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Ecology Mar 28, 2024

Supergene research solves the mystery of tiny ant queens

An ant colony is sustained through complex social dynamics, with each member—the queen, males and workers (sterile females)—contributing to the greater community. Some species add complexity to this dynamic with the addition ...

Plants & Animals Mar 26, 2024

Behavior of ant queens found to be shaped by their social environments

The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom.

Ecology Mar 22, 2024

Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an ant

Arachnophobia can make humans flee at the sight of a brown recluse, black widow or even a daddy long legs, but animal predators of spiders know no such fear.

Plants & Animals Mar 20, 2024

How ants are breaking down biogeographic boundaries and homogenizing biodiversity

Ants transported by humans out of their native zones reshape ant communities worldwide. A recent study in Nature Communications by the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) shows that our ...

Biochemistry Mar 17, 2024

Investigating the many flavors of edible ants

Insects are typically unwelcome visitors to a picnic, but they could be a flavorful, nutritious and sustainable addition to the menu. Eating insects is common in some parts of the world, and some species are even considered ...

Plants & Animals Feb 14, 2024

Imperfect mimicry in spiders and insects mainly shaped by adaptive processes rather than constraints, finds study

Two natural scientists at Macquarie University, working with an evolutionary specialist at the University of New South Wales, all in Australia, have found that imperfect mimicry in spiders and insects is likely mainly shaped ...

Plants & Animals Feb 13, 2024

Desert ants: Earth's magnetic field calibrates their navigation system

They are only a few centimeters tall and their brains have a comparatively simple structure with less than 1 million neurons. Nevertheless, desert ants of the Cataglyphis genus possess abilities that distinguish them from ...

Ecology Feb 1, 2024

How leafcutter ants cultivate a fungal garden to degrade plants could provide insights into future biofuels

Scientists have spent decades finding ways to efficiently and affordably degrade plant materials so that they can be converted into useful bioproducts that benefit everyday life.

Plants & Animals Jan 25, 2024

Tiny ant species disrupts lion's hunting behavior

In a study published in the journal Science, a team of scientists report that a tiny and seemingly innocuous invasive ant species is changing tree cover in an East African wildlife area, making it harder for lions, the world's ...

Ecology Jan 23, 2024

Ants help reveal why sourcing different plants for eco fuels is crucial for biodiversity

Despite being a renewable energy source, the use of biofuel is controversial, as growing few, highly productive crops for fuel can lead to biodiversity loss in the cropping systems where biomass is produced. A cropping system ...

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