Ant Architecture - The Wonder, Beauty, and Science of Underground Nests

Tschinkel describes the ingenious methods he has devised to study ant nests, showing how he fills a nest with plaster, molten metal, or wax and painstakingly excavates the cast. He guides you through living ant nests chamber by chamber, revealing how nests are created and how colonies function. How does nest architecture vary across species? Do ants have "architectural plans?? How do nests affect our environment? As he delves into these and other questions, Tschinkel provides a one-of-a-kind natural history of the planet's most successful creatures and a compelling firsthand account of a life of scientific discovery. Offering a unique look at how simple methods can lead to pioneering science, Ant Architecture addresses the unsolved mysteries of underground ant nests while charting new directions for tomorrow's research, and reflects on the role of beauty in nature and the joys of shoestring science.

About the author

Walter R. Tschinkel is professor emeritus of biological science at Florida State University and a world authority on ant biology. He is the author of The Fire Ants. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida.

Summary

Photograph by Christina Kwapich

Product details

• Authors: Walter R Tschinkel, Walter R. Tschinkel, Tschinkel Walter R.
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2021
• EAN: 9780691179315
• ISBN: 978-0-691-17931-5
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Zoology; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Entomology, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, NATURE / Animals / Insects & Spiders, Biology, life sciences, Zoology: invertebrates