Ants Honor

Nature Study

Requirements

1. To which order and family do ants belong? Find out the number of species cataloged in your country.

   Answer: Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera (the same as bees and wasps) and to the family Formicidae. In Brazil there are approximately 2,000 cataloged species, one of the greatest diversities in the world; globally, more than 14,000 species have already been described. — Hymenoptera: insects with membranous wings (queens and males have them). Formicidae: important subfamilies (Myrmicinae, Formicinae, Ponerinae). Brazil has ~2,000 species (estimate from INPA, USP). Leaf-cutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex), saúvas, fire ants, army ants, fire ants (lava-pés). In ecosystems: predation, seed dispersal, soil aeration. Some are urban and agricultural pests.

2. Know the life cycle of an ant.

   Answer: Complete metamorphosis in 4 phases: egg (1-2 weeks), larva (1-3 weeks), pupa (1-3 weeks), adult. The queen lays eggs, the workers care for the brood. Adults live weeks (workers) to years (queens, up to 30 years). Castes: queen (reproduction), workers (labor), soldiers (defense), males (mating, and they die). — Holometabolous (complete metamorphosis). Egg: tiny, white. Larva: legless, fed by workers. Pupa: immobile, transformation. Adult: final form by caste. Caste determination is by the diet and environment of the larva. Nuptial flight: queens and males fly, mate, the males die, the queens land, lose their wings, and found a colony. The diversity of castes and sociability are remarkable.

3. Know the internal and external anatomy of an ant and present it to your leader.

   Answer: External: head (with mandibles, antennae, eyes), thorax, gaster (abdomen) connected by a petiole. 6 legs, chitin exoskeleton. Internal: digestive system with a social crop (sharing food), 2 stomachs, respiratory system via tracheae, ganglionic nervous system, glands (mandibular, metapleural, venom). — Head: mandibles for chewing, cutting, defending. Antennae: smell, touch. Compound eyes (some ocelli). Thorax: 3 segments with legs. Gaster: digestion, reproduction. Petiole: narrow waist. The social crop stores liquid food for trophallaxis (sharing). A venom gland in some species (fire ants). Tracheae carry air directly to the cells. Efficient anatomy for a complex social life.

4. Find out which ant species do not live in anthills. List:
   • Habitat or society
   • Form of reproduction
   • Feeding

   Answer: Species that do not build traditional anthills in the soil: 1) Army ants (Eciton spp.) — nomadic, they form a temporary nest (bivouac) with their own interlocked bodies; 2) Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) — they excavate galleries in dead or damp wood; 3) Weaver ants (Oecophylla spp.) — they sew living leaves together with the silk produced by the larvae; 4) Some Pseudomyrmex spp. live inside the hollow thorns of acacias (mutualism). Each species adapts its shelter to its ecology. — Army ants (legionary ants): hunting expeditions on the Amazon floor, they make temporary nests (bivouacs) with their bodies. Camponotus in rotten logs or human structures. Oecophylla in Asia/Australia uses larvae as needles with silk. Pseudomyrmex in a living anthill (the acacia provides shelter, the ant protects the tree). The diversity of habitats shows impressive evolutionary adaptation.

5. Find out at least 3 characteristics that distinguish ants from other insects.

   Answer: Three characteristics that distinguish ants from other insects: 1) Petiole — a very narrow waist (one or two nodes) between the thorax and the gaster, exclusive to them; 2) Geniculate antennae (elbow/L-shaped), with the first segment (scape) quite long; 3) Complex social life in a colony organized into castes (queen, workers, soldiers, and males). Others: the metapleural gland that produces an antimicrobial substance and trophallaxis (mouth-to-mouth food exchange). — The petiole is diagnostic: a distinct waist vs. bees/wasps. Elbowed antenna with a long first segment. Extreme eusociality: division of labor among castes. The metapleural gland with antimicrobial substances (protection against fungi in the nest). Trophallaxis: chemical communication via liquid food. Comparison with bees (no defined petiole) and termites (broad waist, straight antennae, nymph instead of larva-pupa).

6. Know at least 2 benefits and 2 harms that ants cause to humans.

   Answer: Benefits: soil aeration, seed dispersal, biological control of pests, bioindicators. Harms: urban pests (food), leaf-cutters (croplands), stings (fire ants), wood damage (carpenter ants). — Soil: galleries drain water, oxygenate roots. Seeds: myrmecochory favors the dispersal of plants. Biological control: they prey on the eggs and larvae of pests. Leaf-cutters (Atta) defoliate trees and crops. Fire ants (Solenopsis) have painful stings, allergies. Carpenter ants excavate the wood of houses. Proper management preserves benefits and controls pests. Adventism: balance between protecting creatures and protecting humans.

7. What is the main form of communication among ants?

   Answer: Chemical communication through pheromones: substances that indicate a trail, alarm, colony identification, reproductive state. They also use tactile cues (antenna touches), trophallaxis (sharing food), and stridulation (sounds in some species). Antennae are the main chemical and tactile receptor organs for this social communication. — Trail pheromones guide to food; alarm pheromones warn of danger; colony recognition distinguishes 'friend' from 'enemy'. Glands: Dufour, mandibular, postpygidial. Trophallaxis shares food and chemical information. Antennae touch upon encounter to identify nestmates. Stridulation, by the gaster against the thorax, produces sounds in some species. Highly efficient communication in societies of millions.

8. Know at least 10 species of ants that live in your country. List:
   • Habitat or society
   • Form of reproduction
   • Feeding

   Answer: Ten species of ants that live in Brazil, with habitat/society, reproduction, and feeding: 1) Habitat or society: all the species below are social insects that live in colonies organized into castes (queen, workers, and males), with the nest location varying. Leaf-cutter ant (Atta sexdens) and quenquém (Acromyrmex): underground anthills with fungus chambers, in gardens and croplands. Fire ant (Solenopsis invicta): nests in mounds of earth in open areas. Ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) and Argentine ant (Linepithema humile): colonies inside houses and crevices. Big-headed ant (Pheidole): soil and leaf litter. Army ant (Eciton burchellii): nomadic, forms living nests with their own bodies. Carpenter ant (Camponotus): wood and logs. Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata): base of trees in the forest. Pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis): heated indoor environments. 2) Form of reproduction: in general, reproduction occurs through the nuptial flight, when winged queens and males leave the nest and mate in flight; afterward the fertilized queen loses her wings, digs a new nest, and lays eggs for the rest of her life (leaf-cutter ant, quenquém, fire ant, big-headed ant, bullet ant, pharaoh ant). In species such as the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), the ghost ant, and the army ant (Eciton burchellii), multiplication occurs mainly through budding/fission of the colony: part of the workers leaves with a queen and founds a new nest without a nuptial flight. The workers are sterile females. 3) Feeding: most are omnivorous, eating sugars, food scraps, and other insects. The leaf-cutter ant and the quenquém are leaf-cutters: they cut leaves to cultivate the fungus they feed on (they do not eat the leaf directly). The fire ant, the big-headed ant, the ghost ant, the Argentine ant, the carpenter ant, and the pharaoh ant seek sugars, fats, proteins, and aphid honeydew. The army ant (Eciton) is a predator, hunting other insects and small animals in columns. The bullet ant feeds on nectar and small arthropods. — Leaf-cutter ants (saúvas) are agricultural pests; quenquéns are also smaller leaf-cutters. Fire ants (Solenopsis) have a painful sting and allergens. Tapinoma is a small household pest. Linepithema is an urban invader. Pheidole has large soldiers. Eciton is an Amazonian legionary ant. Camponotus is a carpenter ant in wood. Paraponera has the most painful sting in the world (Schmidt 4+). Monomorium is a hospital pest. Rich diversity in tropical ecology.

9. With your group or individually, carry out one of the following:
   • Build an ant farm. Know the steps to build and maintain this farm.
   • Observe an anthill daily for a week and discover how it works and its routine.

   Answer: Set up an observation anthill (with gel or sand in a glass jar), photograph different species in the field, create an illustrated notebook with characteristics, observe trails and communication through pheromones, visit a myrmecology laboratory, plant a myrmecophilous garden (attract ants with specific plants). — Gel anthill: a commercial kit shows the tunnels clearly. Macro photography: a close-up lens or a phone with a clip. Notebook: drawing, color, behavior, habitat. Trails: spray sugar and observe pheromones in action. Laboratories: USP, Unesp, Inpa. Myrmecophilous garden: trees with extrafloral nectaries (Inga, acacia). Hands-on activities reinforce scientific learning in the field.

10. Present, in the form of a skit, report, song, or poem, the meaning of Proverbs 6:6-11.

    Answer: Prov 6:6-11 teaches diligence and foresight: 'Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider its ways and be wise. Which, having no chief... provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest'. Ants work without supervision and store up for the future, being a model of diligent work and responsible planning. — Main lessons: 1) voluntary work without the need for a boss; 2) planning (they prepare for winter); 3) teamwork; 4) consequences of laziness (poverty). Christian application: diligence in work (Col 3:23), saving for unforeseen events (Prov 21:20), personal responsibility (2 Thess 3:10). Adventism: work as human dignity and a blessing. Skit, song, poem: creativity reinforces learning.