Insect Societies

The social insects span an enormous range of social forms from the simplest social interactions between parents and offspring to highly complex societies consisting of hundreds of thousands of sterile workers and a single queen. Eusocial, or advanced social, insects are remarkable in their forms of nest construction, complex communication, nest defensive strategies, and ecological impacts. Leaf-cutter ants, for example, not vertebrate herbivores, are the major terrestrial herbivore in the neotropics. We will examine the diversity of social insect behaviors and spend an entire lecture on the bizarre and interesting lives of ants. I will show a 20 min. video on ant life histories and army ants. Once you have seen an army ant raiding front, you will never forget it.

Powerpoint: Download Subsocial Insect Lecture

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Powerpoint: Download Eusocial Insect Lecture

PDF: Download Handout