Ants Play An Important Role in The Environment

Ants, along with bees and wasps, are members of the order Hymenoptera and undergo complete
metamorphosis passing through four stages:
● Egg
● Larva
● Pupa
● Adult
However, all ants are true social insects
Ant is an amazing scientific and social being and we humans need them.
Ants play an important role in the environment.
Ants are social insects that live in colonies that may include thousands of individuals
Ants turn and aerate the soil, allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots.
Ants eat a wide variety of organic material and provide food for many different
organisms. THEY EAT PLANTS, SEEDS, AND DECAYING PLANT AND ANIMAL
MATERIAL. MANY SPECIES OF ANTS PREY ON OTHER INSECTS. SOME ANTS

EAT INSECT PESTS, SUCH AS TERMITES.
Ants provide an invaluable service to plants by transporting their

seeds to safer, more nutrient-rich habitats. Ants usually carry seeds to
their nests, where some seeds will take root in the fertile soil.
Ants are social insects, living in long-term colonies that survive from year to year.
The ants that people see running around are almost always workers. A typical ant colony contains a
single queen, the only individual that lays eggs. However, the colonies of some ant species have a few
to many queens.
Most ants are predators or scavengers gathering a wide variety of different foods.
WHY
And each structure has its own special function.
When you come across an ant on the ground, it’s almost always a
worker ant. Workers are adult females that don’t reproduce but
perform all the other jobs needed to keep an ant colony alive and
healthy. In case you are wondering, there are no male workers in ant
colonies. What do these female worker ants look like? Let’s take a
closer look
What’s Inside an Ant?

Now that you can see how ants are put together and what each part is
named, let’s learn what each part does and what is inside of them.
The ant’s second body segment, the mesosoma, is packed full with
muscles that power its three pairs of legs. The legs are designed for
running – ants can run very fast for their size. At the end of each leg is
a hooked claw that is used to climb and hang on to things.
The gaster contains the ant’s heart, digestive system, and chemical
weaponry. Some ants have a sting, which is used to inject venom into
enemies. Others have a tiny opening at the tip of their gaster through
which they spray acid to stun prey or defend themselves.
In between the mesosoma and the gaster is the petiole (and in some
ants, the post-petiole). This is one body part that distinguishes ants
from other insects. The petiole (and post-petiole, when present)
provides a flexible junction, allowing the ant to bend its gaster
forward to sting or spray.
Finally, the entire body of an ant is covered by a hard exoskeleton that

provides support, protection, and a barrier against water loss.
How Ants Find Their Way

You may have noticed we didn’t talk about ant heads. Like you and
me, ants use their heads to sense information about the world around
them. This is very important for their survival and the life of the
colony. If you watch an ant’s head, the antennae are always moving
back and forth, touching, tasting, and smelling everything within
reach. Each antenna is bent in the middle like the elbow of a human
arm – this is another unique feature of ants.
Their compound eyes, like the eyes of most insects, can contain
hundreds of lenses that combine to form a single image in the ant’s
brain. Ants that use vision to hunt for prey have big compound eyes.
Other ants that live in dark places have reduced eyes and may even be
blind. Some ants also have three simple eyes called ocelli that detect
light.
The mandibles are an ant’s most important tool. Ants don’t have
grasping forelegs, so they use their mandibles like human hands to
hold and carry things. Mandibles can also be used for biting,
crushing, cutting, digging, fighting, and hunting. Hidden by the
mandibles is the mouth, which ants use not only to eat, but also to
clean themselves and nestmates.
Ant heads, especially the eyes and mandibles, come in all shapes and
sizes and provide clues to the kinds of food ants eat and the different
lifestyles they live.

Ants Play An Important Role in The Environment

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Ants, along with bees and wasps, are members of the order Hymenoptera and undergo complete

metamorphosis passing through four stages:

However, all ants are true social insects

Ants play an important role in the environment.

MATERIAL. MANY SPECIES OF ANTS PREY ON OTHER INSECTS. SOME ANTS

Ants provide an invaluable service to plants by transporting their

And each structure has its own special function.

What’s Inside an Ant?

Finally, the entire body of an ant is covered by a hard exoskeleton that

How Ants Find Their Way

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