Until recently, not so much was known about the life of these insects. In ancient times, ants in some countries served as objects of worship, and it is no coincidence: these creatures are one of the oldest species of insects that exist on Earth. Excavations revealed fossils of these arthropods dating back over one hundred million years old! And today, scientists studying the world of insects know for sure all the stages of development of an ant, and the life expectancy of various individuals, and the strict hierarchy that exists within an ant hill. And still do not cease to be surprised.
Complete transformation
In an anthill, life is seething and constantly updated. Like any insect, this forest orderly in his life goes through a series of transformations. Moreover, the stages of his life are significantly different functionally and externally. Four stages of ant development are known:
- egg;
- larva;
- pupa;
- adult (adult).
That is, all varieties of ants belong to insects with a complete transformation cycle, which is called holometabolism. As a rule, in most species, the entire development process takes about a month.
Stage of development of the ant: egg, larva
The life of every insect begins with an egg. At this stage of development of the ant, the female (uterus) lays eggs. They are small (up to a millimeter in length), oval, yellowish or whitish. Working ants take care of them: sort the brood, find the optimal conditions so that larvae can develop from eggs. Usually eggs are not stored individually, but in whole small packets. So the incubation period lasts.
At its end, worm-shaped larvae that are not too similar to adult individuals come out of the eggs. Initially, the larvae can also be located together, in packages. After more adults - already individually. At this stage of the ant development stage (photo - below), an enhanced nutrition of the future arthropod occurs. Again, the working ants feed the larvae, delivering food plentifully and on time. It is characteristic that during the entire stage the larva does not excrete excrement, and defecation occurs only during pupation.
Doll
Stages of ant development: egg, larva, adult insect. But between the second and last stage there is also the pupal stage (in some insects it is absent - this is called the "incomplete transformation"). The larva, which ceases to carry out nutrition, excretes feces (meconium), weaves a cocoon. By the way, the subfamilies of these insects are known in which the larvae of cocoons do not weave.
Adult
An adult ant (imago) emerges from the cocoon at the end of its development. Scientists have learned that relatives of young relatives, working ants, are pulling the young individual out of the shell, since it cannot open the cocoon on its own. At the beginning of the journey, an adult ant has a lighter color, and after a few days it already acquires a body color indistinguishable from the rest. Since then, the working ant does not grow, but feeds mainly on carbohydrate foods. Thus ends the stage of development of the ant.
Hierarchy
In any anthill there are three categories of insects: the uterus, male drones and working ants. Males emerge from non-fertilized eggs. Their main role is participation in reproduction and fertilization. For mating flight, they need wings. They differ from working ants in body size.
Worker ants are the foundation of anthill strength. They bear all the economic duties of the colony.
The uterus, in comparison with the working ant, is a sheer whopper. She first has wings, and then, after mating and fertilization, she bites them off, becoming "non-flying." Her whole subsequent life is devoted to egg laying and procreation. "Ant Queen" (uterus) under favorable conditions can live up to 5 years (in some species and longer). While the working ant lives only a few months (in some species - a few years). Male drones live less: when they mate, they die, or they are destroyed by other congener ants.
School theme
When working on the topic "Stages of the development of an ant" (env. World, cf. school), one should pay attention to the fact that in an ant's life there are 4 periods (and not three, like some other insects). We talk about each of them in more detail using photographs and slides. You can also pick up a video about life in the anthill.
