Ants have three major body parts:head,thorax,and gastor (abdomen).The thorax can be broken down into two major parts:the alitrunk which contains the legs and wings,and the petiole which is found directly anterior to the gastor and is found only in ants.Ants have mandibles (jaws) which are of varied structures.These varied structures provide for a plethora of functions ranging from grasping,tearing,cutting and other special tasks.Most ants have a stinger at the end of the gastor.Some ants can release this stinger in a similar fashion to honeybees.The stinger is only found in female ants and is a modified ovipositor (egg laying organ).Ants have compound eyes which have not been shown to effect their behavior,although some ants seem to be able to detect movemen t.They have very sensitive antennae that are used for a wide array of communication.
Why ants are so successful
It appears that ants were the first,and remain the only,social insect predators to utilize the moist,dark dirt and rotting vegetation for nesting.Since ants shed their wings after mating,they can crawl into a much smaller space than their relatives,the wasp.The wasp has wings and a relatively large thorax which limits where it can nest.The ant retains some of the weapons of the wasp,i.e.the stinger and other chemical weapons,which make the ant a mean and efficient predator.
One of the greatest advantages for ants is their social behavior.Working as a colony with specialized duties,they are more efficient than non-social insects in getting necessary jobs done.For example,when you have a number of individuals solely responsible for feeding larvae,there is a higher likelihood that the larvae will be fed by at least one individual.Other ants in the colony are responsible for bringing food to the feeders.Others are responsible for bringing food into the colony,etc.The feeders are specialized to complete their single task,and,therefore,do not have to succeed at a great number of tasks to get the food to the larvae.
Their varied mandibles are an irreplaceable tool for accomplishing the jobs necessary for the multiple behaviors displayed by various individuals of colonies.
The metapleural gland excretes antifungal and antibacterial materials that ants spread throughout their colonies through their wanderings.This protects their brood and their food supplies in the humid underground environment.
Division of Labor
Ant colonies are grossly divided into queens,males,and workers.The job of the queen is to lay eggs.The males generally do nothing for the colony.They wander around accepting food from the workers until the time comes for mating.They die almost immediately after mating.Workers are generally sterile females.They have a variety of tasks to perform for the colony ranging from foragers,defenders,brood feeders,food preparers,caretakers of the queen and nest construction,among other things.The size of the ant in the colony is often different according to the task the ant needs to perform.The queen is often the largest; brood keepers are the smallest.Soldiers are large,and foragers are smaller.
When ants specialize,they help the colony survive in a number of ways.For example,foragers are constantly exposed to danger while out on the hunt.A small percentage of the colony acts as foragers though,so the majority of the colony is safely tucked away in the nest.The foragers are sacrificing for the majority of the colony,which means that the colony will probably survive longer.If every ant in the colony had to forage,then every individual would be exposed to great dangers.Interestingly,duties are often assigned according to the age of the ant.The younger ants are closer to the queen,taking care of her and the brood,while the older ants are usually delegated the more dangerous tasks of foraging and defense.