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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the most important element in harvester ants' diet?

2. Which of the following chemicals do Wilson and Holldobler use on ant specimens?

3. Which of the following areas was NOT focused on in the chapter regarding plant-ant symbiosis?

4. Where does "the ultimate parasite" Teleutomyrmex schneideri live?

5. Which of the following scientists solely studied the way harvester ants affected cross-pollination in 1986?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is dulosis? How is it a form of symbiosis?

2. What is acacia?

3. What type of ant predator did Levieux discover by digging under the soil on the Ivory Coast in 1983?

4. How did Moser discover ventilation systems in ant nests in Louisiana?

5. What is an ant garden?

6. What is the first phase of nest building in a weaver ant colony? Why does this phase require teamwork?

7. How do Teleutomyrmex schneideri ants survive?

8. What are the dangers of using an aspirator when collecting ant samples for study?

9. How does density specialization affect competition with ant species?

10. What modifications must a parasite's body undergo in order to live successfully off a host's body?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pheromones are considered the most important asset to ant communication. Describe two different ways in which ants communicate using their pheromones. Explain how pheromones are emitted from the ant's body in both liquid and gas forms.

Essay Topic 2

There are many ways that ants within a colony recognize one another and differentiate between friend and foe. Explain the most common ways ants recognize each other within a colony. Then explain to two main ways through which ants learn to recognize their colony. Finally, explain the controversy surrounding Jaffe and Sanchez's discovery of the gland that produces colony odor. How has this affected how scientists view kin recognition?

Essay Topic 3

Ants communicate with one another in a variety of ways, and for a variety of purposes. List at least eight of the twelve categories of ant communication and explain which of these is the most common in ant colonies. Explain the four different ways through which ants communicate using their bodies, and describe each method of communication.

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