You want to see the displays and chat with the scientists.
You reach the hallway and see a clever sign that says "We have the Antswers!"
Below it, another sign reads: "Global Biodiversity, 10,000-plus ant species."
You're in the right place to learn about ants--from the lab of professor Phil Ward of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
The scientists describe themselves as "We are a group of myrmecologists who study the taxonomy, evolution, biogeography, and behavior of ants."
As their website says: "In many terrestrial habitats-- especially those of the lowland tropics--ants rival other arthropods in numerical abundance, ecological importance, and species richness. Our research is concerned with unraveling details about the evolutionary history of ants and attempting to understand the processes that have generated such an extraordinary diversity of form and function. This work entails species-level taxonomy through analyses of phylogenetic relationships, among other topics."
The Ward lab loves to talk about ants, and if you love ants (and you should), you'll learn why myrmecologists find them so fascinating.
"The usual," said Ward. A sample:
- "How do ants communicate?" Brief answer: Largely through tactile and chemosensory cues.
- "How long do ants live?" Brief answer: Adult workers typically live one to several months; some ant queens live up to 3-4 decades.
- "How do I get rid of ants in my house or yard?" Brief answer: Ant baits usually work fairly well.
- "What do the winged ants do?" Brief answer: They are the reproductive forms.
Research assistant Brittany Kohler fielded such questions as
- "What are the most common ants in Davis?"
Answer: The most abundant are invasive Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, and they taste spicy (not advisable)! - "Do ants bite?"
Answer: Yes...and most can sting, repeatedly, although it's very minor, like a small poke or pinch, but others can really bite! The mandables (jaws) of army ants, leaf-cutting ants, driver ants and bullet ants have been used in Central and South America to close wounds.
The Ward lab, including Professor Ward, Kohler and doctoral candidate Ziv Lieberman, also showed examples of workers of the world's largest (Myrmecia; bulldog ants) and smallest (Carebara) ants. "The Carebara ant garnered as much attention as Myrmecia, in part because it was barely visible to the naked eye," Professor Ward said. "People frequently asked how it was collected." Answer: By sifting leaf litter and then examining extracts of the sifted litter under the microscope.
Both Lieberman and Kohler delivered presentations at the Entomological Society of America meeting last November in Phoenix: Lieberman, "Evolution and Classification of the Ant Subfamily Dolichoderinae from the Phylogenomic Perspective," while Kohler discussed her novel subterranean pitfall project at Stebbins Cold Canyon. Kohler also moderated an Undergraduate 10-Minute Competition in Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity.
The UC Davis Biodiversity Day, free and family friendly, drew an estimated 2000 people across campus. Always scheduled in February (traditionally held during or before Presidents' Day Weekend), it's known as "A Super Science Day."
What's up next? The Ward lab participates annually in the UC Davis Picnic Day, set this year for Saturday, April 12. The daylong event draws as many as 70,000 people. It's is like a campus open house: informative, educational and entertaining.
And "Antswers" abound.