Adventures Among Ants - Mark W. Moffett [210]
social parasites, 153–54, 252nn11, 21. See also slaves and slavery
social stomach, 118
society: compared to herds, 262n29; defined, 213, 260nn2, 3; development of, compared to embryo, 186, 226, 244n10; as species, 218, 262nn26, 27, 28. See also colonies; group identity
“society of mind,” 227
soil turnover, 258n25
soldier, 5
Solenopsis invicta. See red imported fire ants
solitary foraging: compared to mass foraging, 27; defined, 236n15; exploratory trails marked by, 237n13; size of colony and food intake, 236n8; and spring-tail predation, 43. See also foragers and foraging
somatic tissues, workers as equivalent to, 186, 226, 263n19
Sommer, Volker, 73
Spartan military, 36
specialist, dietary, 99–100
specialization. See division of labor
speciation, 218, 262nn26, 27, 28
Spencer, Herbert, 17, 24
spiders: as Argentine ant prey, 206; defense against ants, 87; as generalists, 239n23; as “guests” in ant nests, 213; as mass foragers, 31–32, 63; silk stolen to make nests, 124
spirit gardens, 131–32, 131
sponges, 70, 264n36
springtails, 42–45, 43
Steinbeck, John, 3
Stenamma alas, 87
Stephenson, Carl, 16
sternal gland, 115, 116
Sternorrhyncha, 246n41. See Homoptera farming
stigmergy, 53
stings. See bites and stings
stockpiles. See hoarding
stratification, 133–34, 134, 249nn1, 3
Streptomyces bacterium, 192
stridulation, 55, 183, 256n77
structures formed by ant bodies, 139–40, 139,245n6
Stuart, Robin, 167
Suarez, Andrew, 205
subterranean driver ants (“subs”), 101; anatomy of, 100–101; column raids of, 100; density of raids underground, 237n28; excavations by, 102; group transport, 105; mass foraging, lack of, in Nigerian species, 105–6, 244n18; mass foraging, in Malaysian laevigatus, 102–3; movement through soil, 101–2; nests of, 102; scavenging on kitchen scraps, 101, 104–5, 105; swarm raids (on surface), 100–101; trunk trails, 100, 104
subterranean foraging, 26, 97, 100–103
Sudd, John, 66
sugar ants. See Argentine ants
“suicide bomber” defense, 126, 127–28, 127
Sullia, India, 12–17
sunlight: creating nutrient-rich foliage, 182; navigation by, 161, 164
Sun Tzu, 27
Supella longipalpa, 213
supercolonies, 204, 206, 211, 216, 218, 231, 261n9
superorganisms: autonomy limited for individual in, 31, 229; body, comparisons to, 17, 39, 51, 120, 144, 230; circulatory system, 51, 239n1; as cohesive and well bounded, 24, 226, 262n247; coining of term, 17, 235nn4, 5; complexity and, 51, 70, 116, 226–27; defined, 214, 229; digestion, 174; energetics of, 44; expendability and, 35–36; exploratory trails as binding force, 31; fragmentation of, 144–45, 226– 27; group identity and, 214, 229, 260–61nn6, 7, 264n36; marauder ants as, 17, 20, 31, 39; most complex, 229, 242n9; nearsightedness of, 178; proximity and, 20; quorum sensing and, 104; size of society and, 229; slavemaking colony as, 165; social stomach of, 118; as species, 217–18, 262nn26, 27, 28; synergy and, 70; understanding, 230; wisdom-of-the-crowd and, 78. See also swarm intelligence
surpluses. See energy; excess labor force; hoarding
swarm bots, 66, 227
swarm intelligence: defined, 227; imprecision of, 227; mass communication and, 18; mobility and, 227; robustness of, 49. See also brain and central nervous system; intelligence; superorganisms
swarm raids: attendant species to, 98; base column, 24, 27; as cohesive and well bounded, 24; computer simulations of, 78; culling vs. eliminating prey, 81–82; development of, 29; differences between marauder and army ants, 24–25, 29, 76, 85, 236n11, 241–42n7; distribution and density of food and, 48–49, 76, 239n247; efficiency of, 76–77, 241–42nn7, 9; explosive recruitment in, 27, 236n9; fan, 23, 24, 26–27; fan columns, 24; front, 23, 24, 26, 27; information transmittal to nest, 77–79; military comparisons, 33–36, 41, 42; minors and majors in, 39, 41–42; new pathways taken by, 29–30, 48; by normally subterranean ants, 100–101; number and density of ants in, 33, 76, 237n28; pheromonal communication in, 49; pioneer ants, 24; prey, subduing,