Fire Ants Falling to Acid-Covered Crazy Ants (5 of 5) (VIDEO)
Caption
Video clip of a protracted conflict between N. fulva and S. invicta over a dead grasshopper under natural conditions. The S. invicta were the first species to recruit workers to the insect carcass and are in the process of being displaced by N. fulva. Several behaviors are evident in the video. The S. invicta workers can be seen gaster flagging and dispensing venom at the N. fulva workers. After contacting S. invicta venom, the N. fulva workers repeatedly employ the detoxification behavior. This video relates to a paper that appeared in the Feb. 13, 2014, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The paper, by Edward LeBrun at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, and colleagues was titled, "Chemical Warfare Among Invaders: A Detoxification Interaction Facilitates an Ant Invasion."
Credit
[Video courtesy of <i>Science</i>/AAAS]
Usage Restrictions
Please cite the owner of the video when publishing. This video may be freely used by reporters as part of news coverage, with proper attribution. Non-reporters must contact <i>Science</i> for permission.
License
Licensed content