Table of Contents
List of illustrations x
Figure acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
Part I An ecological success story 7
Chapter 1 Anywhere and everywhere 9
Chapter 2 On tastes and colours 13
Chapter 3 The secrets of success 17
Chapter 4 A huge impact on the environment 24
Chapter 5 A long long story 28
Part II Social life 35
Chapter 6 The birth of the colony 37
Chapter 7 Division of labour 43
Chapter 8 Let slip the ants of war 51
Chapter 9 Flexible work arrangements 56
Chapter 10 Communication systems 60
Chapter 11 Family models 70
Chapter 12 Parasites and slave-makers 77
Part III Nowt So Rum as Ants! 83
Chapter 13 Army ants 85
Chapter 14 We work at the weaver's trade 93
Chapter 15 Navigators who never lose their way 99
Chapter 16 Honeypots 106
Part IV Advantageous Liaisons 109
Chapter 17 Colonies and their livestock 111
Chapter 18 Ant trees 121
Chapter 19 Attines and fungus getting on famously 129
Part V Bloody Pests! 135
Chapter 20 Stand by for invaders! 137
Chapter 21 Supercolonies 148
Part VI Kith and Kin 157
Chapter 22 Genetic altruism and sociality 159
Chapter 23 Family feuds 164
Chapter 24 Nepotism or not? 172
Chapter 25 Caste struggles 175
Chapter 26 Anything goes 182
Part VII Sociogenetics 193
Chapter 27 Genes and family structure 195
Chapter 28 The genomics of behaviour 202
Chapter 29 So what's so special about the genome of fire ants? 208
Part VIII High-tech Ants 215
Chapter 30 Computer-modelling behaviour 217
Chapter 31 Of ants and IT men 221
Chapter 32 Swarm robotics 226
Conclusion 233
Further reading 235
Species Index 241
General Index 244
