Mary Elizabeth Crouch
IMG_8910
This photo was taken in the Tri-House area on January 20th, 2018. This could be a worker ant of the species Solenopsis invicta (Fire Ant), due to its reddish-brown coloring that darkens to almost black near the abdomen, as well as the length and segmentation of its antennae, and the presence of a stinger. Solenopsis invicta are native to Brazil, but were introduced to the US between 1933 and 1945 and have now become well established in the southeastern US. While considered a pest themselves, the Solenopsis invicta have also been known to consume many other pest species (MacGown, 2016). One of the important ecological roles of ants, is their ability to aerate the soil around the roots of plants. This allows the plants to get the water and oxygen they need. Some plants have elaiosomes on their seeds, which are protein rich and attract the ants, who in turn carry the seeds underground and eat the elaiosomes. This is an important form of seed dispersal for the plants. Ants also live in a microclimate. They build a system of complex tunnels under the ground, providing them with insulation. There will be warmer temperatures inside the nest than the cooler above ground temperatures during cold months, and cooler temperatures in the nest during warmer months. Ants usually prefer warmer temperatures and will structure their nests and the mound of discarded soil above it to absorb heat from the sun and further increase the temperature inside.
www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/41504/a...
harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/ants/ecological-importance
animals.mom.me/ant-hills-look-like-10251.html
mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchta...
IMG_8910
This photo was taken in the Tri-House area on January 20th, 2018. This could be a worker ant of the species Solenopsis invicta (Fire Ant), due to its reddish-brown coloring that darkens to almost black near the abdomen, as well as the length and segmentation of its antennae, and the presence of a stinger. Solenopsis invicta are native to Brazil, but were introduced to the US between 1933 and 1945 and have now become well established in the southeastern US. While considered a pest themselves, the Solenopsis invicta have also been known to consume many other pest species (MacGown, 2016). One of the important ecological roles of ants, is their ability to aerate the soil around the roots of plants. This allows the plants to get the water and oxygen they need. Some plants have elaiosomes on their seeds, which are protein rich and attract the ants, who in turn carry the seeds underground and eat the elaiosomes. This is an important form of seed dispersal for the plants. Ants also live in a microclimate. They build a system of complex tunnels under the ground, providing them with insulation. There will be warmer temperatures inside the nest than the cooler above ground temperatures during cold months, and cooler temperatures in the nest during warmer months. Ants usually prefer warmer temperatures and will structure their nests and the mound of discarded soil above it to absorb heat from the sun and further increase the temperature inside.
www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/41504/a...
harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/ants/ecological-importance
animals.mom.me/ant-hills-look-like-10251.html
mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchta...