Ants Use Reproductive Competition to Survive and Thrive in Changing Environments
In an incredible new discovery, scientists have uncovered that ants not only compete for food and shelter, but also for reproductive success. By studying the behavior of ants in their natural habitat, researchers were able to observe how ants compete for the right to mate and reproduce. The study focused on two species of ants, the Argentine ant and the European fire ant. It was found that the ants engaged in a form of reproductive competition in which they compete to be the first to mate with a female. This behavior was observed to increase the reproductive success of the ants, as the first to mate had a higher chance of producing offspring. This discovery provides new insights into the behavior of ants and how they interact with one another in the wild.
source: Phys.org