Ants are one of the few animals that have managed to colonize the world, as they are found on all continents except the Antarctica. More than 14,000 species of ants have been identified to date, but many more are believed to exist. Some of these ant species have co-evolved with other species, developing many symbiotic relationships, including slavery.
Ants have been so successful, in part, thanks to their complex social organization, becoming a superorganism, where only one caste has the function of reproducing and perpetuating the species. If you find this topic interesting, we invite you to continue reading this article on our site, where we explain, among other things, how ants reproduce, how many eggs an ant lays or how many times ants reproduce.
The eu-society of ants
A eusociety is the highest and most complex form of social organizationin the animal world. It is characterized by organizing itself into castes , one reproductive and the other infertile, which is usually called the worker caste. This type of society only occurs in some insects, such as ants, bees and wasps, some crustaceans and in a single species of mammal, the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber).
Ants live in eusociality, they are organized in such a way that one ant (or several in certain cases) acts as reproductive female, what we popularly know as "queen" Her daughters (never her sisters) are the workers, carrying out functions such as caring for her offspring, gathering food and construction and expansion of the anthill.
Some of them are in charge of protecting the colony and, instead of workers, they are called soldier ants. They are much larger than the workers, but smaller than the queen, and they also have a more developed jaw.
Don't hesitate to consult this other post on our site to discover how ants communicate?
The reproduction of ants
To explain the reproduction of ants, we will start from a mature colony, in which there is a queen, workers and warriors. An anthill is considered mature when it is approximately 4 years old, depending on the species of ant.
The reproduction time of ants occurs throughout the year in tropical areas of the world, but in temperate and cold areas it only occurs in the warmer seasons. When it is cold the colony goes into dormancy or hibernation.
Surely you are wondering if ants lay eggs. The truth is that the queen is capable of laying fertile unfertilized eggsthroughout her life, which will give rise to the workers and soldiers. Whether one type or another is born depends on the hormones and the food eaten during the first phases of its life. These ants are haploid beings (they have half the normal number of chromosomes for the species). A queen ant can lay between one and several thousand eggs in a few days
At a certain moment, the queen ant lays special eggs (mediated by hormones), although they appear to be the same as the rest. These eggs are special because they contain the future queens and males At this point, it is important to note that females are diploid individuals and males are haploid (normal number of chromosomes for the species). This is so, because only the eggs that will produce males are fertilized.
Now we know where ants are born. But how could these eggs have been fertilized if there are no males in an ant colony?
The nuptial flight of the ants
When the future queens and males mature and develop their wings under the care of the colony, and the ideal weather conditions of temperature, hours of light and humidity are met, the males fly out of the anthill and They gather in certain areas with other males, when they are all together, the nuptial flight of the ants begins, in which they display movements and release somepheromones that attract new queens.
Once they arrive at the site, they pair up and Copulation occurs A female can copulate with one or more males, depending on the the species. The fertilization of the ants is internal, the male introduces the sperm inside the female and she will store it in a spermateca until it must be used for the new generation of fertile ants.
When copulation is over, the males die and the females look for a place to bury and hide.
Birth of a new colony
Now, how are ants born? The winged female who copulated during the nuptial dance and managed to hide will remain underground for the rest of her life These first moments are crucial and dangerous, as she must survive with the energy accumulated during its growth in its original colony, it can even eat its own wings, until it lays the first fertile eggs not fertilized, which will give rise to the first workers.
These workers are called nurses, they are smaller than normal, they have a very short life (a few days or weeks) and they will be in charge of the beginning of the construction of the anthill, collect the first foods and take care of the eggs that will produce the final workers. This is how ants are born or, rather, the ant colony is born.
You may be interested in taking a look at this other article on How are ants born? for more information on the subject.
