Temnothorax albipennis
Encyclopedia
Temnothorax albipennis is a species
of small ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae
. It occurs in Europe and builds simple nests in rock crevices.
and metasoma
, with the first two segments of the metasoma forming a distinct waist. It is light brown and has a few short pale coloured hairs. The antennae are elbowed and there are a pair of compound eyes and three ocelli.
and a large number of workers. These are all non-breeding females and leave the nest to forage and collect building materials for its construction and repair.
T. albipennis builds simple nests in cracks in rocks, enclosed by walls built from tiny pebbles and grains of sand. In an experiment where two sizes of sand grain were offered to ants that were foraging for building materials, the ants always chose the smaller grains although this was wasteful in terms of building efficiency. Another experiment examined the division of labour in ant colonies and found that there tended to be a few high performance workers in small colonies which performed tasks considerably more efficiently than the other workers. This was not the case in larger colonies, and in both cases, there were a high proportion of inactive workers.
Ants are one of the most successful insects on the planet and there is a long-held view that this is because of the division of labour
and the way certain workers specialise in certain tasks. Another experiment examined whether these specialist ants actually performed the task better than other workers. The ants were marked with drops of paint and then were videotaped while they performed such tasks as foraging, transporting the brood and nest building. The conclusions were that, though some ants performed a range of jobs and others specialised in a single task, the latter were found not to be any more efficient at their selected tasks than were the generalists. However the specialists did put in more time on the job than the other ants so the colony overall benefited from their specialisation.
Ants of this species have been observed teaching each other through a process known as tandem running
. An experienced forager leads a naive nest-mate to a newly discovered food source. The follower obtains knowledge of the route by following in the footsteps of the tutor, maintaining contact with its antennae
. Both leader and follower are aware of the progress made by the other with the leader slowing when the follower lags and speeding up when the follower gets too close.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae
Myrmicinae
Myrmicinae is a subfamily of ants. There are about 140 genera within the group, with the family being cosmopolitan. The pupae lack cocoons. Some species retain a functional sting. The petioles of Myrmicinae consist of two nodes...
. It occurs in Europe and builds simple nests in rock crevices.
Description
This species has the typical ant body pattern of head, mesosomaMesosoma
The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings....
and metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
, with the first two segments of the metasoma forming a distinct waist. It is light brown and has a few short pale coloured hairs. The antennae are elbowed and there are a pair of compound eyes and three ocelli.
Biology
As with other ants, there is a single, relatively large queen that lays eggs in the nestAnt colony
An ant colony is an underground lair where ants live, eat and mate. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating...
and a large number of workers. These are all non-breeding females and leave the nest to forage and collect building materials for its construction and repair.
T. albipennis builds simple nests in cracks in rocks, enclosed by walls built from tiny pebbles and grains of sand. In an experiment where two sizes of sand grain were offered to ants that were foraging for building materials, the ants always chose the smaller grains although this was wasteful in terms of building efficiency. Another experiment examined the division of labour in ant colonies and found that there tended to be a few high performance workers in small colonies which performed tasks considerably more efficiently than the other workers. This was not the case in larger colonies, and in both cases, there were a high proportion of inactive workers.
Ants are one of the most successful insects on the planet and there is a long-held view that this is because of the division of labour
Division of labour
Division of labour is the specialisation of cooperative labour in specific, circumscribed tasks and likeroles. Historically an increasingly complex division of labour is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialisation...
and the way certain workers specialise in certain tasks. Another experiment examined whether these specialist ants actually performed the task better than other workers. The ants were marked with drops of paint and then were videotaped while they performed such tasks as foraging, transporting the brood and nest building. The conclusions were that, though some ants performed a range of jobs and others specialised in a single task, the latter were found not to be any more efficient at their selected tasks than were the generalists. However the specialists did put in more time on the job than the other ants so the colony overall benefited from their specialisation.
Ants of this species have been observed teaching each other through a process known as tandem running
Tandem running
Tandem running is a method of recruitment used by some species of ants, such as Temnothorax albipennis, to lead nestmates to food. It is dissimilar to other recruitment strategies used by social insects such as pheromone trails, in that ants using tandem running can recruit only one worker at a time...
. An experienced forager leads a naive nest-mate to a newly discovered food source. The follower obtains knowledge of the route by following in the footsteps of the tutor, maintaining contact with its antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
. Both leader and follower are aware of the progress made by the other with the leader slowing when the follower lags and speeding up when the follower gets too close.