Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
Temperature influences every aspect of ant biology, especially metabolic rate, growth and development. Maintenance of high inner nest temperature increases the rate of sexual brood development and thereby increases the colony fitness. Insect societies can achieve better thermoregulation than solitary insects due to the former’s ability to build large and elaborated nests and display complex behaviour. In ants and termites the upper part of the nest, the mound, often works as a solar collector and can also have an efficient ventilation system. Two thermoregulatory strategies could be applied. Firstly the ants use an increased thermal gradient available in the mound for brood relocation. Nurse workers move the brood according to the thermal gradients to ensure the ideal conditions for development. A precise perception of temperature and evolution of temperature preferences are needed to make the correct choices. A second thermoregulatory strategy used by mound nesting ants is keeping a high temperature inside large nests. The unique thermal and insulation properties of the nest material help to maintain stable conditions, which is the case of the Wood ant genus Formica. Ants can regulate thermal loss by moving nest aggregation and alternating nest ventilation. Metabolic heat produced by ant workers or associated micro organisms is an important additional source of heat which helps to maintain thermal homeostasis in the nest.
Highlights
Temperature is an important factor for all ectothermic organisms, including ants
Wood ants from the genus Formica build large nests from organic material that is based on a mixture of soil, twigs, coniferous needles and pebbles3,11–13
We suggest dividing the last category in the following way: a) ants that move the brood in daily cycles to places with optimal temperatures within the whole nest structure, for example Solenopsis invicta9 or Camponotus mus29 b) ants that keep a stable heat core inside their nest and do not move the brood from the nest interior
Summary
Temperature is an important factor for all ectothermic organisms, including ants. Their rate of development is accelerated with high temperatures, the movement rate speeds up and the rate of food and oxygen consumption increases. Some of them build above-ground nests, usually from soil or organic material, called ant hills or mounds These nests show an advanced ability in regulating inner temperature. The red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta and members of the genus Pogonomyrmex build soil mounds from excavated soil7,8 These nests gain heat through solar radiation and the brood is moved along an increased thermal gradient. Wood ants from the genus Formica build large nests from organic material that is based on a mixture of soil, twigs, coniferous needles and pebbles3,11–13 In these nests a stable heat core can be maintained thanks to the good insulation properties of these materials and the metabolic heat produced by the ants or their associated microflora. Temperature is not stable, nest follows microhabitat temperature oscillations can be buffered by insulation properties of microhabitat, sometimes natural structures can be used as heat accumulators
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
