Greenspeak

by Anthony "Ant" Richard

If you come to Australia you will see ants... they’re everywhere, and with 1275 species of ants described (and potentially enough undescribed out there to double this) there isn’t anywhere you can go in Australia that isn’t already home to these little yet numerous insects...

Ants are probably the most commonly encountered insect by humans in Australia and the combined weight of all the ants in the world would be equal to or in excess of the combined weight of all humans on earth.

The majority of ants seen in Australia are 'endemic', this means they aren’t found anywhere other than Australia. The pattern in ant diversity is similar to many other animal species in Australia; the highest numbers are found in the moist forested areas near the coast and lowest towards the arid inland centre. The diversity at a species level is different to this however, as ants are at their most diverse in arid and semi arid areas. Ants are a vital part of every ecosystem with many plants and animals (such as phasmids) evolving relationships with ants to such a degree that ants are an essential part of their life cycle.

Ant nests are among the most elaborate and complex structures constructed by any animals on earth. While some nests are complicated and built metres deep into the ground others can be incredibly simple, some ants even nest in trees. Adults ants feed exclusively on liquid food, the solid food seen being carried around by workers is intended for the larvae back in the nest. Foraging generally occurs either during the day or the night, with most ants surviving on a wide range of food. Only a few species have a narrow diet. Foraging workers follow chemical trails and visual cues to find food which is taken back to the nest.

One of the most commonly seen groups of ants in houses are the meat ants. These ants do not sting instead using a chemical defence (which is that “crushed ant” smell you smell when you bother them). Bullants however are much larger and more aggressive, with a painful sting good eye sight (for an ant) they can prove to be a problem for even humans. Amongst the largest ants in the world Bullants (also called bulldog or jumper ants) can be up to 3cm long and all but one species are found exclusively in Australia, particularly the southern regions of Australia.

So next time you think people are the kings of the earth, think about all the ants underneath your feet you might not even notice.

References

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Ants-family-formicidae

http://anic.ento.csiro.au/ants/