING
POPULATION REGULATION
OFFENSE AND DEFENSE BY FORAGERS
TERRITORIAL STRATEGIES
TERRITORY, PREDATION, AND TRUE SLAVERY
OTHER TECHNIQUES OF COMPETITION AND EXPLOITATION

CHAPTER 11 - The Organization of Species Communities

INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION
CHANGING AND REMOVING DOMINANTS
THE DOMINANCE-IMPOVERISHMENT RULE
THE CONDITIONS FOR COEXISTENCE OF SPECIES
TROPHALLACTIC APPEASEMENT
ENEMY SPECIFICATION
CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT
ECOLOGICAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION
SPECIES PACKING AND EQUILIBRIUM
THE INFLUENCE OF PARASITES AND PREDATORS
THE FUTURE OF COMMUNITY STUDIES

CHAPTER 12 - Symbioses among Ant Species

THE ULTIMATE SOCIAL PARASITE
THE KINDS OF SOCIAL PARASITISM IN ANTS
COMPOUND NESTS
MIXED COLONIES
THE OCCURRENCE OF SOCIAL PARASITISM THROUGHOUT THE ANTS
THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL PARASITISM IN ANTS
THE TEMPORARY PARASITISM ROUTE
THE DULOSIS ROUTE
XENOBIOSIS AND TROPHIC PARASITISM
PARABIOSIS
THE DEGREES OF INQUILINISM

CHAPTER 13 - Symbioses with Other Arthropods

HISTORY OF MYRMECOPHILE STUDIES
DIVERSITY OF MYRMECOPHILES
THE GUESTS OF ARMY ANTS: AN EXTREMELY RICH COMMUNITY
THE ANT COLONY AS AN ECOSYSTEM
WASMANNIAN MIMICRY
SYMBIOSES BETWEEN ANTS AND LYCAENID BUTTERFLIES
THE TROPHOBIONTS
HERDERS AND NOMADS

CHAPTER 14 - Symbioses between Ants and Plants

THE VARIETIES OF ANT-PLANT SYMBIOSES
PROTECTIONISM AND THE ACACIA CASE
THE BALANCE OF MUTUALISM
ANTS PROTECT PLANTS
PLANTS SHELTER ANTS: MYRMECOPHILY
ANT GARDENS
PLANTS FEED ANTS: FOOD BODIES
PLANTS FEED ANTS: EXTRAFLORAL NECTARIES
ANTS FEED PLANTS: MYRMECOTROPHY
ANTS DISPERSE PLANTS: MYRMECOCHORY
ANTS POLLINATE FLOWERS (SPARINGLY)
ANTS PRUNE AND WEED
TRADE-OFF AND COMPROMISE
PARASITES OF ANTS: MICROORGANISMS AND FUNGI
POSSIBLE MICROORGANISMIC SYMBIONTS IN ANTS

CHAPTER 15 - The Specialized Predators

THE EVOLUTION OF PREY SPECIALIZATION
THE EVOLUTION OF THE DACETINE ANTS
EGG PREDATORS
THE ANT-TERMITE ARMS RACE
PREY PARALYSIS AND PREY STORAGE

CHAPTER 16 - The Army Ants

THE SWARM RAIDERS
PHYLOGENY OF THE DORYLINE AND ECITONINE ARMY ANTS
WHAT IS AN ARMY ANT?
THE DRIVER ANTS
THE ORIGIN OF LEGIONARY BEHAVIOR

CHAPTER 17 - The Fungus Growers

FUNGUS CULTURING
THE LIFE CYCLE OF LEAFCUTTER ANTS
HOST SELECTION
ANT-FUNGUS SYMBIOSES OUTSIDE THE ATTINI

CHAPTER 18 - The Harvesting Ants

HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF HARVESTING ANTS
THE DISTRIBUTION OF HARVESTING
AN EXTREME GRANIVORE
SEED SELECTION
FORAGING PATTERNS
EFFECTS OF HARVESTERS ON VEGETATION

CHAPTER 19 - Weaver Ants

COMMUNAL NEST WEAVING
THE HIGHEST GRADE OF COOPERATION
INTERMEDIATE STEPS
THE SIMPLEST TYPE OF WEAVING
ANATOMICAL CHANGES
THE UNCERTAIN CLIMB TOWARD COOPERATION

CHAPTER 20 - Collecting, Culturing, Observing

HOW TO COLLECT ANTS
PREPARATION FOR MUSEUM WORK
CULTURING ANTS
TRANSPORTING COLONIES
BREEDING NEW COLONIES

Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

Copyright © 1990 by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America 109876543

Distribution rights for the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Japan, China, Israel, and Egypt:
Harvard University Press
For all other countries:
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong

ISBN 3-540-52092-9 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

This book is printed on acid-free paper, and its binding materials have been chosen for strength and durability.

Designed by Marianne Perlak in Linotron Palatino.

Unless otherwise indicated, all artwork is by the authors.