Why Are Ants Getting Bigger?
WouterWhether you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of an ant or are just curious, the answer to the question “why are ants getting bigger?” may not be as simple as you might think. A variety of factors can affect ants’ size, including hormones, genetic mutations, and body shape.
According to a study published in the Journal of Biological Evolution, size differences between worker ants are not random. In fact, Charles Darwin considered them a “special difficulty” in evolution.
In fact, according to Marcio Pie and Marcel Tscha, size variation in ants occurs in isolated lineages and is not random. The researchers found that in some species, there are two distinct worker types, while in other species there is only one.
The largest worker is called a major worker, and is responsible for the defense of the colony. The smaller workers are called minor workers, and are responsible for feeding the young. The size of the workers is determined by the genes of the queen.
The study also suggests that the wing disc, an organ that only appears in soldiers, is useless during development. Rather than having wings, the ants have long mandibles, which allow them to crack seeds and process food.
In addition, the shape of the ant body is relatively flexible. This allows it to adapt to unpredictable environments.
A typical parent colony contains a queen, a small number of workers, and many brood. The colony is composed of a large number of smaller colonies called “supercolonies” that carry food to other colonies.
