Social insect colonies are typically mobile entities, moving nests from one location to
another throughout the life of a colony. The majority of social insect species—ants, bees …

Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are integral to the functioning
of terrestrial ecosystems. More than 12,000 species have been described to date, and it is …

Ants are a dominant faunal group in tropical forests, but their responses to human
disturbances remain poorly investigated. Here we examine the relative effects of habitat …

Ants are diverse and ecologically important organisms in tropical forests, where their
spatiotemporal distribution can be highly complex. This complexity arises mainly from …

After first being ground-nesters and predators or scavengers, ants became arboreal with the
rise of angiosperms and provided plants a biotic defense by foraging for prey on their …

The evolution of territorial behavior requires that the benefits of territoriality outweigh the
costs. The costs are primarily those of territorial defense against encroaching neighbors or …

Since their origin about 120 million years ago (Mya), ants have evolved to become the most
species-rich and ecologically diverse group of social insects (Grimaldi and Engel 2005; …

Understanding the factors that shape community structure, and whether those factors vary
geographically, has a long history in ecology. Because the abiotic environment often varies …

Nest-site is an important resource for cavity-nesting ants, what limits colony establishment
and structures ant community composition through competition. In ecosystems frequently …

Litter‐nesting ants are diverse and abundant in tropical forests, but the factors structuring
their communities are poorly known. Here we present results of the first study to examine the …