A. AntsWith over 12,000 described species, ants, of the Formicidae family, are the most diverse social insects. They occupy “virtually all major terrestrial habitats” displaying a “remarkable range of social behaviors, foraging habits, and associations” with other organisms (Bolton et al, 2006; as cited in Ward, 2007).A. 1. Social organization and eating habits of ants Typically ants include three castes: winged, fertile and females or queens; wingless and sterile females or workers; and winged male. Those normally seen are workers. In some colonies worker-type ants may become soldiers or members of other specialized castes. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004) Different species differ widely in their tasks and can be carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous. Members of some species eat the honeydew of plants infested with aphids and some other insects; others, called milk ants, feed and protect the aphids and "milk" them by caressing them. Harvester ants eat and store seeds; these sometimes bubble up around the nest, leading to the mistaken belief that these ants grow food. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2004)A. 2. Reproduction and population CNRS scientists have discovered that colonies in tropical forests tend to produce numerous low-quality queens. In contrast, colonies in temperate forests tend to produce fewer high-quality queens. Furthermore, they found that if independent founding of new colonies becomes ineffective, the colonies multiply, dividing the group. (CRNS, 2008) The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is a highly invasive pest in the southern United States and in all parts of the world. Scientists have determined that the arrival of these ants occurs during the unloading of cargoes in the Port of Mobile, Ala i...... middle of paper ......and honey bees.D. Ants as bioindicators In terms of numerical abundance, size and species richness, ants represent an important group in many terrestrial ecosystems. Ants also occupy higher tropical levels and often use specialized niches; suggest that they could be a good bioindicator of various environmental parameters (Majer, 1983). Touyama (2002) revealed that hypogean ants were useful and convenient bioindicators of soil faunal richness, based on data obtained in Hiroshima Prefecture. Ant species richness was significantly correlated with three soil fauna variables: number of orders, degree of natural richness, and abundance in the low-altitude area. In higher elevation areas, however, there were no obvious patterns between ant species richness and soil fauna variables. Careful use of ants as a biological indicator can save sampling time and effort.