Ants in your pants

bleg · 02-07-2009 3:26pm #1

A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.
Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.
The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.
What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.
These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.
In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the "Californian large", extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.

The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society
Entomologists reveal the ant colony's true size
While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.
But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.
Researchers in Japan and Spain led by Eiriki Sunamura of the University of Tokyo found that Argentine ants living in Europe, Japan and California shared a strikingly similar chemical profile of hydrocarbons on their cuticles.
But further experiments revealed the true extent of the insects' global ambition.
The team selected wild ants from the main European super-colony, from another smaller one called the Catalonian super-colony which lives on the Iberian coast, the Californian super-colony and from the super-colony in west Japan, as well as another in Kobe, Japan.
They then matched up the ants in a series of one-on-one tests to see how aggressive individuals from different colonies would be to one another.
Ants from the smaller super-colonies were always aggressive to one another. So ants from the west coast of Japan fought their rivals from Kobe, while ants from the European super-colony didn't get on with those from the Iberian colony.
One big family
But whenever ants from the main European and Californian super-colonies and those from the largest colony in Japan came into contact, they acted as if they were old friends.
These ants rubbed antennae with one another and never became aggressive or tried to avoid one another.
In short, they acted as if they all belonged to the same colony, despite living on different continents separated by vast oceans.
The most plausible explanation is that ants from these three super-colonies are indeed family, and are all genetically related, say the researchers. When they come into contact, they recognise each other by the chemical composition of their cuticles.
"The enormous extent of this population is paralleled only by human society," the researchers write in the journal Insect Sociaux, in which they report their findings.
However, the irony is that it is us who likely created the ant mega-colony by initially transporting the insects around the world, and by continually introducing ants from the three continents to each other, ensuring the mega-colony continues to mingle.
"Humans created this great non-aggressive ant population," the researchers write.
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8127000/8127519.stm

Gone Drinking · 02-07-2009 3:31pm

tl;dr

biko · 02-07-2009 3:31pm

"Humans created this great non-aggressive ant population," the researchers write.

"non-aggressive" Yes, but for how long? Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum...

AnonoBoy · 02-07-2009 3:31pm

Pop's Diner · 02-07-2009 3:33pm

That's the first interesting thing I've read on boards all day.

latenia · 02-07-2009 3:38pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4fOsL-KYVQ

ScumLord · 02-07-2009 3:38pm

bleg wrote: »

Researchers in Japan and Spain led by Eiriki Sunamura of the University of Tokyo

There's the problem right there, them fecking Japaneses are at it again, when will they learn that people don't want giant reptiles/insects. They're of no use to anybody.

Kiera · 02-07-2009 3:40pm

I licked an ant’s bum before. Tasted like lemon/limes.

True story!

bleg · 02-07-2009 3:40pm

i for one welcome our insect overlords/underlords

Prof.Badass · 02-07-2009 3:42pm

If ever there was a time;

I for one welcome our new insect overlords

!

(btw, is that what those videos are? i can't see them on this computer)

-EDIT, Dammit Bleg.

Senna · 02-07-2009 3:42pm

But whenever ants from the main European and Californian super-colonies and those from the largest colony in Japan came into contact, they acted as if they were old friends.

So, what...they sat down had a pint and reminisced about old times?

orestes · 02-07-2009 3:44pm

Ants society > human society

The ants shall inheret the world

AnonoBoy · 02-07-2009 3:53pm

orestes wrote: »

Ants society > human society

The ants shall inheret the world

Feckin' Ant Collaborator.

You're first against the wall when the Resistance wins out!

Local-womanizer · 02-07-2009 3:55pm

I have been attacked by the flying ants,mean b@stards.

Boiling water sorts them out though.

Nodin · 02-07-2009 3:57pm

Senna wrote: »

So, what...they sat down had a pint and reminisced about old times?

'allright bud'
'story bud'

phasers · 02-07-2009 3:59pm

That wall of text the OP built will keep the ants at bay for a while...

Carsinian Thau · 02-07-2009 4:01pm

Oh God! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!

2012 conspiracy looming?

TPD · 02-07-2009 4:44pm

Kiera wrote: »

I licked an ant’s bum before. Tasted like lemon/limes.

True story!

Why?

dr.bollocko · 02-07-2009 4:47pm

I think we should kill the "I for one welcome our new overlords" thing.
Its time has come and gone.

bleg · 02-07-2009 4:51pm

i for one welcome this mod intervention

02-07-2009 4:51pm

Kiera wrote: »

I licked an ant’s bum before. Tasted like lemon/limes Snozberries

Fixed! (I hope)

orestes · 02-07-2009 4:54pm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Feckin' Ant Collaborator.

You're first against the wall when the Resistance wins out!

Resistants is futile.

Overheal · 02-07-2009 5:17pm

Zerg

Tyranids

Xenomorphs

take your pick.

TPD · 02-07-2009 5:18pm

Zerg. As long as I get badass armour and a big gun.

Overheal · 02-07-2009 5:20pm

You have to wonder. I mean surely there must be thousands if not millions of queens in this supercolony. But then, is there something else that governs the queens?

AnonoBoy · 02-07-2009 5:21pm

Overheal wrote: »

But then, is there something else that governs the queens?

Elton John.

ScumLord · 02-07-2009 5:27pm

The Perfect Drug wrote: »

Zerg. As long as I get badass armour and a big gun.

All we have left are bad guns and big ass armour.

katzenjammer · 02-07-2009 5:38pm

Nodin wrote: »

'allright bud'
'story bud'

...anto?

(sorry)

The_Minister · 02-07-2009 5:53pm

This was scooped by the Expand Your Horizons forum.

Poor Uncle Tom · 02-07-2009 6:24pm

Kiera wrote: »

I licked an ant’s bum before. Tasted like lemon/limes.

True story!

Couldn't find its lips..?

Terry · 02-07-2009 6:30pm

OP, please link to the article. It's a legal thing.

Kiera · 02-07-2009 6:38pm

The Perfect Drug wrote: »

Why?

Because i was told about them. Was in OZ and one ran across our picnic table so i picked it up and licked it. And yes it tasted limey

Sofiztikated · 02-07-2009 6:39pm

S'OK.

Insects can't use the interwebz. We're still smarter. Well, most of us.

(Or can they? I've heard of spiders and meta crawlers and stuff, maybe its just the ants throwing us of their scent.)

We could take 'em, couple of water guns and we're sorted.

Terry · 02-07-2009 6:43pm

And we can squish them with our feet.

How many people are looking for that Simpsons clip on youtube?
You won't find it. Fox are all over that like ants on a picnic.

Overheal · 02-07-2009 8:30pm

Terry wrote: »

And we can squish them with our feet.

How many people are looking for that Simpsons clip on youtube?
You won't find it. Fox are all over that like ants on a picnic in a Space Shuttle.

Fixed.

ShooterSF · 02-07-2009 9:36pm

What has this got to do with my missing green megaman?

dsmythy · 02-07-2009 9:43pm

Gone Drinking wrote: »

tl;dr

Hardly.

Blazer · 02-07-2009 9:44pm

bleg wrote: »

i for one welcome our insect overlords/underlords

I fcukin knew someone would say it..
From now on anybody says this phrase or the other bloody phrase (ma) gets banned.

mods back me up..pretty please