Emily hardie - Bioblitz Journal Entry on Black Garden Ants

The black garden ant is a type of species of the subgenus Lasius, commonly located in North America, South America, Europe, and Eurasia. They build their nests underground, typically underneath a stone, which is where our group spotted the colony. Most of the eggs that were spotted were not larva but were turned into pupa, the phase right before the eggs cocoon and metamorphosizes. An evolutionary change in black garden ants can be detected by the strength of odor’s they produce. Pheromones, which are alarm hormones that are released from the lobe of antenna communicate messages with other ants in the colony. In recent studies, the glomerulus in the antenna has become enlarged, and thus the ants are releasing a stronger chemical signal to other ants. When our group lifted the rock from the ant colony, we saw a rapid, and unified effort from the black ants to protect the eggs. We were shocked at the efficiency of the black ants moving their colony further underground. Ants from underground had come up to surface level to help the ants carry the eggs. By the time we placed the rock back to where it was, the colony had moved around 50% of the visible eggs from the location. Similarly, after looking at microscopic images from analyses from studies online, one can see the enlargement of the glomerulus in the antenna of black garden ants in North America. Due to the pheromones, the ants were able to quickly communicate to each other that there were intruders near their colony and they efficiently moved the eggs to a safer location. This adaption is beneficial for black ants as faster communication can warn and protect the colony from danger.

Posted on September 19, 2021 03:48 PM by emilyhardie