Communication is a complex process that is essential for all animal species on the planet, since many factors depend on it, such as reproduction, feeding and the preservation of life in the face of possible dangers.
This is how the animal world has developed complex and diverse ways for different groups to communicate, for example, through sounds, movements, particular colors, physical contact and even sending chemical signals They carry certain information with them. In this article on our site, we want to talk specifically about how ants, a diverse group of social insects, communicate.
A few general facts about ants
Ants are arthropods that belong to the Insecta class, Hymenoptera order, and the Formicidae family. They inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems, with the exception of aquatic ecosystems and polar areas, and it is estimated that form between 15-20% of the terrestrial animal biomass
As for their way of feeding, this can be omnivorous or herbivorous, as we explain in this other article on What do ants eat? Thus, we find that many are predators, an action that together they carry out very efficiently, they can also be selective in terms of the plants they consume and additionally they can feed in a specialized way on fungi that they grow in their nests.
It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 species globally, playing a fundamental role within ecosystems, beingbiological controllers that participate in nutrient cycling and soil aeration. However, they can also cause certain problems when they grow out of control in farms or urban spaces.
The complex social system of ants
Ants develop a complex structural system, which is why they have been called social insects par excellence, even they are identified as eusocial, which corresponds to the highest level of social organization, which they share with different insects and with other small groups of animals.
The social success of ants is due to their cooperation and organization for the distribution of work, this being a fundamental aspect. These insects have specialized in the tasks they carry out inside and outside the colony, thus minimizing the possibility of making mistakes and optimizing energy consumption. Thus, some are specialized in maintaining and caring for the larvae, others in the construction of the nest, there are also those that participate in foraging (search and selection of food), those that protect the colony, the queens and the males in charge mainly of the reproductive process of the group.
The understanding of the social structure of ants must be carried out from two points of view: on the one hand, from the perspective of individuality, that is, observing that the specialization to carry out activities is a key aspect within the group, and on the other, always bearing in mind that these insects function at the same time as an organized whole, forming a unit
Types of communication between ants
Ants have a complex communication system, which tells us that this is done through different ways, which can be physical or chemical. This complex system of social interaction between them occurs despite their tiny brain, which plays an important role and connects with the other communication structures. In general, the communication process of ants occurs through a network of systems, such as olfactory, visual and tactile
The first is fundamental for these insects and is highly perfected; the second, although less developed, is also effective, given the functionality of their eyes that allows them to see what is happening in their environment; the third is equally important, due to the physical interaction that they carry out permanently in their various activities. In addition to this, ants are capable of perceiving sounds and vibrations thus making their communication process more complex and optimizing.
Physical communication between ants
One form of physical communication for ants is what specialists have called antenear, which occurs when they leave their nests, they come to meet each other and stop for a few moments to touch each other with their antennaeIt is known that the olfactory receptors of the ants are in their antennae, so the purpose of physical contact is to transmit some type of information from one to another.
They can also perform trophalaxia, which consists of the mouth-to-mouth exchange of foodHowever, this exchange is not limited to food, but they can also exchange fluids loaded with chemical signals that also transfer various types of information.
Chemical communication between ants
The smell of ants is fundamental, since it allows them to be recognized by the members of the colony to which they belong, so that if this recognition is not given, the entrance to the nest is prevented and an attack can even be generated. Ants have been observed that after getting wet or dirty they do a kind of cleaning of the body with their legs, which suggests that they perform this act to recover their characteristic smell, which, as we have indicated, is of the utmost importance to stay with their family group. Studies indicate that the particular odor of each colony is the product of its genes, physiology and diet This is produced by some chemical substances called pheromones, of which there are various types and concentrations, being compounds produced by the animal to emit different types of messages.
In this sense, chemical communication occurs without these animals touching, so that when the molecules travel through the air, are perceived and identified by the receptors that the ants have on their antennae, emitting specific information that is processed in their brain. This trail can also be impregnated in the ground as the ant moves from one place to another, so an ant, when locating an important food source, can return to the nest leaving a chemical footprint so that the others know how to get to this place., that is why it is common to see ants walking in a row, which indicates part of their group behavior.
These chemical signaling substances are identified by colony members and are produced in various parts of the ants' bodies. It is about cuticular hydrocarbons, a series of organic compounds that allows them to identify each other and know if an individual is a queen, a male or a worker. Likewise, these pheromones offer information on dangers, food location, reproduction, recruitment and signaling.
Each colony has a characteristic odor, which is transmitted to all members through the permanent contact they have when exchanging food, cleaning each other and the constant rubbing they establish. This scent is quickly learned by individuals from the moment of birth.
Communication by sounds, vibrations and movements in ants
Ants not only communicate by touching each other or by emitting pheromones, they also do so through the generation of sounds so that the itself indicates a type of information. It has been shown that not only adults emit these sounds, but even those that are in the larval stage with a higher degree of maturation can do so, which indicates that they already perceive what is happening around them.
But there is also another type of communication between these animals and it is through the emission of vibrations in the substrate, which can be perceived by other ants that are distant. This form of communication could be very effective when the transmission of information through pheromones can be altered or limited by some chemical agent present in the environment.
Another form of communication observed in ants is the performance of species of side dances or movements of the head that they also use for communication purposes.
Ants are a clear example that size has nothing to do with the capabilities that an animal may have. These small and apparently harmless insects, due to their organization, generate activities that could be surprising, such as saving themselves in case of floods by forming species of floating rafts joining their bodies in a highly organized way, which allows them to reach land. dry. In addition, they are fierce when it comes to defending themselves, for which they can bite, spray or inject chemicals such as formic acid. Ant stings can be highly painful in some cases and very few types of ants are dangerous to humans.
On the other hand, they have the ability to learn, so that one worker can guide another with less experience to the place where food is found, making the latter manage to remember the traveled route to arrive by itself on other occasions.
All these mentioned examples occur thanks to the complex communication system of ants, which is essential for their survival.
