biology

Glossary of ant terms

Glossary of ant terms is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glossary of ant terms rather than just read about it. In short: This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants. A alatewinged reproductive male or female ant B Berlese funnelsee also Winkler extraction device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed on a screen with a funnel beneath, and a heat source above; the drying forces the animals downwards, where they fall into a collecting jar, usually filled with…

Key takeaways

Glossary of ant terms belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Glossary of ant terms to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Glossary of ant terms from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants.

alatewinged reproductive male or female ant

Berlese funnelsee also Winkler extraction device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed on a screen with a funnel beneath, and a heat source above; the drying forces the animals downwards, where they fall into a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol

bivouacin army and driver ants, nest formed by the bodies of the ants themselves to protect the queen and larvae

dulosissee slave-making

dichthadiiformwingless queen with enlarged gaster, having a broadened head, very small eyes and worker-like alitrunk

domatiumsee also myrmecodomatium in plants, tiny chamber produced by plants to house arthropods

epigaeicsee also hypogaeic living or foraging above the ground

ergatea member of the non-reproductive, laboring caste.

ergatogynesee also ergatoid denotes any intercaste female morphologically intermediate between workers and (winged) queens, not restricted to the reproductive caste; formerly often used interchangeably to refer to ergatoid queens

ergatoidsee also ergatogyne a wingless (dealate) reproductive adult ant, anatomically intermediate in form between workers and winged queens or males

fungivorousfeeding on fungi

gamergatea mated, egg-laying, female worker in species lacking a queen

granivorousseed herbivory, feeding on grain

gynea member of the female reproductive caste

haplometrosissee also pleometrosis colony founding by a single queen

hypogaeicsee also epigaeic subterranean, living below the ground, or at least beneath the leaf litter, stones or dead bark

mermithergatesee also mermithogyne "parasitogenic" phenotype of worker ants, caused by mermithid nematodes

mermithogynesee also mermithergate "parasitogenic" phenotype of gynes, caused by mermithid nematodes

monandrysee also polyandry queen mating with a single male

monodomysee also polydomy colony housing arrangement in a single nest

monogynysee also polygyny, primary monogyny, secondary monogyny nest arrangement containing a single queen

multicolonialitysee also unicoloniality nest arrangement of a population of ants consisting of multiple independent colonies (monodomous or polydomous)

myrmecochoryseed dispersal by ants

myrmecodomatiumsee also domatium domatium housed by ants

myrmecologista student of ants

myrmecologythe study of ants

myrmecophilyassociation of various organisms with ants

myrmecophyteplant that lives in a mutualistic association with ants

nanitica worker of the first generation, usually smaller in size than subsequent generations

oligogynynest arrangement with multiple queens, defined by worker tolerance towards all queens in the colony and antagonism among the queens

pheromone trailsee also domatium trail of chemical compounds secreted by ants to guide nestmates to a target (usually food)

pilosityquality of being covered with hair

pleometrosissee also haplometrosis colony founding by multiple queens

plerergatesee replete

polyandrysee also monandry queen mating with multiple males

polydomysee also monodomy colony arrangement housed in multiple separate nests

polyethismdivision of labor, the development of different roles

polygynysee also monogyny, primary polygyny, secondary polygyny nest arrangement containing multiple queens

polymorphismin social insects, having more than one caste within the same sex

primary monogynysee also monogyny single queen founding a colony (haplometrosis), with no additional queens incorporated into the colony

primary polygynysee also polygyny colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), with more than one queen surviving

queensee gyne

repleteworker ant that functions as a living larder, having an enlarged abdomen filled with liquid food secondary monogynysee also monogyny colony founding by multiple queens (pleometrosis), a single queen survive

secondary polygynysee also polygyny colony founding by a single queen (haplometrosis), with additional queens incorporated into the colony at a later stage, usually by adoption or fusion with other colonies

slave-makingthe capture of brood of other ant species that is then reared as slaves

tandem runningsee also pheromone trail recruitment method used by some species of ants, where one ant leads a single, closely following nestmate to a target (usually food)

trail pheromonesee pheromone trail

trophallaxistransfer of liquid food among family members or guest organisms

trophic eggnon-viable egg laid by the queen to be used as a source of nutrition

trophobiosismutualistic relationships between ants and other insects

unicolonialitysee also multicoloniality a population of ants inhabiting a single large polydomous colony

Winkler extractionsee also Berlese funnel device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed inside an inner bag constructed from cloth mesh, which is suspended in a second bag containing a funnel leading to a collecting jar, usually filled with alcohol; the device is hung up in the air and passively extracts escaping animals

See also Glossary of entomology terms Glossary of scientific names Glossary of scientific naming

References

External links Antkey glossary Archived 2015-08-30 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glossary of ant terms

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glossary of ant terms claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glossary of ant terms before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glossary of ant terms ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glossary of ant terms

In research: Glossary of ant terms appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glossary of ant terms in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glossary of ant terms is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Glossaries of zoology, Myrmecology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glossary of ant terms outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Glossary of ant terms in simple terms?

This is a glossary of terms used in the descriptions of ants. A alatewinged reproductive male or female ant B Berlese funnelsee also Winkler extraction device used to extract ants and other living organism from soil and leaf-litter samples; a sample is placed on a screen with a funnel beneath, and…

Why does Glossary of ant terms matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glossary of ant terms?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glossary of ant terms.