A new book explores the ins and outs of ant life
(Image: Oxford University Press)
ANTS live almost everywhere, and this attractive, readable summary of research into their lives is a good reminder that scientists who study ants live in many places, too. For it is Lausanne, Switzerland. Keller cites species that are common in Swiss forests or pests in the south of France, as well as leaf-cutter and army ants of the tropics and species living in the arid Sahara.
The book is particularly strong when describing recent studies of genes, sex and family dynamics – the strangest aspects of ants to human eyes. Along with the usual examples of one-queen and multi-queen colonies, it describes a species where the males pass along their genes directly by cloning themselves.
Oxford University Press