Biology:Ant communication
Ant communication involves pheromones, which is a method using chemical trails for other ants or insects to find and follow.[1]
Background
Ants have many different pheromones, depending on the species. When an ant finds something interesting, whether it is food or an enemy, it excretes a chemical substance from it and drags it along the floor to the colony.[2]
When a different worker sets its antenna down on the trail, it senses the trail, changes its own behavior (depending on the specific pheromone) and follows it depending on what kind. If it is a food trail, the worker will follow the trail to find the food; If it does find the food, it will go back to the colony and strengthen the trail, making more and more workers to follow the trail.[3] Same thing with attacking/defending the colony, when detected, other workers will begin attacking the enemy inside a circle of pheromones, rather than a trail.
References
- ↑ Chalissery, J. M.; Renyard, A.; Gries, R.; Hoefele, D.; Alamsetti, S. K.; Gries, G. (2019). "Ants Sense, and Follow, Trail Pheromones of Ant Community Members". Insects (Jaime M. Chalissery) 10 (11): 383. doi:10.3390/insects10110383. PMID 31683791.
- ↑ "Trail Pheromone". James E. Zablotny. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/trail-pheromone.
- ↑ David Morgan, E. (2009). "Trail Pheromones of Ants". Physiological Entomology (David Morgan.) 34: 1–17. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3032.2008.00658.x. https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3032.2008.00658.x. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
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