Revolution in an ant colony...possible or not?

[petrushka.googol]

This may seem an offensive post to some but I was postulating on why in a well structured social unit like an ant colony there is no hint of rebellion?

 

Compare this to analogous units in the human bio-sphere. Mob psychology takes over on many occasions and what follows is a fracas and traces of nihilist behavior.

 

Why is it then that a highly evolved species like homo sapiens reacts in ways that defy normal social paradigms?

 

What is the rationale behind this?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

[Endy0816]

Workers can end up killing their queen or queens, though it is more about colony reproductive health than anything else.

[Bill Angel]

Three is no centralized authority in an ant colony. The queen does not issue orders. She is just an egg laying machine. When the colony produces additional queens and males, these insects have to leave the colony to find mates. If one of these queens does mate, she then starts her own colony. Now if ants from two of these colonies meet, there can be a big battle over territory. I captured some video of two such ant colonies fighting it out on a sidewalk.

[petrushka.googol]

If one of these queens does mate, she then starts her own colony. Now if ants from two of these colonies meet, there can be a big battle over territory.

 

On second thoughts the politics of schism seems to apply here. Not so sure whether there is as much internal strife though...

[Dekan]

The video of the ant battle is very interesting. It seems to show a complete lack of co-ordination between the fighting ants on each side. Neither side is following a strategic or tactical plan. The "troops" just swirl about engaging in individual combat actions. Naturally this results in a mere chaotic melee.

 

Such a painful lack of planning! Presumably the side with the most numbers eventually carries the day and wins victory. It seems very wasteful.

 

Why can't the ants on one side get organised. If they did that, they could easily outfight and outmanoevre the enemy.

 

For example, by putting strong forces on their right and left wings, leaving a weaker centre. This would invite the enemy ants to rush forward, towards the centre. The centre troops would withdraw slowly, drawing and funneling the enemy deeper into a trap. Then the trap would be closed - the right and left wings would wheel inwards across the enemy's flanks and rear. Thus encircling the enemy. Like at Cannae and Stalingrad. The enemy ants would then be compressed within a steadily shrinking circle, until they had no room to swing their mandibles, and got slaughtered en masse.

 

That's how ant battles ought to go - if there was proper organisation. Consider how organised ants are in other respects. Don't ants engage in

farming. That seems a pretty sophisticated activity

 

If they're capable of advanced peacetime behaviour like that, wouldn't you think they'd be better at fighting wars?

[Bill Angel]

Your theorizing on the strategies that ants might employ brought to mind a classic work of fiction, titled Leniningen Versus the Ants http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiningen_Versus_the_Ants

 

The thrust of the story is that the activity of the ants, which you describe as as "chaotic melee" can still be very effectively destructive.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Bill Angel