Students' research work on an anthill in the school garden. Research work “Ants – acquaintances and strangers”

Relevance of the topic. On lessons literary reading we read interesting works by V. Bianchi “The Adventures of an Ant” and O. Polonsky “The Ant Kingdom”. Communication with nature always brings us joy. We never cease to admire her amazing creations: animals, plants. There is hardly a person who has not at least once stopped near an anthill, fascinated by such a distant and at the same time inexplicably close to us world of these amazing insects. We especially like to observe the life of small insects, how they live, what do they do when a person does not see their daily life? In order to understand the secrets of nature, in the lessons of the surrounding world we wanted to learn a lot of new things about the ant kingdom. We decided to carry out design and research work on ants and answer many questions of interest: How do ants live? What is an anthill? How does an anthill work? What “rooms” does it have? Why do ants care about aphids? What do ants eat? Why are ants called “forest orderlies”?

The purpose of the work is to study the life of ants, to learn interesting facts about their life. Objectives: Increase the amount of knowledge about insects. Study the types of ant dwellings and the features of their construction. Learn the laws of the ant family. Reveal the significance of ants in nature and for humans. Study the literature on this topic. Analyze the work and add additional material to the class “piggy bank”. Research hypothesis If you learn about the importance of ants in nature and in human life, you can use this knowledge to your advantage. Research methods: - practical work; - observations; - data collection and analysis; - generalization of information; - survey among school students and teachers. Object of study: Anthill, ants’ homes. Subject of study: Ants

Expected results: - formation of ideas about how ants live; - the emergence of ideas about ants and their varieties; - based on research results, establish interesting facts about the benefits of ants; - propaganda about the importance of ants among school students; -use of research results to conduct cool hours, quizzes. - creation of a collection of riddles “Children's riddles about an ant”, a booklet “The most interesting things about ants”, a mini-album “Our Ants” with the results of a survey, an application “Anthill”, a presentation of the work.

Ant family Ants live in an anthill as one large and friendly family. There are as many ants in one anthill as there are people in a big city. In an ant family there is a clear working distribution. The head of the family is the ant “queen.” And there are ants who are soldiers, scouts, and stonemasons.

What do ants eat? Ants feed on insects, sweet secretions of aphids, plant sap, and seeds. Features of the life activity of ants The German scientist and myrmecologist G. Wellenstein, after more than 25 years of studying red forest ants, established that their “menu” consists of: honeydew (honeydew) - 62%; plant juice – 4.5%; seeds – 0.2%; insects and invertebrates – 33%; mushrooms and carrion – 0.3%.

How does an ant work? If you carefully examine an ant through a magnifying glass, you will see that its body consists of 4 sections: head, chest, stalk and abdomen. Differences in the structure of the head (there are hairs or not), pubescence of the back, differences in color, the structure of the legs - all this divides ants into different species. We will talk about the general signs and characteristics of the life of ants.

How does an anthill work? All ants living in our country live in nests. They build them on the ground. Outside they can be seen by the piles of earth. Inside, an underground gallery leads to chambers that are interconnected. The depth of the nests varies from 30 cm to 2 m, and for desert ants it reaches more than 10 m. Sometimes ants also settle in rotten wood: stumps, logs. The dome of the nest consists of needles of twigs - it has a protective function, it protects from rain, wind, snow. Inside, the dome consists of large branches, where a constant temperature is maintained. And the ants hibernate in the underground part. In deserts, where the earth warms up to 60 o C, ants never build above-ground nests, only underground, where the temperature is much lower.

Benefit or harm? There are no harmful or beneficial ants in nature. Any type is either harmful or beneficial to humans. Ants - harvesters, are useful in the virgin steppe - they disperse plant seeds, but near grain flows, where grain is threshed, they are harmful. Red ants are settling in gardens. They on fruit trees breed aphids. As a result, the leaves and shoots of apple and pear trees are severely damaged, leading to crop losses and sometimes death of the trees. In meadows, anthills interfere with grass mowing. But in forests the benefits of ants are great - they destroy insects that are present in large quantities, for example, caterpillars, bark beetles. In addition, when building nests, ants loosen the soil, making it easier for air to reach the roots of trees. They bring various organic residues into the nest and enrich the soil with microelements. The forest in which ants live is healthier. Therefore workers forestry They are engaged in the protection and breeding of forest ants - they are forest orderlies.

Interesting Facts about ants - Ants are the most ancient insects on Earth. Ant fossils were found more than 100 million years ago. - An ant is stronger than an elephant, because it can lift a load much more than its own weight. - Whenever there is a free minute, the worker ants “play”, grab each other with their paws and roll on the ground. - Ants are able to distinguish their “brothers” from strangers, thanks to the smell produced by special glands. - Sometimes ants’ grain reserves can reach up to 50 kg. At the same time, it does not rot in the nests, because they carefully dry it in the sun. - IN South America Stray ants live. They move in columns, sweeping away all living things that come their way, even lizards and snakes.

Sociological survey To conduct a sociological survey, a questionnaire of four questions was compiled. 1. What do you know about ants? 2. What is the importance of ants in nature? 3. Are there ants on your garden plot? 4. What is the importance of ants in your garden?

My creativity: application "Anthill" I made the application after finishing all the work. When I made the creative composition “Anthill” I remembered summer. Materials we needed: 1. Cut wool threads. 3. Background for the composition. I chose a ready-made image of a clearing with insects. 4. Glue - pencil. Then together I smeared glue on the place where the anthill was supposed to be located, and laid out the threads.

Observations of ants. The anthill that I observed in the summer was located in the forest. This is what I saw. The ants dragged various materials towards him: wood chips, dead insects. I also noticed that most ants move for a reason, but one after another at a distance of about five centimeters, and they move along the same paths, and some ants carry nothing, but every time they return to the anthill, they run again with the others . Then I decided to conduct a little experiment. I placed a small (about 5 cm) stick on one of the ant paths and began to monitor the reaction of the ants. Two ants climbed over it and tried to move the stick from its place, but they failed. Then two more ants approached them, and the four of them dragged the stick to the anthill, but since it did not fit inside, they had to leave it outside.

Conducting research, observing the life of ants, and studying additional literature about ants, I came to the following conclusions: Ants live in families. Each ant clearly knows and performs its specific function. Ants are eternal builders. Ants move along the same paths. Ants treat different insects differently.

2- Municipal Educational Institution “Rozgrebelskaya Secondary School” of Bolshesoldatsky District Ants are amazing creatures of nature. Completed by 7th grade student Apanasenko Artem. Head: biology teacher Enyutina Larisa Mikh. 2010 -3- Contents of the work 1. Introduction - 3 pages. 2. Justification of the chosen topic - 5 page 3. Goals and objectives of the study - 6 page 4. Methods for studying ants - 7 page 5. Features of the structure of ants - 7 page 6. Structure of the nest - 8 page 7. Composition of the ant family , distribution of functions -9 page 8.. Nutrition of ants -9 page 9. Experiments with red forest ants -11 page 10. Conclusion. -13 page 11. Conclusion - 13 page 12. References - 14 page -4- RESEARCH DATES Summer 2009 RESEARCH LOCATION - Sotnitsky forest, B-Soldatsky district, Kursk region. . Once, while walking through the forest, I was walking through an aspen tree, inhaling the smells of the forest, and suddenly I saw a picture: Along a winding path, an ant is running headlong with a thick branch on its back, hurrying towards the anthill! Having given way to him (After all, there is only one path) And after hesitating a little, I called out to the runner: Hey, buddy, you're probably tired from work! Put aside your worries, you haven't rested for a long time! The ant looked around in surprise and answered me: “Carefree, I see, too much for you, that you have nothing to do?” -5- Introduction. Go to the ant, slothful one, look at its actions and be wise. Bible. Ants are one of the most common insects on our Earth. They are found in all natural areas and often live close to a person’s home. In nature, ants cannot be confused with other insects: they are wingless, very active, always looking for something, rushing somewhere, fussing about. You rarely see a single ant, even far from its nest; usually there are always many of them. There is hardly a person who has not stopped at least once near an anthill, fascinated by such a distant and at the same time inexplicably close to us world of these amazing insects. Ants attract our attention. The complex and even seemingly intelligent behavior of these insects has been causing amazement and admiration for humans for hundreds of years. Ants live in families of several million individuals, pave roads, build tunnels and multi-story dwellings, grow mushrooms, and only among them there is such a complex “professional” division: there are builders and nannies, hunters and watchmen, porters and shepherds. It is difficult to list everything that makes ants stand out from the vast kingdom of insects! These are the most intelligent and mysterious insects on our planet. Justification of the chosen topic. I, like many other people, very often like to stop and look at an anthill; it reminds me of a big city with wide streets and small alleys, and its inhabitants are hasty townspeople. Where are they rushing, why, how are their homes constructed, what do they eat, and how do they protect themselves from enemies? I really wanted to know all this, so I decided to take a closer look at the life of the anthill and its inhabitants. I live in the small village of Rozgrebli, our village is located in the forest-steppe zone of Russia, on the very border with Ukraine. There are different types of ants in the village and its environs, but most of all I was interested in the anthills of the small forest that adjoins my house. My teacher and I went on an excursion to this forest. The forest anthills turned out to be much larger in size than the anthills that I had seen before in the village, and the ants, unlike the small village ants, were larger. I was very interested in these hasty ones, and that is why I decided to focus my attention on them. In my research, I asked my dad to help me, who also loves different animals. In the forest, my dad and I found several anthills, but for research we decided to take the largest and oldest anthill. Purpose of the study: 1. To get acquainted with the structure and life activity of ants 2. To determine their role in nature. Research objectives: 1. 2. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Study the literature on this issue. Get acquainted with the methods of studying ants. Determine the species and structure of the ants being studied. Study the structure of an anthill. Explore the extra-nest life of ants. Carry out a quantitative census of animals exterminated by ants. Analyze research results. Determine the role of ants in nature. I started my research by asking for literature about ants. rural library, in which From the books of B.M. Mamaeva, E.A. Bordukova “Entomology for teachers”, S.A. Molis “Book for reading on zoology”, M.A. Kozlova, I.M. Oliger “School Atlas – Key to Invertebrates”, A.A. Zakharov “Ant, family, colony”, I.I. Akimushkina “Invisible threads of nature”, I.A. Khalifman “Password of crossed antennas” I learned that the ants that interested me belong to the species - red forest ant (Formica rufa). In these books I became acquainted with the methods of studying ants that I used in my work. -7- Methods used in the work: 1. Empirical: study and analysis of literature; 2. Theoretical: method of comparison, analysis, generalization, systematization 3. Research: conducting an experiment, observation. Subject of research: ANTHILL. Object of study: Red forest ant (Formica rufa) Biology of red forest ants. Red forest ants, like all representatives of this genus, have characteristic feature, by which they can be distinguished from any other Hymenoptera: between the thorax and abdomen they have a thin stalk of one or two segments, whereas in all other Hymenoptera the abdomen is directly attached to the thorax. In working forest red ants, the length of which reaches 4 - 9 mm , head and chest are reddish-brown, abdomen is blackish, shiny. Their anthills consist of needles, small twigs, pieces of bark and plant debris. At first glance, it seems that all this garbage is scattered randomly. However, it turns out that even in the heaviest rain, the surface of the anthill does not get wet and all internal passages and chambers remain dry. The height of such anthills is usually 0.5 - -0.7 m, but sometimes they reach a height of 1.5 m. The starting point for building a nest is often an old stump. The structure of an anthill. I needed information about the anthill itself. To get them, I took a bag and a meter, and my dad and I went into the forest to the anthill. The anthill was located not far from our house, in the forest on the slope of a ravine. The forest around is mixed: oak, aspen, birch, many shrubs and various herbs. There are no bodies of water in the observed area. The source of moisture is plants and moisture accumulating after rain. I measured the height of the anthill, which turned out to be 48cm, diameter – 97cm. I determined -8- the approximate slope of the sides of the anthill. South side – 60’, north – 85’, west and east – 75 – 80’ The nest consists of a dome, an inner cone, a shaft and an underground part. The dome consists of small branches and serves mainly a protective function. Its outer part, or cover layer, is laid very tightly. I observed that even in the heaviest rain, water flows from the dome and only gets wet top part . In addition, the dome well protects the inside of the nest from both overheating and cooling. The inner cone consists of relatively large branches; brood development occurs here. Ants overwinter in the chambers of the shaft and the underground part of the nest. Ant nests help protect offspring from enemies, as well as larvae and eggs from drying out. Studying the structure of an ant nest and the nest-building activity of red ants, I came to the conclusion that by making passages, the ants loosen the soil and facilitate air access to the roots of plants. In addition, ants excrete excrement. They bring various organic residues into the nest and thereby enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other microelements. Composition and acidity of the soil around the anthill I determined the composition of the soil by eye - it is a mixture of fertile forest soil and clay. I determined the acidity of the soil using phenolphthalein paper. Near the anthill it was red. At a distance of 1 m it was pink and thereafter it did not change its color. I determined the compaction of the soil using a knife. Near the anthill the knife did not fit well. This means that the soil is compacted. At a distance of 1 m, the knife entered well, which means that the soil was weakly compacted, and beyond that the soil was relatively uncompacted. Illumination of the anthill. I determined the percentage of light falling on the anthill by comparison. So most of the day the sun shines on the southern and eastern sides of the anthill, this is approximately 70%, and the remaining 30% remains on the western and northern sides of the anthill. -9- Composition of an ant family, division of functions within the family. Ants are social insects, as they live in a large family, where different individuals perform strictly defined functions. Worker ants are wingless - they perform the function of builders, i.e. build anthills, males and females are winged, but their wings develop only during the mating season. The function of the uterus is to produce offspring. "Nanny" ants look after the queen and take care of the larvae. There are also ants - soldiers - they fight with opponents, they have a more developed head and mandibles (strongly developed upper jaws). Using the example of red forest ants, I studied polymorphism - this is the diversity of the structure of individuals of the same species, associated with the performance of certain functions in the family. Ants are polymorphic insects. What and how do ants eat. Red wood ants have permanent roads. As I watched, I noticed that there were two types of roads. Some serve for the movement of honeydew-collecting ants and lead to trees on which colonies of aphids are located. These roads are relatively short and narrow, but very busy. Most ants walking along them to the nest have a swollen abdomen, on which tree sap can be found. Other roads connect anthill families. They are very lively. After studying the literature, I learned that the first type of roads is feed roads. And the second type is exchange roads. In order to determine what the ants eat, I chose one of the ant paths that leads to the anthill and began to keep records. I found out what the ants eat and how much they eat in an hour, day, week, summer. At the beginning of summer, their prey was mainly dead May beetles, June beetles, as well as gape moths and various flies. In mid-summer, caterpillars, beetle larvae, cicadas and grasshoppers. At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, butterfly caterpillars, naked slugs, earthworms. In addition, they carried seeds. In the fall, when there was not so much prey, I even fed the ants with cabbage butterfly caterpillars, which they quickly dealt with. I divided the prey taken from the ants into groups: 1. Animals useful for the forest; for two - 10 - 2. Animals harmful to the forest. Beneficial animals include spiders, centipedes, equestrians, and bees. Harmful - beetles, butterflies, their larvae and pupae, bedbugs, sawflies, cicadas, grasshoppers. Flies can be both harmful and beneficial. I watched how the ants dealt with their prey. To do this, I placed a caterpillar on the path and saw that first the ants clung to it and then pinched it, that is, they injected a toxic substance into it. The caterpillar struggled at first, then stopped resisting and became quiet. In order to count the animals exterminated by ants, I used the following methodology: . I recorded the prey according to the scheme: No. anthill No. tro- time of observation P Duration month and hours and duration number of minutes of observation number of insects taken from ants total useful harmful indeterminate 1 III 10. 06 10 hour 15 min. 35 5 26 4 1 III 10. 06 14. 30 15 min. 24 3 18 3 1 III 10. 06 19 h. 15 minutes. 18 3 11 4 Let’s say that 35 animals were collected in 15 minutes, then in an hour 35 * 4 = 140, in a day 140 * 18 = 2520 (an ant’s working day is on average 18 hours), in a week 2520 * 7 = 17,640, in month 17,640 * 30 = 529,200, for the summer 529,200 * 3 = 1,587,600 - 11 - This, of course, is not an exact result, since the collection of prey depends on the weather, temperature, collection time, and quantity harmful insects in nature, on the size of the family, on the number of ant larvae, the main consumers of protein food. In addition, ants begin collecting prey already in May and finish before hibernation. This year, at the beginning of October, the ants were still working. To determine the number of exterminated insects during this period, I carried out one counting operation in May, June, July, August, and September. Therefore, it is more expedient to multiply by 4 months 529,200 * 4 = 2,116,800 The data I received allowed me to judge the predatory life of ants. Most of the insects destroyed by ants are forest pests. Ants improve the soil by mixing it, enriching it with organic matter, opening their access to tree roots, and digging deep tunnels in the ground. The forest where ants thrive is healthy and strong, it is not oppressed by pest attacks, and is rich in mushrooms and berries. Ants collect insects on the ground, in grass and in tree roots. In a day, the population of a large colony can destroy up to 100 thousand insects. Experiments with red forest ants. ANTS' ATTITUDE TO SWINGING A STICK. After following the ants, I wondered what the ants would do if you held a stick over an anthill. I took off the stick, passed it over the anthill and noticed that the activity intensified. I passed my hand over the anthill several times, felt a strong characteristic smell of formic acid and an increasing rustling sound. TRANSFER OF PREY. To conduct this experiment, I caught a grasshopper and made it unable to move. Then, I put it on the anthill, I didn’t have to wait long, the ants immediately killed it and took it to the anthill - 12 - PREPARING THE SKELETON At home, I took a small box and made many holes in it. I placed a small fish in the box. I buried the box with the fish shallowly in the anthill, and found in it a perfectly prepared skeleton of the fish. HOSTILE RELATIONSHIPS TO AN ANT FROM ANOTHER ANTHILL. This experience is very simple. I took an ant from another anthill and put it with my ants. The alien ant was immediately attacked and killed. CARE OF THE OFFENDER. This experience interested me the most. I dug up the anthill to the layer where the ant eggs were. Then, in the process of observation, I saw that the ants began to grab the eggs and take them to the remaining part of the anthill. This experience is cruel, but it shows that ants care about their offspring. . PRESENCE OF BIO-CLOCK IN AN ANTS. This experience is the most interesting. I took a cotton swab coated with syrup and placed it in front of the anthill at 12 o'clock every day. The ants, on each subsequent day, came out on their own at this time. I made an assumption that the ant had a biological clock. While observing, I noticed that in the place where I left the tampon, there were two sentry ants. Seeing food, they ran into the anthill and called their comrades. I began to place the ants in the jar, but even then the ants outwitted me. They changed the post every 15 minutes. When the ants ran to call their comrades for lunch, I removed the food. After that, the ants no longer came to me. - 13 - CONCLUSION: While studying the anthill, I learned that by making passages, ants loosen the soil and facilitate air access to the roots of plants. In addition, ants excrete excrement, bring various organic residues into the nest and thereby enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other microelements. Ants improve the soil by mixing it, enriching it with organic matter, opening their access to tree roots, and digging deep tunnels in the ground. Now I know very well that most of the insects destroyed by ants are forest pests. Having studied the anthill and its inhabitants, I came to the conclusion that ants are extremely beneficial insects, they require careful treatment and need our protection. By protecting anthills, we protect our forests! CONCLUSION I really enjoyed exploring the lives of ants. I learned a lot of new and interesting things. I think this will be useful to me in life. I want to say a big thank you to my dad, who helped me a lot in the research. I don’t want to end my research activities. At this time, I am very interested in beavers, which for the first time in many years have settled on our river and even on our pond. I want to learn more about these small, but apparently very interesting animals. - 14 - List of used literature: 1. Ant, family, colony. M., Nauka, 1988. 2. Dlussky G.M., Bukin A.P. Meet: Ants! - M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. 3. Zakharov A.A. Zakharov A.A. Intraspecific relationships in ants. M., Nauka, 1998. 4. . 5. Kozlov M.A.. Not just insects. Scientific and artistic publication, Cheboksary, 6. Khalifman I.A. Ants. M., Nauka, 1992. 7. Children's magazine about nature "Anthill" No. 4. 1996. 8. Scientific and methodological magazine "Biology at school" No. 3 1997, No. 8 2002 9. Textbook 7th - 8th grade "Biology - animals "edited by B.E. Bykhovsky. Mamaev B.M., Bordukova E.A. Entomology for teachers. – M.: Education, 1985. 1

Shafagatova Milyausha, student of the 4th grade, MBOU “Secondary School No. 15”, Salavat

Purpose of the study: a comprehensive study of the life of ants.

Tasks:

1. Find information about ants, describe their structure, the social structure of the anthill and its structure.

2. Study the information found.

3. Experimentally observe the behavior of ants in nature .

4. Draw conclusions about the importance of ants in nature.

Research methods:

1. Collection and analysis of information.

2. Observation.

3. Experiment.

Hypothesis: ants living in different anthills react to each other differently.

Object of study: life of ants.

Subject of study: anthills.

Results and conclusions: The experiment carried out in the work proved the hypothesis and the stated goal. Ants from different anthills interact with each other in different ways. If anthills are located nearby, in the same area, we can safely say that the ants will be loyal to their “neighbors”, because their diet, soil and climatic conditions The localities are no different.

The work performed is relevant, interesting and exciting, because ants occupy an important place in the forest ecosystem. During the work, practical skills were obtained with a PC and scientific literature. Increased knowledge of scientific terminology by finding research materials. This work develops attentiveness, observation, patience, the ability to compare, draw conclusions and prove them. In practice, “small discoveries” coincided with scientific views in biology. The results obtained helped change attitudes towards all living organisms, and especially towards ants.

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Republican research competition

within the framework of the scientific and practical conference “Step into Science”

Research

on the theme "Planet of Ants"

Completed by: Shafagatova Milyausha,

4th grade student

MBOU "Secondary School No. 15" Salavat

Head: Yarygina Larisa Nikolaevna

Salavat

2016

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3
2. Main part

Chapter 1. Ant - a unique insect

1. The structure of an ant……………………………………………4
2. Reproduction of ants……………………………………………………….4
3. Nutrition of ants……………………………………………………………5
4. Social structure of an anthill……………………………6
5. The importance of ants in the ecosystem …………………………………8

Chapter 2. Studying the behavior of ants in nature

1. Experiment No. 1. “Friend - foe”……………………………... 10
2. Experiment No. 2. “Favorite food”………………………............10
3. Experiment No. 3. “Find the way home”………………...........11

1. Conclusion……………………………………………………12
2. List of references……………………………..14
3. Applications………………………………………………………15

I. Introduction

I really like to spend my summer holidays with my grandparents in the village of Yuldybay, Kugarchinsky district. I have many friends there with whom I have fun. My grandmother has many pets, which are a pleasure for me to care for. The Kaiyntau stream flows not far from the village. The water in it is the purest and most delicious. Every day my grandfather and I go to the source of this stream and collect water. On the way to the source we always come across a large number of anthills of different sizes. Every time I passed by, I watched the anthills and thought: “Where are the ants going?!” They reminded me of the bustle of a big city. I really wanted to know what an anthill is.

Purpose of the study: a comprehensive study of the life of ants.

In accordance with the purpose of the study, I set myself the following tasks:

1. Find information about ants, describe their structure, the social structure of the anthill and its structure.

2. Study the information found.

3. Experimentally observe the behavior of ants in nature.

4. Draw conclusions about the importance of ants in nature.

Hypothesis: ants living in different anthills react to each other differently.

Object of study: life of ants.

Subject of research: anthills.

To achieve the desired result I used the following methods:

1. Collection and analysis of information.

2. Observation.

3. Experiment.

This work can be used in “The world around us” lessons and in extracurricular activities.

II. Main part

Chapter 1. Ant - a unique insect

1.1.Structure of an ant

Ants are familiar to every person. They are one of the most mysterious and studied insects in the world. A complex social system, unique communication abilities, ubiquity - this is far from full list intriguing aspects of the existence of ants. Wherever we go - to the forest, to the meadow, to the swamp, everywhere we will meet ants.

Ants are insects from the superfamily Antidae and the order Hymenoptera. They are social insects forming three castes: females, males and workers. .

The body size of the ant is from 0.8 to 30 mm. Color ranges from light yellow to black. Ants' vision, unlike their sense of smell, taste and touch, is poorly developed. The sting and poisonous glands that secrete formic acid are developed in most species of these insects (Appendix. Fig. 1).

There are about 12,000 known species of ants. Of these, 300 species live in Russia. Ants are distributed everywhere except Antarctica and the Far North (Appendix. Fig. 2) .

1.2 Ant reproduction

Ant is an insect with a full development cycle: egg, larva, pupa,

imago.

Life begins with an egg. Eggs are stored in small bags and individual eggs (Appendix Photo 1).

After the incubation period, a worm-like larva, unlike an adult insect, emerges from the egg. At this stage, the insect is actively feeding and growing. While the larvae are small, they are stored, like eggs, in bags. Adult large larvae are located separately and not in a common package (Appendix. Photo 2)

The next stage is the pupae. Before pupation, the larva stops feeding and excretes a fecal pellet, meconium. Before this, as the larva grew, all waste accumulated in its body. Meconium can be seen at the end of the cocoon, in the form of a small black dot (Appendix, Photo 3).

A mature ant imago with light integuments emerges from the pupa (Appendix. Photo 4).

Insects are pulled out of the cocoon by their relatives, since they are not yet able to leave on their own. After a few days they regain their normal color.

1.3 Ant nutrition

The lifespan of an ant is directly related to its social type. The queen ant lives up to 20 years, and the workers exist for no more than 3 years. Males live a very short and eventful life, lasting several weeks.

Ants are able to survive in almost any environment. They use a wide range of food resources. There are predatory ants that eat other insects. For the most part, ants feed on the sap of nectar plants, carrion, aphids or other insects.

There are also types of ants that are attached only to certain foods. For example, harvester ants feed on seeds, while leaf-cutter ants feed on mushrooms they cultivate. It should be noted that the diet of larvae consists mainly of carbohydrates, while adults eat protein foods.

1.4 Social structure of the anthill

Ants are a social insect. Conventionally, they can be divided into three castes: females, males and workers.

An ant family consists of males, who appear during the mating period, and females. One or more main females lay eggs. 2

Once or twice a year, many winged individuals appear in the ant nest. 2 These are the founders of new colonies - young males and females. In warm, calm weather they go on mating flights. After fertilization, the males die, and the females, falling to the ground, bite off their wings and look for a suitable place for the nest. Females may not feed for a year, while doing all the work of building a nest, laying eggs and caring for the young. After the first workers appear, the female only lays eggs. Sometimes this happens for up to 20 years in a row. And during all this time the female no longer mates .

Worker ants perform different functions, but there is a clear division of labor between them.

Builders - build new housing, expand, repair, bring building materials, which are twigs and needles.

Guard - protects the anthill from strangers. These are warrior ants that shoot formic acid in case of danger.

Nannies - care for the brood, feed and transport the larvae to a safe place in case of threat.

Cleaners - carry construction debris and other waste outside the nest.

Gravediggers carry away the corpses of their relatives to the cemetery.

Foragers obtain food:

foragers - scouts provide information;

foragers - hunters kill invertebrates;

foragers - porters bring food to the nest;

foragers - agriculturalists breed and spread aphids to obtain sweet dew; in other words, they milk the aphids.

The language of ants is difficult for humans to understand, but experiments to decipher it have been going on for a long time. It consists of a complex of odors (pheramones), gestures (movements of the limbs) and antennal contacts (touches with the antennae).

When communicating with each other, ants use a variety of signals. They transmit information by touching their antennae, legs, and head. Chemical signals are also used.

1.5 Structure of an anthill

Most of the anthill is hidden from the eyes of those who like to feast on ants. The underground part of the anthill is clean and tidy (Appendix. Fig. 3, 4).

The ants' home is covered with needles and twigs. They protect the anthill from cold and rain. Worker ants repair and renew this covering.

The anthill has a solarium - a chamber heated by the rays of the sun. In the spring, the inhabitants come here to warm themselves.

There are many entrances in the ants' house, one of them, guarded by soldiers, serves as a ventilation duct.

There is also a cemetery. Worker ants carry garbage and dead ants here.

The ants gather in the wintering chamber to survive the cold in a state of semi-hibernation.

Ants store food supplies in the grain barn.

The queen lives in the royal chamber. She lays up to 1,500 eggs a day and is looked after by worker ants.

The anthill contains chambers with eggs, larvae and pupae; barn (a place where ants keep aphids); meat pantry (where foragers bring caterpillars and other prey).

1.6 The importance of ants in the ecosystem

Ants play an important role in the earth's ecosystem. They are major soil builders, energy providers, pollinators, scavengers, biological pest control agents, indicators of ecosystem health, and an important component of the food chain.

Walking through the forest, you will notice that the trees around the anthill are greener and taller. Scientists say that a nest of ants destroys up to 100 thousand harmful insects per day. Ants loosen the soil, creating conditions for supplying it with air.

Conclusions on the chapter:

Chapter 2. Studying the behavior of ants in nature

2.1 Experiment No. 1. "One's Own - A Stranger's"

Purpose of the experiment: studying the behavior of ants from different anthills.

The subject of the study is an anthill, which is located in a mixed forest along the bank of the Kaiyntau stream.

Progress of the experiment

My grandfather and I brought a foreign ant from a pine forest called Airylma near the village of Yuldybaevo, Kugarchinsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan. (Appendix. Photos 5, 6, 7).

First, I took an ant from the nearest anthill and released it into another larger anthill. No one attacked him, and no one paid attention. I did the same with the ant from the pine forest. The ant was instantly attacked. He was torn to pieces.

Conclusion: ants distinguish their relatives from ants from an anthill, which is located in another area, since they did not accept an ant from a pine forest. They live in peace with the inhabitants of the nearby anthills. This was repeated several times during the experiment. After all, they did not attack a relative of the neighboring anthill.

2.2 Experiment No. 2. "Favorite Food"

Goal: identifying the feeding preferences of ants.

Equipment : honey (carbohydrates), chicken meat, dung worm, grasshopper (proteins).

Progress of the experiment:

I laid out honey, chicken meat, dung worm and grasshopper on the anthill. First, the ants began to eat the dung worm (Appendix, Photo 8).

At this time, no one paid attention to other food. When the worm was eaten, the ants approached the meat, but were not active. At the same time, they began to eat the grasshopper and honey (Appendix. Photo 9, 10, 11).

Three hours later, everything at the experimental site disappeared. The feast for the entire anthill was over.

Conclusion: ants prefer protein food (worms). They also do not refuse other types of food. Ants are omnivores.

2.3 Experiment No. 3. "Find Your Way Home"

Goal: test the ability of ants to find their way by smell.

Equipment: cardboard, eau de toilette, twig.

Progress of the experiment:

For the purity of the experiment, I treated the edges of the cardboard with eau de toilette. I took several ants from the anthill and released them into the middle of the cardboard. The ants began to run across the cardboard from side to side (Appendix, Photo 12).

Then I took a long dry twig and put it in the anthill so that it would absorb the smell of their home. After 10 minutes, ants began to run through it. Then I built a bridge from this branch between the cardboard and the anthill (Appendix. Photo 13, 14).

Smelling the scent of their relatives, they began to move home along the branch.

Conclusion: ants navigate the area by smell. As soon as they were confused by the unnatural smell, they were confused. But having felt the “native smell”, the ants easily found their way home.

Conclusions on the chapter:

III. Conclusion

I was curious about studying ants. These are amazing creatures for whom everything is fine-tuned like clockwork: everyone performs their duties conscientiously. They amazed me with their hard work and abilities, their collectivism in the struggle for survival, and helping each other.

Ants are unique insects. A complex social system, unique communication abilities, ubiquity of distribution - this is not a complete list of intriguing aspects of the existence of ants. An ant is an insect with a full development cycle: egg, larva, pupa, imago. Ants are able to survive in almost any environment. They use a wide range of food resources. There are predatory ants that eat other insects. For the most part, ants feed on the sap of nectar plants, carrion, aphids or other insects. Conventionally, they can be divided into three castes: females, males and workers. Worker ants perform different functions, but there is a clear division of labor between them. The anthill has a complex structure. It consists of a solarium chamber, a cemetery, a wintering chamber, a grain barn, a royal chamber, a chamber with eggs, larvae and pupae, a cowshed, and a meat storage room.

After conducting experiments, I found out that ants from different anthills interact differently. For example, if anthills are nearby, located in the same area, we can safely say that the ants will be loyal to their “neighbors”, because the diet, soil and climatic conditions of the area are not different.

During the experiments, I found out that ants distinguish their relatives from strangers.

Ants are omnivores. They prefer protein foods (worms).

Ants navigate the area by smell, which was established through repeated experiments.

I believe that my work is relevant because ants occupy an important place in the forest ecosystem. It’s not for nothing that they are called “forest orderlies.” After all, when building their anthills, they use twigs and sticks, thereby cleaning the forest. Ants destroy many harmful insects and carry plant seeds. Some species of birds fly to ants to cleanse themselves of pests that have entered their plumage, since ants are active predators. They quickly switch to new, abundant food sources and thus can suppress pest outbreaks. Moreover, ant venom contains antibiotics that effectively kill fungi and bacteria - the causative agents of typhoid, cholera, and tuberculosis.

This work helped me gain practical skills in working with a computer, expand my knowledge of scientific terminology, and find materials for research; observe, compare, prove and draw conclusions. I am glad that my “little” discoveries coincided with scientific views in biology. The results obtained changed my attitude towards all living organisms, and especially towards ants.

The world around us is large and diverse. I will continue to study the nature of our region to preserve animals and plants.

IV. List of used literature:

1. Dlussky G.M., Bukin A.P. Meet us! Ants. M.: Education, 1982 – 128 p.
2. Zakharov A.A. Ant, family, colonies. M.: Education, 1984. – 272 p.
3. Zorina Z.A., Poletaeva I.I. I explore the world. M.: Astrel, 2001 – 448 p.
4. Fabre J.-A. Life of insects. Stories of an entomologist. Abbr. translation from French and processing by N.N. Plavilshchikov. - M.: State educational and pedagogical publishing house, 1963. - 460 p.
5. Khalifman I.A. “Password of crossed antennas (Ants)” M.: Detgiz, 1962 – 304 p.

Internet resources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Savvateeva Yulia, Pospelova Maria

This research work can be used as additional material when studying the topic "Insects" in 7th grade biology, as well as as additional material when conducting research activities outside of school hours. The substantive basis of the research approach to teaching is the relationship between the content of the material being studied, methods and forms of teaching. The research approach to teaching helps students see the connections between phenomena and facts, the picture of nature as a whole. When using research technology, students' horizons broaden and their motivation to study the subject improves.

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Research

"Secrets of the life of an anthill"

Nomination: "Ecology of forest animals."

The work was completed:

Savvateeva Yulia 8th grade

Pospelova Maria 7th grade

Supervisor: Biology and Chemistry Teacher

Kozlovskaya E. Kh.

Thankful, 2012

2.1. Research methodology……………………………………………..5

…………………………......7

In the thicket, anthills do not sleep -

They move, sway, boil,

Let the squirrels flash overhead,

S. Marshak

1. Introduction.

Everyone knows the role

Goal of the work

tasks:

1 year study

Duration of study

Place :

2. Research.

2.1. Research methodology

Soil research methodology.

Long-term observations

2.4. Description of the anthill.

.

Description of the anthill.

Table analysis.

Conclusion: in natural biocenoses,:

That's why with a diameter of more than 1 m

Conclusion:

Conclusion:

"sociality" of ants.

3. Conclusion of 1 year of research.

Literature:

8. Internet resources:

- http://www.antclub.org/morphology/anatomy,

- http://bio.1september.ru/2006/17/15.jpg,

Preview:

MBOU "Blagadnovskaya Secondary School"

Research

"Secrets of the life of an anthill"

Nomination: "Ecology of forest animals."

The work was completed:

Savvateeva Yulia 8th grade

Pospelova Maria 7th grade

Supervisor: Biology and Chemistry Teacher

Kozlovskaya E. Kh.

Thankful, 2012

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………3

1. Study of the ecological features of an anthill as an ecosystem…..……………………..………………………………

2.1. Research methodology……………………………………………..5

2.2. Effectiveness of 1 year of study…………………………......7

2.3. Structural features of red ants……………………………9

2.4 Description of the anthill……………………………………………10

2.5 Study of extra-nest activities of ants…………………....15

3. Conclusions of 1 year of research…….…………………………………...17

4. Literature…………………………………………………………….. 18

Twilight and heat stand in the forest.

Resins ooze through the bark.

And you will go into the forest and wilderness,

The dry land smells like formic alcohol.

In the thicket, anthills do not sleep -

They move, sway, boil,

Let the squirrels flash overhead,

Like arrows, from pine to pine...

S. Marshak

1. Introduction.

These beautiful lines involuntarily come to mind when you enter into an eternal life.

Mysterious, thoughtful and full of vibrant life, the green twilight of the forest.

There is hardly a person who has not stopped at least once near an anthill, fascinated by such a distant and at the same time inexplicably close to us world of these amazing insects.What attracts us to ants, first of all, is that in many of their actions we can find some semblance of our own affairs and problems. Ants are one of those few living creatures that not only adapt to their environment, but also actively rebuild the world in relation to your needs, your tasks.Ants are eternal builders. The nests of many species are striking in their size and complex and rational architecture. Ants have a special quality - “sociality”, that is, the obligatory existence only in communities (families, communities). It is this quality that allowed ants to take an honorable place in the world of invertebrate animals.

Everyone knows the roleants in the biocenosis - accelerating the decomposition of plant residues, reducing the number of wintering and stem pests, and thereby promoting the growth of the forest stand. In many respects, an anthill is a convenient model object for studying the principles of organization of biological systems, population structure and cenoses, and a number of problems important for science and practice.

The study of the lifestyle of the anthill, the extra-nesting life-activity of red forest ants seems to me to be a very interesting and urgent task. So I did research for two years.

Goal of the work – identify the role of red forest ants in the forest ecosystem.

To achieve this goal, the following were set: tasks:

1 year study

1. conduct field research of the anthill.
2. conduct a series of experiments to study the extra-nest activities of ants.
3. identify the role of ants in the forest ecosystem and offer recommendations for their protection.

Duration of study : June-August 2011, April-May 2012

Place : Tashlinsky district, vicinity of the village. Grateful

The research carried out has a practical orientation. We not only research environmental features red ants, their important role in nature is revealed, but also the security activities of anthills are carried out

2. Research ecological features of the anthill as an ecosystem .

2.1. Research methodology

In our work, we used the following methods: field research (method of laying test plots, geobotanical description, soil study), work with popular scientific literature, statistical method of processing results, observation method, laboratory research method, experimental method, measurements of ant nest parameters and extent trope using a tape measure.

The research work was carried out according to plan:

1. Studying popular science literature and determining the general characteristics of the object of study - the Red wood ant (Formica rufa) - a social insect.
2. Survey of the surroundings of the village of Blagodarnoye, finding an anthill and determining its characteristics.
3. Studying the extra-nest life of ants:

1. identifying ways of communication of ants using pheromones and antennae, protecting ants;

1. movement of ants in space, hunting instinct.

4. Study of ant trails.

5. Conducting a short-term laboratory experiment to prove the “sociality” of ants.

6. Determination of the role of ants and drawing up recommendations for their protection.

7. Carrying out security measures for the studied anthills.

Method for laying trial sites.

The sample plot method is used for sedentary or immobile individuals, most often for geobotanical description.

1. To lay a test site, the following equipment is required: 4 pegs, a rope measuring 10 m x 4 with markings, a compass. To study the forest community, it is necessary to establish a test plot measuring 20 x 20 m2.

2. Determine the average step length.

4. Start describing the test site.

Methodology of geobotanical description.

To simplify the description of the parameters of the physical environment and the phytocenosis itself, a form for describing an area of ​​vegetation cover has been developed, i.e. a table with pre-drawn graphs for each parameter of the environment description. Forms must be filled out directly at field conditions- at the place of description. We used the simplest method of geobotanical description of the forest by A.S. Bogolyubov and A.B. Pankova

Soil research methodology.

We take soil samples and determine the characteristics of soil properties using tables.

Table 1. Determination of the mechanical composition of the soil.

Table 2. Determination of soil moisture.

The degree of soil change under human influence can be assessed by the depth of penetration of a shovel, which two students stand at the same time. By determining the depth to which the tip of the shovel penetrates outside of it, you can assess the degree of soil compaction.

Soil acidity is determined using litmus paper. A soil sample is taken and if there is a change in color from yellow to crimson, then the soil is acidic.

The temperature of the soil inside the nest is determined by atmospheric and soil thermometers.

Methodology for daily activity of ants –long-term observations,methodology for studying the group effect– a time-consuming laboratory experiment.

2.2.Results of 1 year of research

2.2.1. General information about ants.

Having studied popular scientific literature, we have identified the following general data about ants. There are about fifteen thousand species of ants known in the world. All of them lead a social lifestyle, since ants live in communities or colonies. Among the ants there are predators, seed eaters, and mushroom growers. The red wood ant (Formica rufa) belongs to the order Hymenoptera class of insects. This is the most common and frequently found in Russia; it builds anthill nests up to 1 m high. Formica rufa lives in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests over 40 years old, although single nests are found in biotopes with dense undergrowth. Their anthills can be found in open, well-warmed clearings and forest edges.

All ants are social insects that live in families. The number of individuals can vary from several tens to several million. An ant family is a long-term, clearly organized community of individuals, consisting of sexual individuals (males and females), as well as worker ants, which are underdeveloped, sterile females under normal conditions. The role of males is reduced to fertilizing young winged females. Males usually appear in the anthill shortly before mating flight and die soon after mating. The female is fertilized once and receives a huge supply of sperm, which is gradually consumed in her body throughout her life. The lifespan of a female ant is maximum for the insect world - up to 20 years. Fertilized females shed their wings and either start a new family or remain in their anthill. Sometimes young females are accepted into other, already existing families of their species.

Anthill society can be divided into groups:

2.3.The structural features of red ants are as follows

1.Body dimensions from 0.8 to 30 mm. Color ranges from light yellow to black.

2. The chitinous exoskeleton serves as the base to which striated skeletal muscles are attached.

3. The respiratory system of ants, like that of the vast majority of other insects, is tracheal. The trachea opens outward with spiracles, or stigmas. .

4 . Hemolymph (“blood”) of ants is a colorless liquid. It circulates throughout the insect’s body thanks to the work of the dorsal vessel (“heart”) - a muscular tube running along the entire dorsal surface of the body.

5. The digestive organs of ants are divided into the preoral chamber and the digestive tract itself. Preoral chamber - serves as a receptacle for liquid and semi-liquid food. Food is “sorted” in it - everything edible goes into the mouth, and inedible particles are released in the form of lumps shaped like a chamber. The digestive tract consists of anterior, middle and posterior sections. In a figurative expression, the crop is the “social stomach” of ants. The food stored in it is distributed among the entire population of the nest.

6. Ants’ vision is poorly developed, but their sense of smell, taste and touch are good. Ants perceive smell through their antennal flagellum. Ants are excellent at distinguishing the subtlest shades of smell, incomprehensible to us. The taste organs of ants are located on the flagella of the antennae and on the lower lip. By smell they identify their own from strangers. They find their way to their anthill by smell. The odorous substance is called pheromone. Ants have quite a lot of them. Some pheromones serve as an alarm signal, others force you to clean the anthill, care for the queen, and raise offspring.

7. Poisonous glands that secrete formic acid are developed. All representatives of the subfamily Formicinae do not have a stinger and, when defending themselves, use their jaws and squirt excreta of the poisonous gland, and depending on the predominance of one or another method of defense, the gland can be developed differently.

2.4. Description of the anthill.

Physico-geographical location of the test site on which the anthill under study is located.

The study area is located 400 m southeast of the village. Thankful (see Appendix 2). The relief is a slightly hilly plain. The climate of the area is continental, with hot summers and cold winters. The area is located in the steppe zone, the soil type is soddy-podzolic, sandy loam, groundwater lies at great depth. The grass canopy of syrt forests contains many typical oak forest plants. In spring, corydalis, anemone, lungwort, lily of the valley and guinea flower bloom. Later, they were joined by kupena officinalis, chickweed, oregano, stoneweed, jasmine, ivy-shaped budra, pearl barley, strawberry, and doubtful violet. The bracken fern forms a luxurious cover here. In the syrt oak forests there are many other herbs that you won’t see in the open steppe: bluebells, fireweed, gentians, zorka, buten, angelica, epee, resin, maryannik. Species composition flora diverse, the dominant species are oak, aspen, birch, the undergrowth is represented by aspen, blackthorn, the grass cover is much higher and denser around anthills and consists mainly of plants that are demanding on soil fertility, but at the same time capable of growing on acidic soils: feather grass on open areas, wormwood, wild strawberry, common nettleShrub or forest steppeThe study area is formed by thickets of steppe cherry and bobwhite. The grass cover in the bush thickets is represented by meadow-steppe forbs: common oregano, burnet, steppe sage, bedstraw, Russian cornflower with an admixture of beautiful feather grass, awnless brome and other grasses. Reed grass. The object under study is an anthill.

Description of the anthill.

Three anthills were found on the test site under study. The largest anthill No. 1 is located on the south side of the tree under the oak trees. The dome of the anthill is high and steep. Its height is 78 cm. Diameter is 1 m 20 cm. The flat part of the anthill is located on the south side. Next to it, at a distance of 4 m, there are 2 more anthills, lower with a height of 50 and 60 cm, but with the same steep dome.

The entire anthill No. 1 is riddled with passages (especially in the middle and top), along which the ants drag small particles out construction material: woody and herbaceous particles, twigs, pine needles, scales, blades of grass, leaves.

Soil test results.

Table 3. Comparative table of soil characteristics in the distance and near the anthill.

Table analysis.

According to the table, the soil in the anthill is more structural, has a better mechanical composition, is looser, more moist, and therefore more fertile. The soil temperature near the nest is higher than in the distance. This is explained primarily by the fact that inside the anthill itself the temperature is higher than outside, and accordingly the soil also warms up.

The acidity of the soil in the anthill is also increased.

Conclusion: in natural biocenoses,nest-building activity of ants has important soil-forming significance:

1. By making tunnels in the nest, the ants loosen the soil and facilitate air access to the roots of the plant. In addition, ants excrete excrement, bring various organic remains into the nest, and thereby enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and many microelements, thereby making the soil more fertile.
2. A specific environment is formed in the nests, which contributes to a more rapid decomposition of plant residues entering the nest and an increase in the biological activity of soils, because at a higher nest temperature than in the surrounding soil, microflora - bacteria, fungi - develops better in the anthill. Decomposition accelerates tens of times.

That's why Investigated nest of red forest antswith a diameter of more than 1 mis a “fertility factory”and so powerful that it is able to seriously influence the growth of not only grasses and shrubs growing directly near anthills, but also trees quite distant from the anthill.

1. 2.5. Study of the extra-nest life of ants

1. Experiment No. 1 “Protection of ants”

When we slightly moved the anthill with a twig, the disturbed ants assumed a defensive pose. Holding our palm over the anthill, we felt a burning sensation and the smell of formic acid. Then we held the blue litmus paper and it turned red, hence the ants “shoot” a stream of liquid from the reservoir, consisting mainly of a mixture of formic acid and other hydrocarbons. Formic acid is a poison that ants use to defend themselves and kill prey. This means that in this way the ants protect themselves and their anthill.

1. Experiment No. 2 “Identifying methods of communication of ants using pheromones and antennae”

1. An experiment with replanting ants from another anthill.

We placed ants on the path next to the anthill and on the anthill, 10 individuals in each case. Recognition of a stranger occurred only through direct contact between individuals (mutual palpation with antennae). The reaction of an ant that directly came into contact with an alien individual was supported by 2-3 ants located directly in the vicinity of the conflict zone. The alien did not always attack; in most cases it was allowed to escape. Alien ants planted on the path were attacked and destroyed in 8 cases. 20 cm from the dome of the anthill outside the path, the movement of the ants is apparently more chaotic, which to some extent prevents direct contacts of individuals. Here, 10% of the aliens were identified and destroyed. When individuals from another family were placed on the dome of the anthill, the percentage of those killed was 50%.

1. The experiment with the movement of ants from one path to another was a control experiment in relation to the first.

We took 5 ants from the ant trail that leads from the anthill; they do not attack it even if it is taken very far from the anthill. This suggests that ants distinguish the inhabitants of their anthill from aliens of the same species.

1. Experiment on communication with antennae.

I carefully took one of the ants (worker ant) ​​with tweezers and dipped its abdomen in the correction fluid (prime), and sent it back to the surface of the anthill. One of his relatives noticed the “stranger” and began to fuss - he ran to inform everyone about the possible danger, transmitting information with the help of the treasured antennae, crossing his antennae with the antennae of his relative: the information was transmitted and several ants ran to the “imaginary enemy”. Running up to him, the stranger made several movements with his antennae and was recognized by his relatives. After that, they approached the victim and carefully began to clean off this unfamiliar white substance from the abdomen.

Conclusion: The main way ants communicate with each other is through special chemicals - pheromones, but they also communicate using peculiar antennas - antennae.

1. Experiment No. 3 “Moving ants in space, hunting instinct”

1. Experiment on hunting instinct

We placed prey (caterpillars) at a certain distance from the path and from the anthill. The result was the following: the closer the prey is from a trail or anthill, the faster and more individuals discover it. Differences in detection times along the trail are due to different distances.

1. Obstacle detection experiment

We placed a 40g 10g 1.5cm board on the path in different positions and checked the reaction of the ants. It was expected that the new substrate, which does not have the smell of an ant trail, would cause an exploratory reaction and some time would be spent on restoring the trail. However, this did not happen. The ants passed the board located both along and across the path without delay. The board, placed on its edge, after a short exploration, the ants walked around and returned to the path.

Conclusion: When using a familiar path, insects use not only their sense of smell, but also their ability to orient themselves. Woody objects appearing on the trails are not a big surprise (the smell of wood is familiar to them). Ants avoid obstacles with high vertical walls, demonstrating their ability to navigate.

Short-term laboratory tests

"sociality" of ants.

We placed the ants in different test tubes. After a few days, we saw that those sitting in threes dug up more sand than those sitting alone. After a few more days, all the single ones died, while the rest were alive. So we learned that those ants that are together live longer, and one ant will not live long. In fact, the ant is not an independent organism.There are no solitary ants in nature, and our experiment proved the “sociality” of ants. The emergence of ants is inextricably linked with the emergence of a family (community, community) of these insects. A family is a permanent, long-term association of individual insects interacting with each other, depending on each other and on the community as a whole. The ant's connection with the family is so strong that the isolated loner inevitably dies.

The research results showed the undoubtedly beneficial effect of ants on environment. Our small discoveries confirmed many years of research described in the literature.

Direct influence of the anthill:

1. destruction of pests and foliage;
2. enrichment of the soil with humus, K, N, P, Mg in forms accessible to plants;
3. increase in the number of insectivorous birds;
4. regeneration of soil-demanding forest species.

Indirect influence of the anthill:

1. reduction in the number of stem pests;
2. increase in tree stand growth;
3. maintaining the growth of tree crowns in pest outbreaks;
4. increasing forest productivity;
5. increasing the biological sustainability of plantings.

Thus, working with forest red ants, we became convinced of their biosphere role in maintaining the stability of the forest ecosystem and soil fertility and came to the conclusion that they must be preserved and protected. We have compiledrecommendations for protecting antswhich we promoted among school students and village residents:

1. Follow the rules of behavior in the forest.
2. Don’t ruin the anthill - ants are the orderlies of the forest, they bring a lot of benefits
3. Don’t leave garbage in the forest, you won’t want to come to a littered forest again, and besides:

Garbage left behind can catch fire from bright sun rays and start a fire;

Cellophane and polyethylene do not decompose for a long time.

1. Do not light a fire near an anthill.
2. Don't leave the fire unextinguished.
3. Leave your campsite in the condition in which you would like to find it the next time you come.

3. Conclusion of 1 year of research.

This work is very interesting and exciting. As a result of field studies of the anthill, the following were studied:

1. structural features of the anthill of red forest ants,
2. food diet of red forest ants,
3. activity of ants moving along paths,

1. experiments were conducted to study the extra-nest activities of ants: methods of communication, hunting instinct,
2. “ant sociality” has been proven
3. The role of ants in the forest ecosystem was identified and recommendations for their protection were proposed.

Literature:

1. Alekseev S.V. Gruzdeva N.V. Workshop on ecology: Textbook/Ed. S.V. Alekseeva-M.: JSC MDS, 1996 – p.68.

2. Zakharov A.A. Ant, family, colony. - M.: Publishing house “Nauka”, 1978

3. Dlussky G. M. Ants of the genus Formica. M.: Nauka, 1967

4. Methods of geobotanical research. Toolkit. M., 1996

5. Plants and Animals: A Guide for the Naturalist: Transl. from German / K. Nidon, Dr. I. Peterman, P. Scheffel. – M.: Mir, 1991.

6. Khalifman I. A. Ants. M.: Young Guard, 1967.

7. Kharitonov N. P., Dunaev E. A. Study of the extra-nest life of ants: A methodological guide for the implementation of educational and research topics. - M.: MGDPiSh, 1992. - 33 p.

8. Internet resources: