Why is world domination?

Uninvited guests who come first in any picnic are ants. Their quickness proves effective and important, as well as implications for why they are present anywhere in the world.

Not always ants dominate the earth. Scientists estimate that modern ants have evolved for the first time about 120 million years ago. But fossils show that at this time ants are not the dominant insect family today.

It wasn't until 60 million years later, when some ants adapted to the world of flowering plants and diversified diets, that these organisms gained ecological advantage. Since then, they have successfully run the race on the planet.

Ants become the rulers thanks to many secrets in work and foraging. Even appearance and residence are contrasted from species to species. From the tiny species only one millimeter Oligomyrmex atomus to large ants more than 3 centimeters Dinoponera, they wear different colors from gold, black to red. Living in the desert, ants don't miss out on tropical forests and swamps - anywhere except the coldest and highest points on earth.

" Almost all human languages ​​have a word to say about ants, " said Philip Ward, an entomologist at the University of California at Davis.

Many ants eat plants with carbohydrate-rich flowers. A few carpenter ants build strong defenses around the tree, dealing with other insects and protecting their food store.

Ants that live in hot, dry areas have found enough ways to survive long periods of drought by storing food. Secret ants also use its own body as storage.

Some species fight for food. Thick antennas on the heads of armed ants can withstand constant conflicts with others. Odontomachus, its implant jaws, match its carnivorous jaws so quickly that you can hear a click. The robber ants beat the ants from the neighbors' nest.

In the nest, the children do everything, while the male is just like the little flying insect. Within each species, the division of labor depends on the age and gender of each individual.

Unlike other social insects such as bees and wasps, most ants do not have wings and have evolved a chemical warehouse to facilitate communication on the ground.

" Wing loss has created a restriction in finding food. They have to collect food on the ground, so communication on the ground is very important ," Ward said.

These chemicals are used to date, alarm and locate food sources. When the princess is ready to make love, in some species, the queen will climb a high point, point her tail to the sky and release a pheromone to attract the attention of the males.

Ants also release pheromones from a gland in the mouth if something is disturbing its nest.

" The success of ants is that they have found a way to use social behaviors to optimize bringing food home ," Wild said. " They develop communication systems that can communicate quickly. That's why you come across countless ants in your picnic ."

T. An