Ants form supercolonies to increase their chances of survival by collaborating to find food, protect themselves from predators, and reproduce efficiently.
In some species of ants, such as the famous Linepithema humile (Argentine ant), there is a rather crazy genetic peculiarity: what is called low genetic diversity. Because these ants share a very similar genetic background, they easily recognize each other, even if they come from different nests and distant locations. Basically, they consider themselves all to be from the same family. The result is that instead of fighting each other between different colonies, they merge, forming a kind of gigantic united family, known as a supercolony. In contrast, a high genetic diversity would cause the colonies to violently reject each other. This low genetic variety leads to simplified recognition, a convergence of chemical scents, and voila, they naturally ally, forming gigantic networks instead of scattered enemy groups.
Environmental conditions play a key role in driving ants to form supercolonies. When food resources become very abundant and accessible, it encourages neighboring colonies to cooperate rather than compete. The same applies in urban environments, where regular food scraps and constant warmth prompt colonies to merge and collaborate on a large scale. Additionally, environments where natural predators are scarce or absent facilitate the expansion of giant colonies. Conversely, a harsh, hostile environment or one with scarce resources pushes towards aggressive competition between colonies. The more favorable the environment, the less ants defend exclusive territory, allowing for the merging into impressive supercolonies.
Ants have a whole arsenal to communicate effectively and work together. Among them, pheromones play a central role: think of it as a kind of chemical instant messaging. Each scent left on the ground indicates to other ants the paths to food, warns of danger or potential threats, and even helps organize work within the colony. Antennae are also crucial, serving to detect and decode these chemical or tactile signals, much like radio antennas tuned to different frequencies. These exchanges allow ants to quickly help each other, for example when it comes to providing assistance or collaboratively carrying heavy loads. Thanks to this ultra-efficient communication, they form a sort of collective network where each individual contributes to the well-being of all, and where the colony acts, broadly speaking, like a high-performing superorganism.
By living in giant colonies, ants gain quite a few advantages to ensure their survival. First, the sharing of resources is simplified: food, water, nesting spaces, everything is organized and stored efficiently. Next, the size of the group offers better defense against predators, as no animal really wants to attack an entire army. Also, with thousands or even millions of individuals, they can control vast territories and dominate the competition for food against other species. This highly organized system even allows them to better withstand harsh conditions like drought or intense cold through more effective regulation of their immediate environment. In short, by forming supercolonies, ants are just way stronger together than each on their own.
The Argentine supercolony of ants (Linepithema humile) is one of the most astonishing examples known to date: it forms a mega-society that stretches over thousands of kilometers along the Mediterranean coasts, from Portugal to northern Italy! These billions of insects cooperate without fighting each other, despite the enormous geographical distances that separate them.
Another fascinating case is the supercolony of the Japanese ant (Formica yessensis), located on the island of Hokkaidō in Japan, which has over 45,000 interconnected nests. It is a true underground metropolis with hundreds of millions of individuals collaborating in harmony, sharing food and resources.
Finally, in the United States, the invasive fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) also forms giant mega-societies that facilitate its rapid and massive invasion in North America. These ants build multiple connected colonies and generally show no aggression towards each other.
A highly specialized division of labor exists in ant supercolonies: some workers are solely responsible for caring for the larvae, while others patrol and defend the territory against any intrusion.
Leafcutter ants do not directly consume the harvested leaves. Instead, they cultivate fungi on these leaves, which they use as the sole food source for their colony.
Researchers have observed that certain ants, by detecting the presence of an infectious disease among their peers, can adopt voluntary isolation behaviors to protect other members of the colony.
Some ants use chemical substances called pheromones to create odor trails that can guide thousands of workers to distant food sources or nesting sites.
Invasive supercolonies of ants can greatly disrupt local ecosystems, overshadowing native ant species and thereby upsetting the indigenous flora and fauna.
The most famous supercolony is probably that of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), which stretches for thousands of kilometers along the Mediterranean coasts of Europe as well as on other continents.
No, only certain species such as Linepithema humile (the Argentine ant) or Formica yessensis exhibit this ability. The decisive factor often depends on their genetic and ecological profile.
They recognize each other through specific chemical signals (pheromones), which they share throughout the supercolony, allowing for mutual identification and acceptance.
Yes, although supercolonies have significant advantages in terms of defense, cooperation, and resource collection, they can also be more vulnerable to diseases and parasites due to their high density of individuals.
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