The Behavioural Ecology of Ants
This book is concerned with two problems: how eusociality, in which one individual forgoes reproduction to enhance the reproduction of a nestmate, could evolve under natural selection, and why it is found only in some insects-termites, ants and some bees and wasps. Although eusociality is apparently...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dordrecht
Springer Netherlands
1987, 1987
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| Edition: | 1st ed. 1987 |
| Series: | Developments Series
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Collection: | Springer Book Archives -2004 - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
Table of Contents:
- 1 Social Behaviour as a Selfish Strategy
- 1.1 Kin selection
- 1.2 Inclusive fitness and sex ratios
- 1.3 Parental care and manipulation
- 1.4 The evolution of polygyny
- 1.5 Dominance hierarchies in workers
- 1.6 Cooperation and competition
- 2 The Phylogeny of Ants
- 2.1 The origin of ants
- 2.2 The subfamilies of ants
- 3 Ant Economics
- 3.1 Economies of scale
- 3.2 Colony life-history strategies
- 3.3 The flow of resources within the colony
- 3.4 Nest construction
- 4 Who does What, and When?
- 4.1 How ants are employed: how many tasks are performed in antcolonies?
- 4.2 Temporal polyethism: production lines based on an age-baseddivision of labour
- 4.3 Conflicts over the division of labour
- 4.4 Physical castes
- 4.5 The economics of caste ratios
- 4.6 Caste ratios and social homeostasis
- 5 Communication
- 5.1 Ant signals and language
- 5.2 Recognition of nestmates
- 5.3 Pheromonal communication
- 5.4 Communication in recruitment
- 5.5 Sex pheromones
- 6 Ants as Partners
- 6.1 Ants in the ecological community
- 6.2 Ants and plants
- 6.3 Ants and other insects
- 6.4 The cost-benefit balance in mutualism
- 7 Ants Exploiting Ants
- 7.1 Types of exploitation
- 7.2 The temporary and permanent parasitic ants
- 7.3 The evolution of inquilines
- 7.4 Slavery
- 8 Ant Ecology
- 8.1 Competition
- 8.2 Economics of territorial defence
- 8.3 Foraging for the most profitable prey
- 8.4 Ants as predators and prey: army ant foraging ecology
- References