Hey there! Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of ants with Corrie Moreau, who is an expert on insects at the Field Museum. Let’s learn some cool facts about ants and how they live!
Have you ever heard of turtle ants? These ants have a unique feature: their heads are shaped like dinner plates! This special shape helps them block the entrance to their homes, which are hollow twigs. They act like living doors to protect their colony.
Did you know that almost every ant you see is female? That’s right! If you spot an ant without wings, it’s a female. Ant colonies are mostly made up of females because they are more closely related to each other than to males. This is due to a special system called haplodiploidy.
Ants have a unique way of reproducing. Once a year, they produce males and new females called virgin queens. These ants go on mating flights, and after mating, the males die. The female queens store the sperm in a special organ called a spermatheca, which they use to produce more females throughout their lives.
Have you heard of bullet ants? They live in Central and South America and are known for their extremely painful sting. Some people say it feels like being shot! While the sting is painful, it’s only dangerous if someone is allergic, similar to a bee sting.
Army ants are another interesting group. They have soldiers with huge jaws for defense. These soldiers can’t even feed themselves, so other ants help them eat. Ants share food in a special way called social trophallaxis, where they pass food mouth-to-mouth.
Just like humans, ants have helpful bacteria in their guts. These bacteria help them digest food. Turtle ants have a unique way of sharing these bacteria through a process called oral-anal trophallaxis, which helps them maintain a healthy gut community.
Isn’t the world of ants amazing? There’s so much to learn about these tiny creatures and how they live together in their colonies!
Imagine you are an ant architect! Design and draw your own ant colony, including different types of ants like workers, soldiers, and a queen. Label each part and explain their roles in the colony. Share your drawing with the class and describe how your colony functions.
Find a safe spot outside where you can observe ants. Spend some time watching their behavior and take notes in a journal. What do they do? How do they interact with each other? Write down your observations and share them with your classmates.
Research the anatomy of an ant and create a 3D model using clay or other craft materials. Make sure to include the head, thorax, abdomen, and legs. Present your model to the class and explain the function of each body part.
Ants communicate using pheromones. Play a game where you use non-verbal signals to guide your classmates to a hidden “food source” in the classroom. Discuss how ants use chemical signals to communicate and how this game relates to their behavior.
Create a set of trading cards featuring different types of ants, such as turtle ants, bullet ants, and army ants. Include interesting facts and illustrations on each card. Trade cards with your classmates and learn about the diverse world of ants.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hey! We’re here with Corrie Moreau, the curator of insects at the Field Museum.
– Hi!
– Hey! Today, we’re going to talk about ants and their reproduction, especially for Valentine’s Day.
– Yes! Because there’s nothing more interesting than ant reproduction.
This is a worker of a turtle ant in the genus Cephalotes. One remarkable aspect of this ant is its unique anatomy. The head capsule is shaped differently than the other individuals in the nest. Most individuals look like this smaller one, while the larger individuals have a head capsule that resembles a dinner plate. They block the entrance of the hollow twigs they live in, acting like a living door. So, they spend their time blocking the nest entrance.
– Do they get bored?
– Probably!
People often think of ants as being strong and mighty, like the workers and soldiers, but almost every ant you’ve seen is female.
– No way!
– If you’ve seen an ant without wings, it’s female.
The benefit of having mostly one sex in a colony relates to genetic relatedness. Sisters are more closely related to each other than to their brothers or even their mother. This is due to a system called haplodiploidy. In ants, females are produced when an egg and sperm unite, but if no sperm is introduced, the egg becomes male. So, males have only half the genetic material.
– If there are no males in these societies, how do they get sperm?
– Good question! Ants produce males and new females, known as virgin queens, once a year. They go on mating flights, after which the males die shortly after. The female, having mated just once, finds a new habitat, starts a colony of all females, and stores the sperm in a special organ called a spermatheca. She can store that sperm for her entire life, sometimes for many years, and she never mates again.
– So, she can produce females without needing to draw from that sperm bank?
– No, she uses the stored sperm to produce females. The males are produced from unfertilized eggs.
In insects, males have a structure called an aedeagus, which delivers sperm to the female. This is a female queen, and you can see her sting, which is used for venom delivery rather than egg-laying.
These are bullet ants, found in Central and South America. They are called bullet ants because their sting is extremely painful.
– Really?
– Yes, you can hold one if you’d like.
– Have you ever been stung by one?
– I have! It was quite painful. I got stung on my finger, and it felt like my finger was on fire. Some people have been stung multiple times and had to be carried out of the rainforest.
– Oh my gosh!
– Yes, it can be quite severe, with flu-like symptoms lasting for days.
– Can you die from it?
– The only risk would be if someone had an allergic reaction, similar to a honey bee sting.
The turtle ants I showed you earlier don’t have the ability to sting, and their jaws are too small to bite. They are quite unique! Another group I brought are army ants, where the soldiers can be highly modified.
– Wow!
– Yes! The smaller ones forage and care for the larvae, while the larger soldiers are for defense. Their jaws have become so modified that they can’t even feed themselves anymore; they rely on other workers to feed them.
– Really?
– Yes! Ants have beneficial gut bacteria, similar to humans, and we can study these bacteria to understand how they process food. All ant species share food mouth-to-mouth, known as social trophallaxis.
– Really?
– Yes, but turtle ants also participate in oral-anal trophallaxis to share gut microbes.
– They eat…?
– Essentially, yes. They need to reacquire their gut microbes after metamorphosis, so they find another individual with a healthy gut community.
The Brain Scoop is brought to you by The Field Museum.
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This version removes any explicit or inappropriate language while maintaining the informative content.
Ants – Small insects that live in organized communities and work together to find food and build their homes. – Ants work together to carry food back to their nest.
Females – Organisms that can produce eggs and often give birth to young ones. – In a bee colony, the queen is the main female responsible for laying eggs.
Reproduce – The process by which living organisms create new individuals of the same species. – Plants reproduce by spreading seeds that grow into new plants.
Colony – A group of the same species living together, often sharing resources and responsibilities. – A colony of penguins huddles together to keep warm in the cold.
Bacteria – Microscopic organisms that can be found in various environments, some of which can cause diseases. – Bacteria help decompose dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil.
Turtle – A reptile with a hard shell that lives in water or on land. – The sea turtle swims long distances to lay its eggs on sandy beaches.
Soldiers – Insects within a colony that protect the group from threats. – Soldier ants guard the entrance to the nest to keep it safe from predators.
Sting – A sharp, painful sensation caused by an insect injecting venom through its stinger. – The bee’s sting can cause a red, itchy bump on the skin.
Social – Living in groups and interacting with others of the same species. – Dolphins are social animals that communicate with each other using sounds.
Mating – The process by which animals come together to reproduce. – Birds often perform special dances during mating season to attract a partner.
