tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59148222008-03-24T05:14:46.686-07:00Ant Newscpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1132965581931482012005-11-25T16:36:00.000-08:002005-11-25T16:47:25.206-08:00Don't throw away that old poster...
..send it to Martin Pfeiffer's Online Poster Exhibition at the Ants of Borneo website.Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1132694167668771742005-11-22T13:07:00.000-08:002005-11-22T13:19:37.466-08:00Ant Invasions: Many ants introduced, not all establish.
Andrew V. Suarez, David A. Holway, and Philip S. Ward. 2005. The role of opportunity in the unintentional introduction of nonnative ants PNAS 102: 17032-35.
Abstract:
A longstanding goal in the study of biological invasions is to predict why some species are successful invaders, whereas others are not. To understand this process, Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1132269726409031042005-11-17T15:07:00.000-08:002005-11-17T15:24:13.036-08:00A Cautionary Note For DNA Barcoders...
A pair of papers from the fire ant folks show just how complicated ant speciation and delineation of species boundaries may be:
D. DeWayne Shoemaker, Michael E. Ahrens and Kenneth G. Ross, Molecular phylogeny of fire ants of the Solenopsis saevissima species-group based on mtDNA sequences, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Early Online.
Abstract: TheAlex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1128765184148321372005-10-08T02:53:00.000-07:002005-10-08T03:09:43.456-07:00The Royal Society - Article:
DNA barcoding for effective biodiversity assessment of a hyperdiverse arthropod group: the ants of Madagascar
(M. Alex Smith, Brian L. Fisher, Paul D.N. Hebert)
The role of DNA barcoding as a tool to accelerate the inventory and analysis of diversity for hyperdiverse arthropods was tested using ants in Madagascar. Smith et al. demonstrate how DNA barcoding helps cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1128764722047322562005-10-08T02:45:00.000-07:002005-10-08T03:08:59.693-07:00Towards writing the encyclopaedia of life: an introduction to DNA barcoding (Vincent Savolainen, Robyn S. Cowan, Alfried P. Vogler, George K. Roderick, Richard Lane)cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1128098358491533332005-09-30T09:39:00.000-07:002005-09-30T09:39:18.543-07:00Myrmecologische Nachrichten / Myrmecological Newscpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1119900248717897082005-06-27T12:24:00.000-07:002005-06-27T12:24:08.763-07:00Blackwell Synergy: Mol Ecol, Vol 14, Issue 7, pp. 2007-2015: Inbreeding and kinship in the ant Plagiolepis pygmaea (Abstract) (Trontti, K., Aron, S., Sundstroem, L.)cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1119468031239745622005-06-22T12:20:00.000-07:002005-06-22T12:20:31.263-07:00Proceedings of The Royal Society - Biological Sciences: "Differential gene expression in queen-worker caste determination in bumble-bees" (Pereboom et al., Vol. 272, Number 1568, 2005: 1145-1152)cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1119038840055960752005-06-17T13:07:00.000-07:002005-06-17T13:07:20.096-07:00A genetic component in the determination of worker polymorphism in the Florida harvester ant Pogonomyrmex badius (F.E. Rheindt, C.-P. Strehl, J. Gadau; Insectes Sociaux, 2005, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 163-168)cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1116961707436622372005-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:002005-05-24T12:08:27.473-07:00The rise of the ants: A phylogenetic and ecological explanation
-- Wilson and Hölldobler 102 (21): 7411 --
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:
"In the past two decades, studies of anatomy, behavior, and, most recently, DNA sequences have clarified the phylogeny of the ants at the subfamily and generic levels. In addition, a rich new harvest of Cretaceous and Paleogene fossils has cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1112810868808798502005-04-06T11:07:00.000-07:002005-04-06T11:16:32.953-07:00PNAS | April 5, 2005 | vol. 102 | no. 14 | 5079-5083
Global energy gradients and size in colonial organisms: Worker mass and worker number in ant colonies
(M. Kaspari)
Abstract: "Body mass shapes processes from cell metabolism to community dynamics. Little is known, however, about how the average body mass of individuals varies among ecological communities. Ants alter colony mass by cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1112647633308126832005-04-04T13:47:00.000-07:002005-04-04T13:47:13.306-07:00An aphid-ant interaction: effects on different trophic levels (C. K. Renault, L. M. Buffa and M. A. Delfino; SpringerLink - Article): "The density of aphids on control plants was positively correlated with the density of attending ants, while the density of aphids on ant-excluded plants was positively correlated with the density of spiders. Plants with ants had a significantly lower quantity of cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1108868195346514842005-02-19T18:54:00.000-08:002005-02-19T18:56:35.350-08:00ANT COURSE 2005 Announcement
http://www.calacademy.org/research/entomology/ant_course/
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: April 1, 2005
Southwestern Research Station (SWRS), Portal, AZ, August 4-14, 2005
COURSE OBJECTIVES. – ANT COURSE is designed for systematists, ecologists, behaviorists, conservation biologists, and other biologists whose research responsibilities require a greater Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1108016570910808162005-02-09T22:13:00.000-08:002005-02-09T22:27:02.240-08:00Just when you thought ants couldn't possibly get any more amazing...
Yanoviak, S. P., R. Dudley, and M. Kaspari. 2005. Directed aerial descent in canopy ants. Nature 433, 624 - 626.
Numerous non-flying arboreal vertebrates use controlled descent (either parachuting or gliding sensu stricto) to avoid predation or to locate resources, and directional control during a jump or fall is thought Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1107993985596775422005-02-09T16:02:00.000-08:002005-02-09T16:08:37.343-08:00The Australian populations of invasive fire ants appear to have been introduced from North America
Henshaw, Michael T, Kunzmann, Nicole, Vanderwoude, Cas, Sanetra, Matthias & Crozier, Ross H (2005) Population genetics and history of the introduced fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 44 (1), 37-44.
Abstract. The red Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1107315830131959642005-02-01T19:41:00.000-08:002005-02-01T19:45:28.820-08:00Review article:
Jacobus J. Boomsma, Boris Baer, Jürgen Heinze. 2005. THE EVOLUTION OF MALE TRAITS IN SOCIAL INSECTS. Annual Review of Entomology 50, 395-420.
Abstract . Pair formation in social insects mostly happens early in adult life and away from the social colony context, which precludes promiscuity in the usual sense. Termite males have continuous sperm production, but males of socialAlex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1106511634597800832005-01-23T13:18:00.000-08:002005-01-23T12:20:34.596-08:00Pearcy, M., S. Aron, C. Doums, L. Keller. 2004. Conditional Use of Sex and Parthenogenesis for Worker and Queen Production in Ants. Science 306: 1780-1783.
Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1106511430184527732005-01-23T13:14:00.000-08:002005-01-23T12:17:10.183-08:00Ward, Philip S. & Downie, Douglas A. (2004) The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): phylogeny and evolution of big-eyed arboreal ants. Systematic Entomology 0 (0), -. (Online Early).
Abstract. The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae comprises three genera of hyperoptic, arboreal ants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions: Pseudomyrmex (200 species, New World)Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1105480125737090842005-01-11T13:44:00.000-08:002005-01-11T13:48:45.736-08:00I'm a bit behind in posting David Holway's latest Argentine ant article, but here it is:
David A. Holway. 2004. Edge effects of an invasive species across a natural ecological boundary. Biological Conservation 121(4 ): 561-567.
Abstract
Natural habitats adjacent to human-modified areas often suffer edge
effects stemming from physical disturbance, elevated predator densities, or
Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1105458159905253682005-01-11T07:42:00.000-08:002005-01-11T08:08:39.600-08:00Latest news from the Florida Harvester Ant
Tschinkel, W., 2004. The nest architecture of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius. Journal of Insect Science, 4:21
Abstract
The architecture of the subterranean nests of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius, was studied through excavation and casting. Nests are composed of two basic units: descending shafts and horizontal cpkhshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09455383310054156633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1105389963036974692005-01-10T13:39:00.000-08:002005-01-10T12:46:03.036-08:00Antoine Pezon, Damien Denis, Philippe Cerdan, et al. 2004. Queen movement during colony emigration in the facultatively polygynous ant Pachycondyla obscuricornis. Naturwissenschaften, Online First.
Virginie Cuvillier-Hot, Valérie Renault, Christian Peeters. 2004. Rapid modification in the olfactory signal of ants following a change in reproductive status. Naturwissenschaften, Online First.
Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1105060005967996312005-01-06T17:03:00.000-08:002005-01-06T17:06:45.966-08:00The big man speaks...
Wilson, E. O. 2005. Early ant plagues in the New World. Nature 433.
The identity and origin of the West Indian plague ants of the early sixteenth and late eighteenth centuries have long been a mystery. By reviewing historic accounts with an analysis of the present-day Caribbean ant fauna, I have narrowed the list of suspects to two species and their insect symbionts.
Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1104893123758351882005-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:002005-01-04T18:46:33.836-08:00Wenseleers, T., A. G. Hart, & F. L. W. Ratnieks. 2004. When Resistance Is Useless: Policing and the Evolution of Reproductive Acquiescence in Insect Societies. American Naturalist 164: E154-E167.
Walsh, Peter D., Henschel, Phillipp, Abernethy, Kate A., Tutin, Caroline E. G., Telfer, Paul, Lahm, Sally A. 2004. Logging Speeds Little Red Fire Ant Invasion of Africa. BIOTROPICA 36: 637-641.
Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1104220629982613592004-12-27T23:43:00.000-08:002004-12-28T00:03:26.070-08:00The latest in Argentine ant research, brought to you by the Ant News Department of Shameless Self-Promotion:
N Roura-Pascual, AV Suarez, C Gomez, P Pons, Y Touyama, AL Wild and AT Peterson. 2004. Geographical potential of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile Mayr) in the face of global climate change. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 271: 2527-2535.
Summary. We examinedAlex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914822.post-1102797079694813452004-12-11T11:49:00.000-08:002004-12-11T12:41:49.180-08:00Is unicoloniality not as important as we thought in the invasive success of Argentine ants?
Heller, N. E. (2004) Colony structure in introduced and native populations of the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile. Insectes Sociaux 51(4): 378 - 386.
Summary. The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, severely decreases the abundance and diversity of native ant fauna in areas where it Alex Wildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17670067236990790595noreply@blogger.com