Children's research work “Fire ants. Scientific research work "secrets of the life of an anthill" Research work on ants

Research work "Ants" 3rd grade for an educational hour.

"Report to the research work Ants 2014"

ABSTRACT FOR THE REPORT

on the topic “Forest workers”

Good afternoon, everyone present in the hall.

My name is Zhenya Larionov, a 3rd grade student at school No. 4.

You will learn about the hero of my work by guessing the riddle:

(Ant)

SLIDE 1. The theme of the work is “forest workers.”

Hundreds of scientific articles, dozens of novels and short stories have been written about ants. Ants are the heroes of fairy tales, fables, riddles, proverbs and sayings.

SLIDE 2. Among different peoples of our planet, the ant personifies human virtues: justice, modesty, hard work. The ant is mentioned in biblical parables: King Solomon invites the lazy man to learn hard work from the ant.

SLIDE 3. The ant was not chosen by chance as the hero of the work. In the summer I observed these insects more than once. The ant’s hard work and care for its offspring is worthy of respect. I was wondering when did ants appear on our planet? What types of ants are common in the Arkhangelsk region? What is the body structure of this insect? What's inside the ant house? What does an ant family eat? I found answers to these questions in encyclopedias and reference books.

SLIDE 4. The ant is one of the oldest insects on our planet. They existed more than 100 million years ago.

Ants can be found in every corner of the Earth. It is known in the world, according to various sources, from 10,000 to 12,500 species of ants.

IN Russialive, according to various sources, from 300 to 350 species

SLIDE 5. There are 24 species of ants in the Arkhangelsk region. Red forest ants are more common here. ABOUTnor do they arrange the famous ant heaps that we often see in the forest.

SLIDE 6.The ant house is a city with streets, alleys, apartments of the “queen” and chambers for larvae and testicles. It’s always warm there, it’s easy to breathe, and different rooms have their own microclimate.Ants overwinter in a state of semi-hibernation in wintering chambers at a depth of 20-30 cm.The outside of the anthill is covered with sticks, twigs and needles, which the ants constantly sort through to prevent mold from growing in the house.

SLIDE 7.Arkhangelsk region m giant urn with a height of 1 m 40 cm and a diameter of 2 meters is located on the territory of Malye Korely.

SLIDE 8.Ants have an exoskeleton that supports muscles. The body of an ant consists of three parts: the head, on which the antennae are located, two compound eyes, strong mandibles (jaws); mesosomes and abdomen, connected by a petiole - a narrow waist. An ant has six legs with hooked claws.

SLIDE 9.In the ant family, each insect has its own “profession”. An ant family consists of one or more females (“queens”), who lay eggs, and sterile workers who protect the house, care for the larvae, build a home, and go for prey. Once a year, winged females and males appear in the anthill. They rise into the air and perform a mating dance. Then the males die, and the females, falling to the ground, bite off their wings and lay down a new anthill. Females live up to 20 years.

SLIDE 10. Ants are naturally deaf and practically blind. These insects are helped by the language of smells. Each family has its own smell. Having met on the path, they feel each other with their antennae and determine by smell whether it is theirs or someone else’s. As they move, they mark the road, leaving pheromones on the ground.

SLIDE 11.Red forest ants are predators. They feed on flies, beetles, and caterpillars. The ant's favorite treat is“honeydew”, which is secreted by an aphid after the ant begins to tickle its back with its antennae. From the outside it seems that the ant is “milking” the aphids. Because of this, aphids are called “antbugs.”

Ants clear the forest of pests. In the summer months, they destroy 20 thousand harmful insects, their larvae and eggs per day. In warm weather, ants work around the clock.

SLIDE 12.Enemies of ants: moles, bears, woodpeckers, lizards, toads and, oddly enough, humans. When visiting the forest One should remember the words of zoologists: “The one who cut down a tree is a poacher, and the one who destroyed an anthill is a poacher a hundred times over; he left many hundreds of trees unprotected.”

View document contents
"Research work Ants 2014"

Regional educational hour “Insects of the Arkhangelsk Region”

for 3rd grade students

Forest workers

	Introduction
	Ant - the hero of research
	The oldest insects on the planet
	Red forest ants are inhabitants of the forests of the Arkhangelsk region.
	Ant house
	Ant body structure
	Ant "professions"
	Secrets of communication
	Ant diet
	Forest orderlies
	Conclusion

	Appendix 1. Sayings and proverbs, riddles about ants
	Appendix 2. Bible: Book of Proverbs of Solomon
	Appendix 3. Stages of working on the research topic
	Appendix 4. Fossil insects
	Appendix 5. Red forest ants - inhabitants of the forests of the Arkhangelsk region
	Appendix 6. Diagram of the anthill of red forest ants
	Appendix 7. Giant anthill in the Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art “Small Korely" (Vazhsky sector)
	Appendix 8. Craft from natural material “Ant”
	Appendix 9. “Professions” of the red forest ant
	Appendix 10. Ant diet
	Appendix 11. Destroyed anthills

In the New Russian Encyclopedia “Ants (Formicoidae) are a family of insects of the order Hymenoptera” [10, 368]. Hundreds of scientific articles, dozens of novels and short stories have been written about ants. Ants are the heroes of fairy tales, fables, riddles, proverbs and sayings (Appendix 1) [12]. There is even a science that studies these insects - “myrmecology”.

For different peoples of our planet, the ant personifies various human virtues: in In China - balance, in India - justice and modesty, in Russia and Bulgaria - hard work. In many traditions, the destruction of an anthill symbolizes misfortune; . The ant is mentioned in biblical parables: King Solomon invites the lazy man to learn hard work from the ant ( Appendix 2).

The ant was not chosen by chance as the hero of the work. In the summer, I watched these insects with interest more than once. The hard work of an ant is worthy of respect when you see a small creature on a forest path trying to drag a dry blade of grass that is several times larger than itself. Ants are wonderful parents: they take care of their offspring. In a flower bed you accidentally move a stone, and underneath it is an anthill. The inhabitants of this simple house do not run away, but begin to save their larvae.

I was wondering when did ants appear on our planet? What types of ants are common in the Arkhangelsk region? What is the body structure of this insect? What's inside the ant house? What does an ant family eat? I found the answers to these questions by studying encyclopedias and reference books (Appendix 3).

Scientists call ants one of the oldest insects on our planet. They existed more than 100 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Over millions of years, these insects have not changed, and now fossil ants are very similar to their modern counterparts. (Appendix 4).

Ants can be found in every corner of the Earth (except Antarctica and the Far North). According to various sources, from 10,000 to 12,500 species of ants are known in the world; VRussiaAccording to various sources, from 300 to 350 species live; in the Arkhangelsk region there are 24 species of ants. In our area, red forest ants are the most common (Appendix 5) . They are the ones who arrange the famous ant heaps that we often see in the forest.

The ant house is a whole city with streets and alleys, passages and dead ends, apartments for the “queen” and chambers for larvae and eggs. It’s always warm there, it’s easy to breathe, and different rooms have their own microclimate.Ants overwinter in a state of semi-hibernation in wintering chambers at a depth of 20-30 cm, where the temperature is maintained at about 0 °C(Appendix 6). The outside of the anthill is covered with sticks, twigs and needles, which the ants constantly sort through to prevent mold from growing in the house. This flooring forms a dense coating that does not allow water to pass through.. In the Arkhangelsk region m A giant urn with a height of 1.4 meters and a diameter of 2 meters is located on the territory of the Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture “Malye Korely”. (Appendix 7) [1].

Ants have an exoskeleton that supports muscles. The body of an ant consists of three parts: the head, on which the antennae are located, acting as sensory organs, two complex eyes, consisting of numerous lenses, and three simple ocelli, which determine the level of illumination, strong mandibles, which serve for carrying food, construction and defense ; mesosomes and abdomen, connected by a petiole - a narrow waist. An ant has six legs with hooked claws for movement on vertical surfaces. (Appendix 8)

In the ant family, each insect has its own “profession”. An ant colony consists of one or more females ("queens"), which lay eggs, and numerous sterile workers. The workers in one family are not the same - those with small heads and those with large heads, the so-called soldiers who protect the family from enemies. Worker ants take care of the larvae, build a home, and go after prey. Once a year, winged females and males appear in the anthill. They rise into the air and perform a mating dance. Then the males die, and the females, falling to the ground, bite off their wings and lay down a new anthill. The female’s life span can be very long – up to 20 years.(Appendix 9).

Ants are naturally deaf and practically blind. These insects are helped by a language of smells, an excellent sense of smell and touch. Each family has its own individual smell. Having met on the path, they feel each other with their antennae and determine by smell whether it is theirs or someone else’s. Ants also find their way to their anthill by smell. As they move, they mark the road, leaving droplets of an odorous substance (pheromones) on the ground. .

Red forest ants are predators. They feed on flies, beetles, and caterpillars. Ants are not picky when choosing food; they can even eat insects with poisonous blood. Anyone whom the ant can overpower, he drags into his home to be torn to pieces. The ant's favorite treat is“honeydew”, which is secreted by an aphid after the ant begins to tickle its back with its antennae. From the outside it seems that the ant, collecting sweet droplets, is “milking” the aphids. Because of this, aphids are called “antbugs.” For them, ants prepare pastures and arrange special structures - “barnyards”(Appendix 10).

A strong family of red ants clears the forest of pests. In the summer months, they can destroy 20 thousand harmful insects, their larvae and eggs per day. In warm weather, ants work around the clock. Little friends of the forest can predict the weather: before the rain they quickly return home. However, this sign is true for ants that do not feel hungry. If the ant family is starving, then the little workers continue to work in rainy weather[ 8, 69 ] .

The enemies of red forest ants are moles, bears, woodpeckers, lizards, toads and, oddly enough, humans. When visiting the forest One should remember the words of zoologists: “The one who cut down a tree is a poacher, and the one who destroyed an anthill is a poacher a hundred times over; he left many hundreds of trees unprotected.” (Appendix 11).

List of used literature

1. Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art “Malye Korely” [Electronic resource]. Access mode: http://www.korely.ru/ Date of access: 03/23/2014

2. Bible: Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. M.: Russian Bible Society, 2013. – 1338 p.

3. Biedermann Hans. Encyclopedia of symbols / pod. ed. I.S. Sventsitskaya. M.: Republic, 1996. – 335 p. ISBN 5-250-02592-7

4. Great Children's Encyclopedia: Biology. M.: Russian Encyclopedic Partnership, 2003. – 736 p.

5. Great Soviet Encyclopedia: in 30 volumes. Volume 17 / ed. A.M. Prokhorova. – M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1974. – 616 p.

6. Great Encyclopedia: in 62 volumes. Volume 31 / ed. S.A. Kondratova. – M.: Terra, 2006. – 592 p. ISBN 5-273-00432-2

7. Dmitriev Yu. Insects. – M.: Olimp, 1997. – 288 p. ISBN 5-7390-0176-5.

8. Zayanchikovsky I.F. Live barometers. M.: Timber Industry, 1977. – 136 p. 9. What is... an ant capable of? Symbolism of the image. School of life: educational magazine [Electronic resource]. Access modehttp://shkolazhizni.ru/ Date of access: 03/22/2014

10. New Russian Encyclopedia: in 12 volumes. Volume 9 / edited by V.I. Danilova-Danilyan. – M.: Encyclopedia, 2013 – 480 p. ISBN 978-5-94802-8.

11. Book of Nature / Yu. Dmitriev, N. Pozharitskaya, A. Vladimirov, V. Porudominsky. – M.: Children's literature, 1990. – 339 p. ISBN 5-08-000604-8.

12. Proverbs and sayings. [Electronic resource]. Access mode http://uznayslovo.ru/ Date of access: 03/23/2014

13. Tambiev A. Who lives in an anthill. – M.: Malysh, 1985. – 20 p.

14. I explore the world: Children's encyclopedia: Insects / ed. EAT. Ivanova. – M: AST Publishing House, Astrel, 1998. – 352 p. ISBN 5-237-00271-7.

ANNEX 1

Proverbs and sayings about ants

1. Where the will tenses like a bowstring, there the ant overcomes the lion.

2. For an ant, dew is a flood.

3. And the ant’s prayers reach the heavens.

4. And the ant has the power of Suleiman.

5. And ants can destroy the dam.

6. And the dam is destroyed by the ant hole.

7. Sometimes ants eat fish, sometimes fish eat ants.

8. Winged ants appeared - these are oats.

9. The ant is small, but it stings painfully.

10. The ant is small, but it digs mountains.

11. A union of ants will drain the mountain.

12. The ant drags the burden uncomfortably, but no one will thank him

13. For ants, dew is rain.

14. The most evil snake can be overcome by a bunch of ants.

15. You can’t sit on an anthill for long.

16. The best gift for an ant is a grasshopper leg.

17. They stumble not over a mountain, but over an anthill.

18. The ant knows when it will rain.

Riddles about ants

The carpenters walked without axes,
They cut down the hut without corners.
(Ants)

Who are they? Where? Whose?
Black streams flow:
Small dots together
They are building a house on a hillock.
(Ants)

I work in an artel at the roots of a shaggy spruce.
I’m dragging a log over the hillocks - it’s bigger than a carpenter.
(Ants)

In the forest near the stump there is bustle and running:
The working people are busy all day,
He's building his own city.
(Ants and anthill)

Look at the fellows: cheerful and lively.
Material for construction is dragged from all sides.
Here one suddenly stumbled under a heavy burden -
And a friend rushes to help. The people here are good.
Without work, for the life of me, he cannot live...
(Ant)

Behind the stump is a hillock, and in it is a town.
(Anthill)

In a clearing near the fir trees
The house is built of needles
He is not visible behind the grass,
And there are a million residents there.
(Anthill)

APPENDIX 2.

Bible: Book of Proverbs of Solomon

Warning against laziness

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard, look at his actions, and be wise.

7 He has no chief, no overseer, no ruler;

8 But he prepares his grain in the summer, he gathers his food in the harvest.

9 How long will you sleep, you sluggard? when will you arise from your sleep?

10 You will sleep a little, doze a little, lie down with folded hands for a little:

11 And your poverty will come like a stranger, and your need like a robber.

APPENDIX 3.

Stages of working on a research topic

Creating a craft from natural material “Ant”

Preparation of the text of the work and presentation

APPENDIX 4.

Fossil insects

Insect

An ant petrified in amber (hardened tree resin)

more than 50 million years ago

APPENDIX 5.

Red forest ants - inhabitants of the forests of the Arkhangelsk region

APPENDIX 6.

Scheme of an anthill of red forest ants

1. Covering of needles and twigs. Protects the home from rain, is repaired and updated by working ants.

2. “Solarium” - a chamber heated by the rays of the sun. In the spring, the inhabitants come here to warm themselves.

3. One of the entrances. Guarded by soldiers. Serves as a ventilation duct.
4. "Cemetery". Worker ants carry dead ants and garbage here.
5. Wintering chamber. Insects gather here to survive the cold in a state of semi-hibernation.

6. “Bread barn.” This is where ants store grains.

7. The royal chamber, where the queen lives, laying up to one and a half thousand eggs per day. She is looked after by worker ants.

8. Chambers with eggs, larvae and pupae.

9. "Cowshed" where ants keep aphids.

10. “Meat pantry”, where the ants bring caterpillars and other prey.

APPENDIX 7.

Giant anthill in the Arkhangelsk State Museum

wooden architecture and folk art "Malye Korely"

(Vazhi sector)

Dimensions of the home of red forest ants: height - 1.4 m,

diameter at the base is 2 meters.

APPENDIX 8.

Craft made from natural material “Ant”

MESOSOMA (CHEST)

MANTACHES

MANDIBULES

PETHIOL

EYES

PAWS

ABDOMEN

APPENDIX 9.

"Professions" of the red forest ant

Winged female worker

APPENDIX 10.

Ant diet

Red forest ant attacks a caterpillar

Red wood ant feasts on aphid secretions Larionov Evgeniy Igorevich,

3rd grade student

MBOU "Secondary school No. 4 in Velsk"

Supervisor:

Vdovina Elena Nikolaevna,

teacher MBOU "Secondary School No. 4

Velsk"

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Bible: Old Testament.

Book of proverbs

Go to the ant, slothful one, look at its actions, and be wise.

He has neither a boss, nor a guardian, nor a master;

but he prepares his grain in the summer, and gathers his food in the harvest.

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Stages of working on a topic

Drawing up a plan and studying reference literature

Creating a red forest ant from natural materials

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Preparation of the text of the work and presentation

The ant is one of the oldest insects on our planet.

Insect , preserved in limestone more than 65-75 million years ago

An ant fossilized in amber more than 50 million years ago

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Red forest ant –

inhabitant of the forests of the Arkhangelsk region

A small ant digs mountains

Where the will tenses like a bowstring, there is an ant

overcomes even a lion

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Scheme of an anthill of red forest ants

"Solarium"

Exit

Covering of needles and branches

"Cemetery"

Wintering

camera

"Cowshed"

"Meat Pantry"

"Bread

barn"

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Queen's Apartments

Chambers with eggs and larvae

Giant anthill on the territory of the Arkhangelsk State Museum of Wooden Architecture and Folk Art “Malye Korely”

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Height - 1.4 meters, diameter at the base - 2 meters

Red forest ant,

made from natural materials

Mustache

Mesosoma (breast)

Mandibles

Petiole

Eyes

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Abdomen

Paws

Ant "professions"

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Winged female Worker

red forest ant red forest ant

Secrets of communication

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

Pheromones - droplets of an odorous substance

Diet of the red forest ant

Larvae

Caterpillars and beetles

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ivanovo

"Honeydew" - secretions of aphids

The one who cut down the tree is a poacher,

and the one who destroyed the anthill is a hundredfold poacher, he left

many hundreds of trees without protection.

Ranko Elena Alekseevna

primary school teacher

MAOU Lyceum No. 21

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Department of Education of the North Kazakhstan Region

Aitkozy Diaz

Sergeevka 2016

Abstract

I really love wandering through the forest, not only picking berries and picking mushrooms, but just like that - listening to the forest, finding something interesting, watching some forest dweller. Which forest dwellers are you sure to meet? Well, of course, ants! And the variety of anthills is simply amazing: from modest hills to huge “ant palaces”. And I wanted to know how ants live and how the anthill works inside.

Purpose of the study:

Research objectives:

tasks:

make a model of an anthill.

Hypothesis:

Object of study: is an anthill.

Subject of study:

Research methods:

Introduction……………………………………………………………... 1-3

1.Secrets of the anthill

1.1. Who are ants?........... 4- 5

2. How does ant society work…………………….

2.1. Professions of ants……………………………….. 6- 7

2.2. How does an anthill work……………………………………. 7 - 9

2.3. The role of ants in the forest ecosystem………………………. 9

3. Conclusion (conclusions on the project)………………………. ……. 11-12

4. List of used literature………………………………. 13 5.Appendix…………………………………………………………….

Introduction

in everyday life?

And I wanted to know:

How do ants live?
What is an anthill?
What do ants eat?

target :

On the way to achieving my goal, I had to solve a number of tasks:

find information about ants in various sources of information;
make a model of an anthill.

analysis and synthesis of collected information:
creative (productive): making a model of the object under study.

Subject of research

Object of study: I an anthill appears.

Problematic issues :

Hypothesis. I will assume that the ant is a social creature and is not capable of living alone; The social system of ants is similar to the social system of people.

1. Secrets of the anthill

1.1.Who are ants?

As a result of studying literature and watching videos, I learned that ants are the oldest creatures on Earth. They appeared on Earth more than 100 million years ago, easily outlived the dinosaurs, and witnessed the birth of our civilization. This was proven by paleontologists from the findings of ants (no different from those we see today) in fossilized resin - amber.

Ant structure

And most importantly, ants are insects with the largest brain in relation to their body. Therefore, they are very smart. Scientists, studying the life of ants, found that they, like people, have different characters, habits and mental inclinations. Some are uninitiative, others are curious, some are bold and aggressive.

It would be wonderful if all the entertainment of ants were so innocent. But, unfortunately, insects sometimes get drunk. When a lomechusa beetle sneaks into an anthill, it solders the ants with its ether-like secretions. Drunken ants lose sensitivity, they quit work, begin to groom and cherish the beetle while it eats ant pupae and larvae, to which the ants do not pay any attention. Gradually the anthill dies out.

2.1. Professions of ants

nannies And educators. doctors, For example, surgeons

There are ants that build, clean and protect the anthill - these are working ants. Cleaning the anthill orderlies, but protect from enemies soldiers scouts And hunters

shepherds farmers. They grow mushrooms in their anthills. Mushrooms are their harvest. There are ants - reapers, which stock up on the harvest, which is then dried and stored, and when the time comes, they grind the seeds into flour and feed it to the larvae. In addition, ants have another very interesting profession. First, the small insect “sunbathes” in the sun for ten minutes, then

There are some in the anthill "pensioners".

And the ants are beautiful builders. What beautiful houses they build - anthills!

2.2. How does an anthill work?

I found out that the anthill is a multi-storey building with many apartments, warm, cozy, with good ventilation, with storage rooms, bedrooms, children's rooms, a garbage disposal and a toilet. There is a special winter bedroom. Adult ants spend the winter in this room. Ants store grains in a grain warehouse. They bring caterpillars and other prey to the meat pantry. 7

Ants keep their homes perfectly clean. All entrances and exits allow fresh air to pass deep into the anthill. All these entrances and exits are guarded by soldier ants. From above, the ants make a covering of needles and twigs on the anthill. It protects the home from the vicissitudes of the weather, and is repaired and updated by working ants. As a result of my research, I found out that an anthill is not just a mountain of earth covered with twigs on top, but a complex engineering structure. Therefore, I decided to make a model of an anthill to tell other children how complicated everything is arranged inside an anthill, how much work the ants needed to put in to build a house for themselves.

Don't offend the ant - it's easy to offend him:

He is very small, he is very small, he is short!

3. Conclusion

Target conclusions:

Ants live in families.
Ants are eternal builders.
.

Hypothesis, put forward at the beginning of the project: “I will assume that the ant is a social creature, it is not capable of living alone; the social system of ants is similar to the social system of people” was completely confirmed.

Alekseev V.A. 300 questions and answers about insects. - 2007.
Dlussky G.M., Bukin A.P. Meet the ants! -2009.

Other sources of information

http://www.floranimal.ru/familes/4810.htm/ Family Ants
http://www.antclub.ru/muravi/ Antclub. Ants
http://www.mirnasekomyh.ru/muravej.htm/ World of insects

Isachenko Lyudmila Alexandrovna, 13.03.2017

6563 395

Development content

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Department of Education of the North Kazakhstan Region

State Institution "Department of Education of the Shal Akyn District"

KSU "School-gymnasium named after academician E. A. Buketov"

The work was completed by a student of class 3 "B"

Aitkozy Diaz

Scientific supervisor: Isachenko Lyudmila Aleksandrovna

Sergeevka 2016

Abstract

Purpose of the study: explore the social life of ants and the mystery of the anthill.

Research objectives:

On the way to achieving my goal, I had to solve a number of tasks:

find information about ants in various sources of information;

compare the social life of ants with the social life of people;

make a model of an anthill.

Hypothesis:

Object of study: is an anthill.

Subject of study: is the social life of ants and comparing it with the social life of people.

Research methods:

studying theoretical information using various sources of information; observation, study and systematization of collected material;

analysis and synthesis of collected information:

creative (productive): making a model of the object under study.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………...... 1-3

1.Secrets of the anthill

1.1. Who are ants?........................................................ ................. 4– 5

2. How does ant society work……………………....

2.1. Professions of ants……………………………………… 6– 7

2.2. How does an anthill work………………….. 7 - 9

2.3. The role of ants in the forest ecosystem……………………….... 9

2.4. Making a model of an anthill………………………. 10

3. Conclusion (conclusions on the project)……………………….. …….. 11-12

4. List of used literature………………………………. 13 5.Appendix……………………………………………………………..

Introduction

The social life of an ant is very complex and interesting. Careful observation of the life of ants cannot help but suggest a striking similarity in the social life of humans and these insects. First of all, ants are interesting for their complex social behavior. One can only envy their intelligence! Each ant performs its own specific type of work. Their attitude to work is amazing. Ants are the most hardworking creatures in the world! People could learn many positive things from ant behavior. The main role model would be to take care of your family, the queen, her offspring, and each other.

Modern human society has reached a level of development where it wants to come into contact with representatives of another intelligence (extraterrestrials). But it seems to me that first a person must learn to understand his closest neighbors on the planet.

Communication with nature always brings us joy. We never cease to admire her amazing creations: animals, plants. There is hardly a person who has not at least once stopped near an anthill, fascinated by such a distant and at the same time inexplicably close to us world of these amazing insects. We especially like to observe the life of small insects, how they live, what they do when a person does not see them

in everyday life?

And I wanted to know:

How do ants live?

What is an anthill?

How does an anthill work? What “rooms” does it have?

What do ants eat?

Why are ants called “forest orderlies”?

When starting this work, I set myself target : study the social life of ants.

On the way to achieving my goal, I had to solve a number of tasks:

find information about ants in various sources of information;

compare the social life of ants with the social life of people, draw up a comparative table;

make a model of an anthill.

To solve the problems I used the following methods:

studying theoretical information using various sources of information; observation, study and systematization of collected video material;

analysis and synthesis of collected information:

creative (productive): making a model of the object under study.

Subject of research : is the social life of ants and compares it with the social life of people.

Object of study: I an anthill appears.

Problematic issues :

How does the social life of ants work?

What is the role of the little ant in the forest ecosystem?

Hypothesis. I will assume that the ant is a social creature and is not capable of living alone; The social system of ants is similar to the social system of people.

1. Secrets of the anthill

1.1. Who are ants?

Ants are unique: they can carry a load one hundred times greater than their own weight, they can hang upside down on smooth glass, and withstand monstrous overloads. They consume huge amounts of food and move long distances. Each ant has considerable strength, and acting together, they turn into a supercivilization.

At first glance, it may seem that chaos and disorder reign in the anthill. But looking closely, it becomes clear that each individual of the ant community is busy with its own business. Externally, the structure of ants looks the same: they have six strong legs; have two eyes, consisting of many smaller ones; two large and strong jaws; An ant's belly contains two stomachs (one for itself, one for other ants).

Ant structure

Some can do the same job for a long time, others are not averse to looking for adventure. These insects love not only to work, but also to relax. They spend a quarter of their time on personal care (hygiene procedures). Ants sleep with their limbs pressed closely to their body. When they wake up, they stretch and yawn like people. Ants are not averse to having fun. Sometimes they play a game similar to tag.

It would be wonderful if all the entertainment of ants were so innocent. But, unfortunately, insects sometimes get drunk. When a beetle, the Lomechusa, makes its way into an anthill, it solders the ants with its ether-like secretions. Drunken ants lose sensitivity, they quit work, begin to groom and cherish the beetle while it eats ant pupae and larvae, to which the ants do not pay any attention. Gradually the anthill dies out.

After studying the literature on this issue, I came to the conclusion that despite the external differences, ants are very similar to us humans. Next, I was interested in the question: why, unlike all other insects (excluding bees), do ants live in large families? And won’t there be any similarities with people here too?

Therefore, I decided to continue studying this topic and find out how ant society works.

How does ant society work?

2.1. Professions of ants

Continuing to study various sources of information, I made the discovery that ants, just like people, have “professions”.

Every adult has a profession and a job. Each ant in the family also has its own profession. For example, an anthill has its own kindergarten, where they work nannies And educators. They care for eggs, larvae and pupae, and also regularly take small ants out into the fresh air. The anthill also has its own hospitals where they work doctors, For example, surgeons. And if one of the residents injured a limb, surgeons amputate (gnaw off) it.

There are ants that build, clean and protect the anthill - these are working ants. Cleaning the anthill orderlies, but protect from enemies soldiers. They guard the entrances to the anthill from uninvited guests and are ready to rush into battle with enemies in any danger. The bravest and liveliest ants become scouts And hunters. They feed the entire family of thousands.

There are also “agricultural” professions in the life of ants. Many species have mastered “pastoralism.” Like humans, ants are the only animals in the animal kingdom that raise domestic animals. There is a special barn in the anthill. Of course, it’s not real cows that live in it, but aphids. Aphids are also insects that, to the delight of ants, secrete a sweet substance. Ants really like it. Just as people raise and care for cows, so do ants shepherds take care of aphids. In the spring, they remove entire herds of “ant cows” from the anthill and lead them to “pastures.” Ants graze aphids on nearby plants and protect them. Among the ants farmers. They grow mushrooms in their anthills. Mushrooms are their harvest. There are ants - reapers, which stock up on the harvest, which they then dry and store, and when the time comes, they grind the seeds into flour and feed them to the larvae. In addition, ants have another very interesting profession. First, the small insect “sunbathes” in the sun for ten minutes, then

what runs inside the anthill to transfer its warmth to it.

There are some in the anthill "pensioners". The elderly sages work at the top of their little house as observers.

And the ants are beautiful builders. What beautiful houses they build - anthills!

Based on the results of their research, there is a similarity between the “professions” of ants and people.

2.2. How does an anthill work?

2.3. The role of ants in the forest ecosystem

Often walking through the forest you can see destroyed anthills. Does everyone know that ants are called “forest orderlies”? While studying material on the topic of the project, I learned that being predators, ants eat many insects that are harmful to the forest. This is probably why the trees around the anthill are greener and taller. Scientists say that a nest of ants destroys up to 100 thousand harmful insects per day. Ants loosen the soil, creating conditions for supplying it with air.

Conclusion: understanding the importance of these insects in preserving the forest ecosystem, people should protect anthills. Anthills should not die during deforestation, they should not be barbarically destroyed by people!

2. 4. Making a mock-up of an anthill

I decided not only to study the life of ants, but also to try to make a model of an anthill and also make it in section, so that everyone could see the life of ants inside the “house”. The materials used for production were cardboard, watercolors, glue and plasticine. I sculpted eggs, queens, caterpillars, and ants from plasticine. I put rice in the “grain barn”.

I want to give this model of an anthill to a kindergarten so that children can learn about how ants live and that anthills should never be destroyed. By doing this, I hope to make my contribution to improving the environmental culture of society.

Don't offend the ant - it's easy to offend him:

He is very small, he is very small, he is short!!!

3. Conclusion

My project was called “Secrets of the Anthill”.

Target which we set with the teacher, I have achieved: I now know that ants are social insects and the life of ants has a striking resemblance to the life of people. I learned about the composition of the ant family, that despite the apparent chaos, strict order reigns in the anthill: each ant is busy with his own business. Ants have their own “professions”, which are very similar to the professions of people. I also learned how the inside of an anthill works. Now I understand why ants are called “wise builders.” While working on the project, I realized the exceptional role of these insects in preserving the forest ecosystem. After all, they are natural protectors of the forest from pests and diseases. Conducting research, observing the life of ants, having studied additional literature about ants, I did the following conclusions:

Ants live in families.

Each ant clearly knows and performs its specific function.

Ants are eternal builders.

Ants move along the same paths.

Ants treat different insects differently .

After studying the life of ants, I collected didactic material “This is interesting” (Appendix).

I also made a model of an anthill and a sectional model of an anthill.

In my creative work I wanted to apply all the knowledge gained from studying this topic. This didactic material and layout has practical significance: it can be used in lessons or in kindergarten classes.

4. List of used literature

Alekseev V.A. 300 questions and answers about insects. – 2007.

Dlussky G.M., Bukin A.P. Meet the ants! –2009.

Zakharov A.A. Ant, family, colony. 2008.

Tarabarina T.I., Sokolova E.I. Both study and play. Natural history. Khalifman I.A. Operation Forest Ants.

Reading book for extracurricular reading for the course “Man and the World.” Author-compiler V.M. Vdovichenko. - 2004.

Other sources of information

http://www .floranimal.ru/familes/4810.htm/ FamilyAnts

http://www.antclub.ru/muravi/ Antclub. Ants

http://www.mirnasekomyh.ru/muravej.htm/World of insects

Feedback on research work

The project “Secrets of the Anthill” is dedicated to studying the social life of the most mysterious creatures on the planet - ants.

As a result of the work done, 3rd grade student Aitkozy Dias managed to highlight and reveal the main theme of his project “Secrets of the Anthill”

This is the main purpose project. In her research, she searches for answers to problematic questions: How does the social life of ants work? and What is the role of the little ant in the forest ecosystem?

Subject of research is the social life of ants and comparing it with the social life of people.

Object of study is an anthill.

On the way to achieving the goal, he solves a number of problems: collects theoretical material about the life of ants; compares the social life of ants with the social life of people; makes a model of an anthill. Didactic material “This is interesting” has also been collected.

In the course of his research, the author uses various methods: studying theoretical information using various sources of information; observation, study and systematization of collected video material; analysis and synthesis of collected information.

Research product appears a model of an anthill made by the author with his own hands.

The result of the study it becomes a “discovery” that the social life of an ant is very complex and interesting, and also strikingly similar to the social life of a person. In her work she pays special attention to the exceptional role of ants in preserving the forest ecosystem and the importance of protecting these insects.

A lot of work has been done to systematize the material used. I learned to analyze, highlight the main thing and draw conclusions.

The student showed the significance and role of the anthill in life and what benefits they bring

they are to a person. Diaz confirmed the hypothesis put forward: “I assume that

The ant is a social creature and is not capable of living alone;

The social system of ants is similar to the social system of people.”

This work is relevant, since the issues raised in it are of interest not only to the younger generation, but also to adults. Indeed, this project is for those who are ready to protect nature, be amazed at its wonders, and learn to understand it. The work is environmentally oriented and can be used in lessons on world knowledge, self-knowledge and in classroom hours where we talk about ecology. And also in kindergarten classes.

Scientific supervisor: Isachenko L.A.

Salemetsizbe !

Hello!

I, Aytkozy Diaz, student of 3 “B” class “School-gymnasium named after academician

E.A. Buketov" Shal akyn district, Sergeevka city.

I bring to your attention the project “Secrets of the Anthill”.

Goal of the work : explore the social life of ants and the mystery of the anthill.

Research objectives:

find information about ants in various sources of information;

compare the life of ants with the life of people;

make a model of an anthill.

Hypothesis : I will assume that the ant is a social creature and is not capable of living alone; The social system of ants is similar to the social system of people.

Object of study : is an anthill

Subject of study : is the life of ants and compares it with the life of people.

Research methods :

studying theoretical information using various sources of information; observation and study of the collected material;

analysis and synthesis of collected information:

creative (productive): making a model of the object under study.

The social life of an ant is very complex and interesting. First of all, ants are interesting for their complex social behavior. One can only envy their intelligence! Each ant performs its own specific type of work. Their attitude to work is amazing. Ants are the most hardworking creatures in the world! People could learn many positive things from ant behavior. I know that ants are social insects and the life of ants has a striking resemblance to the life of people. I learned about the composition of the ant family, that despite the apparent chaos, strict order reigns in the anthill: each ant is busy with his own business. Ants have their own “professions”, which are very similar to the professions of people.

Now I understand why ants are called “wise builders.”

I understood the exceptional role of these insects in preserving the forest ecosystem.

After all, they are natural protectors of the forest from pests and diseases. Conducting research, observing the life of ants, and studying additional literature about ants, I made the following conclusions:

Ants live in families.

Each ant clearly knows and performs its specific function.

Ants are eternal builders.

Ants move along the same paths.

Ants treat different insects differently.

Job the research was interesting.

During work, I gained new knowledge about ants and the anthill, learned to analyze the material, highlight the main thing, and draw conclusions.

Acquired research skills and computer skills. These skills will be useful in the future.

Confirmed the hypothesis : “I will assume that the ant is a social creature and is not capable of living alone; the social system of ants is similar to the social system of people"

Practical significance –The project can be used as additional material in lessons on world knowledge, self-knowledge and in class hours where we talk about ecology. And also in kindergarten classes.

Rakhmet!

Thank you for attention!

2- Municipal Educational Institution “Rozgrebelskaya Secondary School” of Bolshesoldatsky District Ants are amazing creatures of nature. Completed by 7th grade student Apanasenko Artem. Head: biology teacher Enyutina Larisa Mikh. 2010 -3- Contents of the work 1. Introduction - 3 pages. 2. Justification of the chosen topic - 5 page 3. Goals and objectives of the study - 6 page 4. Methods for studying ants - 7 page 5. Features of the structure of ants - 7 page 6. Structure of the nest - 8 page 7. Composition of the ant family , distribution of functions -9 page 8.. Nutrition of ants -9 page 9. Experiments with red forest ants -11 page 10. Conclusion. -13 page 11. Conclusion - 13 page 12. References - 14 page -4- RESEARCH DATES Summer 2009 RESEARCH LOCATION - Sotnitsky forest, B-Soldatsky district, Kursk region. . Once, while walking through the forest, I was walking through an aspen tree, inhaling the smells of the forest, and suddenly I saw a picture: Along a winding path, an ant is running headlong with a thick branch on its back, hurrying towards the anthill! Having given way to him (After all, there is only one path) And after hesitating a little, I called out to the runner: Hey, buddy, you're probably tired from work! Put aside your worries, you haven't rested for a long time! The ant looked around in surprise and answered me: “Carefree, I see, too much for you, that you have nothing to do?” -5- Introduction. Go to the ant, slothful one, look at its actions and be wise. Bible. Ants are one of the most common insects on our Earth. They are found in all natural areas and often live close to a person’s home. In nature, ants cannot be confused with other insects: they are wingless, very active, always looking for something, rushing somewhere, fussing about. You rarely see a single ant, even far from its nest; usually there are always many of them. There is hardly a person who has not stopped at least once near an anthill, fascinated by such a distant and at the same time inexplicably close to us world of these amazing insects. Ants attract our attention. The complex and even seemingly intelligent behavior of these insects has been causing amazement and admiration for humans for hundreds of years. Ants live in families of several million individuals, pave roads, build tunnels and multi-story dwellings, grow mushrooms, and only among them there is such a complex “professional” division: there are builders and nannies, hunters and watchmen, porters and shepherds. It is difficult to list everything that makes ants stand out from the vast kingdom of insects! These are the most intelligent and mysterious insects on our planet. Justification of the chosen topic. I, like many other people, very often like to stop and look at an anthill; it reminds me of a big city with wide streets and small alleys, and its inhabitants are hasty townspeople. Where are they rushing, why, how are their homes constructed, what do they eat, and how do they protect themselves from enemies? I really wanted to know all this, so I decided to take a closer look at the life of the anthill and its inhabitants. I live in the small village of Rozgrebli, our village is located in the forest-steppe zone of Russia, on the very border with Ukraine. There are different types of ants in the village and its environs, but most of all I was interested in the anthills of the small forest that adjoins my house. My teacher and I went on an excursion to this forest. The forest anthills turned out to be much larger in size than the anthills that I had seen before in the village, and the ants, unlike the small village ants, were larger. I was very interested in these hasty ones, and that is why I decided to focus my attention on them. In my research, I asked my dad to help me, who also loves different animals. In the forest, my dad and I found several anthills, but for research we decided to take the largest and oldest anthill. Purpose of the study: 1. To get acquainted with the structure and life activity of ants 2. To determine their role in nature. Research objectives: 1. 2. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Study the literature on this issue. Get acquainted with the methods of studying ants. Determine the species and structure of the ants being studied. Study the structure of an anthill. Explore the extra-nest life of ants. Carry out a quantitative census of animals exterminated by ants. Analyze research results. Determine the role of ants in nature. I started my research by asking for literature about ants. rural library, in which From the books of B.M. Mamaeva, E.A. Bordukova “Entomology for teachers”, S.A. Molis “Book for reading on zoology”, M.A. Kozlova, I.M. Oliger “School Atlas – Key to Invertebrates”, A.A. Zakharov “Ant, family, colony”, I.I. Akimushkina “Invisible threads of nature”, I.A. Khalifman “Password of crossed antennas” I learned that the ants that interested me belong to the species - red forest ant (Formica rufa). In these books I became acquainted with the methods of studying ants that I used in my work. -7- Methods used in the work: 1. Empirical: study and analysis of literature; 2. Theoretical: method of comparison, analysis, generalization, systematization 3. Research: conducting an experiment, observation. Subject of research: ANTHILL. Object of study: Red forest ant (Formica rufa) Biology of red forest ants. Red forest ants, like all representatives of this genus, have a characteristic feature by which they can be distinguished from any other Hymenoptera: between the chest and abdomen they have a thin stalk of one or two segments, whereas in all other Hymenoptera the abdomen is directly attached to chests Working red forest ants, whose length reaches 4–9 mm, have a reddish-brown head and chest, and a blackish, shiny abdomen. Their anthills consist of needles, small twigs, pieces of bark and plant debris. At first glance, it seems that all this garbage is scattered randomly. However, it turns out that even in the heaviest rain, the surface of the anthill does not get wet and all internal passages and chambers remain dry. The height of such anthills is usually 0.5 - -0.7 m, but sometimes they reach a height of 1.5 m. The starting point for building a nest is often an old stump. The structure of an anthill. I needed information about the anthill itself. To get them, I took a bag and a meter, and my dad and I went into the forest to the anthill. The anthill was located not far from our house, in the forest on the slope of a ravine. The forest around is mixed: oak, aspen, birch, many shrubs and various herbs. There are no bodies of water in the observed area. The source of moisture is plants and moisture accumulating after rain. I measured the height of the anthill, which turned out to be 48cm, diameter – 97cm. I determined -8- the approximate slope of the sides of the anthill. South side – 60’, north – 85’, west and east – 75 – 80’ The nest consists of a dome, an internal cone, a shaft and an underground part. The dome consists of small branches and serves mainly a protective function. Its outer part, or cover layer, is laid very tightly. I observed that even in the heaviest rain, water flows from the dome and only its upper part gets wet. In addition, the dome well protects the inside of the nest from both overheating and cooling. The inner cone consists of relatively large branches; brood development occurs here. Ants overwinter in the chambers of the shaft and the underground part of the nest. Ant nests help protect offspring from enemies, as well as larvae and eggs from drying out. Studying the structure of an ant nest and the nest-building activity of red ants, I came to the conclusion that by making passages, the ants loosen the soil and facilitate air access to the roots of plants. In addition, ants excrete excrement. They bring various organic residues into the nest and thereby enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other microelements. Composition and acidity of the soil around the anthill I determined the composition of the soil by eye - it is a mixture of fertile forest soil and clay. I determined the acidity of the soil using phenolphthalein paper. Near the anthill it was red. At a distance of 1 m it was pink and thereafter it did not change its color. I determined the compaction of the soil using a knife. Near the anthill the knife did not fit well. This means that the soil is compacted. At a distance of 1 m, the knife entered well, which means that the soil was weakly compacted, and beyond that the soil was relatively uncompacted. Illumination of the anthill. I determined the percentage of light falling on the anthill by comparison. So most of the day the sun shines on the southern and eastern sides of the anthill, this is approximately 70%, and the remaining 30% remains on the western and northern sides of the anthill. -9- Composition of an ant family, division of functions within the family. Ants are social insects, as they live in a large family, where different individuals perform strictly defined functions. Worker ants are wingless - they perform the function of builders, i.e. build anthills, males and females are winged, but their wings develop only during the mating season. The function of the uterus is to produce offspring. "Nanny" ants look after the queen and take care of the larvae. There are also ants - soldiers - they fight with opponents, they have a more developed head and mandibles (strongly developed upper jaws). Using the example of red wood ants, I studied polymorphism - this is the diversity of the structure of individuals of the same species, associated with the performance of certain functions in the family. Ants are polymorphic insects. What and how do ants eat. Red wood ants have permanent roads. As I watched, I noticed that there were two types of roads. Some serve for the movement of honeydew-collecting ants and lead to trees on which colonies of aphids are located. These roads are relatively short and narrow, but very busy. Most ants walking along them to the nest have a swollen abdomen, on which tree sap can be found. Other roads connect anthill families. They are very lively. After studying the literature, I learned that the first type of roads is feed roads. And the second type is exchange roads. In order to determine what the ants eat, I chose one of the ant paths that leads to the anthill and began to keep records. I found out what the ants eat and how much they eat in an hour, day, week, summer. At the beginning of summer, their prey was mainly dead May beetles, June beetles, as well as gape moths and various flies. In mid-summer, caterpillars, beetle larvae, cicadas and grasshoppers. At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, butterfly caterpillars, naked slugs, earthworms. In addition, they carried seeds. In the fall, when there was not so much prey, I even fed the ants with cabbage butterfly caterpillars, which they quickly dealt with. I divided the prey taken from the ants into groups: 1. Animals useful to the forest; for two - 10 - 2. Animals harmful to the forest. Beneficial animals include spiders, centipedes, equestrians, and bees. Harmful - beetles, butterflies, their larvae and pupae, bedbugs, sawflies, cicadas, grasshoppers. Flies can be both harmful and beneficial. I watched how the ants dealt with their prey. To do this, I placed a caterpillar on the path and saw that first the ants clung to it and then pinched it, that is, they injected a toxic substance into it. The caterpillar struggled at first, then stopped resisting and became quiet. In order to count the animals exterminated by ants, I used the following methodology: . I recorded the prey according to the scheme: No. anthill No. tro- time of observation P Duration month and hours and duration number of minutes of observation number of insects taken from ants total useful harmful indeterminate 1 III 10. 06 10 hour 15 min. 35 5 26 4 1 III 10. 06 14. 30 15 min. 24 3 18 3 1 III 10. 06 19 h. 15 minutes. 18 3 11 4 Let’s say that 35 animals were collected in 15 minutes, then in an hour 35 * 4 = 140, in a day 140 * 18 = 2520 (an ant’s working day is on average 18 hours), in a week 2520 * 7 = 17,640, in month 17,640 * 30 = 529,200, for the summer 529,200 * 3 = 1,587,600 - 11 - This, of course, is not an exact result, since the collection of prey depends on the weather, temperature, collection time, the number of harmful insects in nature, on the size of the family, on the number of ant larvae, the main consumers of protein food. In addition, ants begin collecting prey already in May and finish before hibernation. This year, at the beginning of October, the ants were still working. To determine the number of exterminated insects during this period, I carried out one counting operation in May, June, July, August, and September. Therefore, it is more expedient to multiply by 4 months 529,200 * 4 = 2,116,800 The data I received allowed me to judge the predatory life of ants. Most of the insects destroyed by ants are forest pests. Ants improve the soil by mixing it, enriching it with organic matter, opening their access to tree roots, and digging deep tunnels in the ground. The forest where ants thrive is healthy and strong, it is not oppressed by pest attacks, and is rich in mushrooms and berries. Ants collect insects on the ground, in grass and in tree roots. In a day, the population of a large colony can destroy up to 100 thousand insects. Experiments with red forest ants. ANTS' ATTITUDE TO SWINGING A STICK. After following the ants, I wondered what the ants would do if you held a stick over an anthill. I took off the stick, passed it over the anthill and noticed that the activity intensified. I passed my hand over the anthill several times, felt a strong characteristic smell of formic acid and an increasing rustling sound. TRANSFER OF PREY. To conduct this experiment, I caught a grasshopper and made it unable to move. Then, I put it on the anthill, I didn’t have to wait long, the ants immediately killed it and took it to the anthill - 12 - PREPARING THE SKELETON At home, I took a small box and made many holes in it. I placed a small fish in the box. I buried the box with the fish shallowly in the anthill, and found in it a perfectly prepared skeleton of the fish. HOSTILE RELATIONSHIPS TO AN ANT FROM ANOTHER ANTHILL. This experience is very simple. I took an ant from another anthill and put it with my ants. The alien ant was immediately attacked and killed. CARE OF THE OFFENDER. This experience interested me the most. I dug up the anthill to the layer where the ant eggs were. Then, in the process of observation, I saw that the ants began to grab the eggs and take them to the remaining part of the anthill. This experience is cruel, but it shows that ants care about their offspring. . PRESENCE OF BIO-CLOCK IN AN ANTS. This experience is the most interesting. I took a cotton swab coated with syrup and placed it in front of the anthill at 12 o'clock every day. The ants, on each subsequent day, came out on their own at this time. I made an assumption that the ant had a biological clock. While observing, I noticed that in the place where I left the tampon, there were two sentry ants. Seeing food, they ran into the anthill and called their comrades. I began to place the ants in the jar, but even then the ants outwitted me. They changed the post every 15 minutes. When the ants ran to call their comrades for lunch, I removed the food. After that, the ants no longer came to me. - 13 - CONCLUSION: While studying the anthill, I learned that by making passages, ants loosen the soil and facilitate air access to the roots of plants. In addition, ants excrete excrement, bring various organic residues into the nest and thereby enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other microelements. Ants improve the soil by mixing it, enriching it with organic matter, opening their access to tree roots, and digging deep tunnels in the ground. Now I know very well that most of the insects destroyed by ants are forest pests. Having studied the anthill and its inhabitants, I came to the conclusion that ants are extremely useful insects, they require careful treatment and need our protection. By protecting anthills, we protect our forests! CONCLUSION I really enjoyed exploring the lives of ants. I learned a lot of new and interesting things. I think this will be useful to me in life. I want to say a big thank you to my dad, who helped me a lot in the research. I don’t want to end my research activities. At this time, I am very interested in beavers, which for the first time in many years have settled on our river and even on our pond. I want to learn more about these small, but apparently very interesting animals. - 14 - List of used literature: 1. Ant, family, colony. M., Nauka, 1988. 2. Dlussky G.M., Bukin A.P. Meet: Ants! - M.: Agropromizdat, 1986. 3. Zakharov A.A. Zakharov A.A. Intraspecific relationships in ants. M., Nauka, 1998. 4. . 5. Kozlov M.A.. Not just insects. Scientific and artistic publication, Cheboksary, 6. Khalifman I.A. Ants. M., Nauka, 1992. 7. Children's magazine about nature "Anthill" No. 4. 1996. 8. Scientific and methodological magazine "Biology at school" No. 3 1997, No. 8 2002 9. Textbook 7th - 8th grade "Biology - animals "edited by B.E. Bykhovsky. Mamaev B.M., Bordukova E.A. Entomology for teachers. – M.: Education, 1985. 1

“ An ant crawls through the forest. It's not easy for a heavyweight - He carries the reed into the house, Patch all the holes in it.”

Design and research work "The Mysteries of the Red Anthill"

Completed the project

3rd grade student

State educational institution of the LPR “Perevalskaya school No. 12”

Melnik Maxim

Supervisor

Melnik T.V.

The living beings living on our planet are divided into two large groups or two worlds: the plant world and the animal world. In turn, living beings belonging to each of these two worlds are divided into many smaller orders and classes. Thus, the animal world is divided into the following classes: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects. There are probably several million species of insects, although approximately 900,000 have been described so far. Among such a large class of “insects” there are creatures useful and harmful. But how do we understand “beneficial” and “harmful” insects? Indeed, from an ecological point of view, nothing in the world of living beings can be superfluous, and therefore can be neither useful nor harmful. The destruction of any species can lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem. So, when we talk about such concepts as “harmful” and “beneficial” insects, we mean the benefits they bring to humans. At the same time, we try to protect the useful ones. Since ancient times, the life of hardworking ants has been a subject of constant observation and keen interest for people. In ancient legends, poetic works and even in the Bible, attention was paid to these insects. However, despite this, we still don’t know much about them, and some of the secrets of their life have only recently been revealed to scientists. The Ant family (Formicidae) is the largest family of insects in terms of the number of individuals. And in terms of the number of species, few families can compete with it. Now there are approximately 8,000 thin stalks of one or two segments connecting the chest and abdomen. In other representatives of the order, the abdomen is directly attached to the chest. The most common and frequently encountered in the world is the red wood ant (Formica rufa). But, as it turned out, the benefits of this species are extremely great. This work is devoted to the study of the role of this species of ants in the life of the forest and humanity.

Relevance of the research project topic

Red ants have a significant impact on the forest ecosystem. Everyone knows that the forest is the “lungs” of the Earth, which gives us fresh air. With the disappearance of ants, the orderlies of the forest, an environmental catastrophe may arise - the danger of destruction of the forest zone, as the main source of preservation of all life on Earth.

Purpose of the research project: study the life of ants, learn interesting facts about their life.

Objectives of the research project: Increase knowledge about insects.

Study the types of ant dwellings and the features of their construction.

Learn the laws of the ant family.

Reveal the significance of ants in nature and for humans.

Study the literature on this topic.

Analyze the work and add additional material to the class “piggy bank” .

Research hypothesis:

If you learn about the importance of ants in nature and in human life, you can use this knowledge to your advantage.

Research methods:

practical work; - observations; - data collection and analysis; - generalization of information; - survey among school students and teachers

Object of study:

Anthill, ant dwellings.

Subject of study:

Ants

Expected results:

developing ideas about how ants live;
the emergence of ideas about ants and their varieties;
based on research results, establish interesting facts about the benefits of ants;
propaganda about the importance of ants among school students;
using research results to conduct classes and quizzes.
creation of a collection of riddles “Children's riddles about an ant”, a booklet “The most interesting things about ants”, a mini-album “Our Ants” with the results of a survey, an application “Anthill”, a presentation of the work.

DESCRIPTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES of the red ant.

The red wood ant lives throughout European territory. Individuals of this species are also found in Asia and North America. Perhaps everyone who has ever been in a real forest has met red ants. This type is the most common. However, it should not be confused with red house ants, as these are completely different types of insects.

LIFESTYLE

Red ants live in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, which are several decades old. Insects are active during the warm period, and in winter they hibernate underground. All ants are real hard workers, and forest individuals are no exception. These insects have a strict hierarchy. The colony is divided into the following types:

large female;
females and males;
workers;
foragers.

About the structure of the ant family

For ants, a family is not an empty phrase; it is a well-organized community designed for long-term existence. It usually consists of adult females and males capable of fertilization, and working individuals, mainly females who have lost the ability to reproduce, as well as the so-called brood: eggs, larvae and pupae.

One family in size can reach several dozen or more insects, up to 1 million. These are the so-called “large families”, in which there are soldier individuals, nanny individuals and many others. Among them, only a few males and females are able to continue the race.

Only the queen (queen ant) can lay eggs. At the time of mating games, she is able to fly using her wings, which is quite surprising to see an ant flying. But her flight is short-term - immediately after mating she bites off her wings. The fate of the males is no less sad: having fertilized the female, they soon die.

Contrary to the opinion that the female is the main one in the family, the opposite can be argued: she is not as important as the working individuals. It is they who decide in which part of the anthill she should live and for how long, especially if she is infertile, and also how many larvae to leave for the correct ratio of layers (castes) within the family.

What do ants eat?

Ants feed on insects, sweet secretions of aphids, plant sap, and seeds.

Features of the life activity of ants The German scientist and myrmecologist G. Wellenstein, after more than 25 years of studying red forest ants, established that their “menu” consists of: honeydew (honeydew) - 62%; plant juice – 4.5%; seeds – 0.2%; insects and invertebrates – 33%; mushrooms and carrion – 0.3%.

HOW THE ANANT HILL IS STRUCTURED .

Interesting facts about ants

Ants are the most ancient insects on Earth. Ant fossils were found more than 100 million years ago. - An ant is stronger than an elephant, because it can lift a load much more than its own weight. - Whenever there is a free minute, the worker ants “play”, grab each other with their paws and roll on the ground. - Ants are able to distinguish their “brothers” from strangers, thanks to the smell produced by special glands. - Sometimes ants’ grain reserves can reach up to 50 kg. At the same time, it does not rot in the nests, because they carefully dry it in the sun. - Stray ants live in South America. They move in columns, sweeping away all living things that come their way, even lizards and snakes.

Sociological survey

To conduct a sociological survey, a questionnaire of four questions was compiled.

What do you know about ants?
What is the significance of ants in nature?
Are there ants in your garden?
Why do ants matter in your garden?

Mini-album materials

"Our ants in fairy tales"

drawings made by 3rd grade students .

I WORKED LIKE AN ANT.

My creativity: application "Anthill" I made the application after finishing all the work.

When I was making the creative composition “Anthill” Materials that I needed:

1.Natural material.

2. Background for the composition.

3. Glue - pencil.

4.Semolina, cereal.

5. Plasticine.

Observations of ants.

The anthill that I observed in the summer was located in the forest. This is what I saw. The ants dragged various materials towards him: wood chips, dead insects. I also noticed that most ants move for a reason, but one after another at a distance of about five centimeters, and they move along the same paths, and some ants carry nothing, but every time they return to the anthill, they run again with the rest . Then I decided to conduct a little experiment. I placed a small (about 5 cm) stick on one of the ant paths and began to monitor the reaction of the ants. Two ants climbed over it and tried to move the stick from its place, but they failed. Then two more ants approached them, and the four of them dragged the stick to the anthill, but since it did not fit inside, they had to leave it outside.

Conducting research, observing the life of ants, and studying additional literature about ants, I made the following conclusions:

1. Ants live in families.

2.Each ant clearly knows and performs its specific function.

3. Ants are eternal builders.

4. Ants move along the same paths.

5. Ants treat different insects differently.

LOVE NATURE!!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

Department of Education of the Administration of Sosnovsky Municipal District

MBOU Vitkulovskaya secondary school.

Section “I explore the world”

Section “Animal Ecology”

Nomination “Educational and Research Works”

Work completed:

Kiseleva Valeria,

4th grade student (11 years old)

Supervisor:

Lapteva Svetlana Viktorovna,

Primary school teacher

With. Vitkulovo

2013

Research objectives:

Studying the life of red forest ants.

The influence of ants on the ecological situation in the forest.

Research objectives:

♦ Study the literature about ants and their varieties.

♦ To study the behavior of ants in their forest anthills by observation.

♦ Learn to present the results of searching and summarizing information in various forms (abstract, photo report, presentation).

♦ Increasing creative, cognitive activity and learning motivation.

Hypothesis: Ants play a big role in improving the ecological condition of the forest community.

Relevance of the topic:

Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the problems of environmental pollution and the use of huge amounts of chemicals. Against the backdrop of widespread environmental pollution, the issue of reducing the use of chemicals and the widespread use of biological methods for controlling plant pests becomes very relevant. Ants, as forest orderlies, come to the fore in this case.

Object of study:

Red forest ants.

Subject of study:

Ants' home.

Research methods:

~ Observing the life of ants in forest anthills

~ Studying literature and summarizing the information received;

Content:

Introduction.

Main part.

1. Review on the topic “Who are they, red forest ants?”

2. Practical part of the work: Observations of the life activity of the anthill.

III. Conclusion:

About the benefits of ants in the natural community.

YI. Bibliography.

Ants live in families. The forest rustled with its leaves.
There are so many of them, oh-oh-oh! Autumn is a wonderful time.
A house in the forest stands among the fir trees. Get ready, kids.
From dry grass, needles, into the forest for berries, mushrooms,
Small branches and earth.Avoid bushes and hummocks.
Everything we could bring. Don't break the anthill.
This fabulous hillProtect from trouble.
Inhabited the pine forest.
Ants, there are soldiers.
Very brave guys.
The house is bravely defended,
And they don’t let enemies in
There are workers, hard workers.
They get tired, poor things.
They are at work all day long
Take care of your home.
The entrances and exits are dug,
The rubbish is removed from the nest.
They bring food in reserve.
Hiding supplies for the winter
The females will lay eggs
Place them neatly into nests.
They will take the children out of them,
Red, lively ants.
Ants in the forest are useful -
Protect from diseases.
Harmful midges are absorbed,
That's why trees protect.
So that in summer and spring,

1.Who are they, red forest ants?

My parents and I often go to the forest. There I see huge heaps, over which small insects - ants - quickly rush. Who are they, red forest ants? How do they live? I wanted to know about these inhabitants of our region.

After studying a lot of literature, I learned that about 6 thousand species of ants are currently known; in fact, there are more of them in nature. About 125 species of ants live in Russia, the most common of which is the red forest ant, which inhabits the entire forest zone. They live mainly in coniferous and mixed forests. Red forest ants are arthropod insects, membranous, common in the forest zone of Europe and Western Siberia. The size of an adult working individual is 4-9 mm, winged forms of “males and females” are 9-11 mm. The color of the head and rear part of the abdomen is dark, the chest, stem and joints are red. At the end of the abdomen there is a device for spraying out a caustic secretion - formic acid.

There are several species of ants that engage in theft and slavery. Thief ants live mainly under anthills; they are small and therefore make narrow passages into which large ants cannot climb, and feed on the larvae and pupae of their hosts.
Each family of ants has its own territory, where it does not allow other creatures of its own kind. Here the ants form paths and constantly put things in order. The total length of these paths is about a kilometer, and the length of the roads in the middle of the nest sometimes exceeds seven kilometers. Sometimes wars occur between ants. The weaker ones run away, taking the larvae with them. Outside the anthill, nothing threatens anyone. Robbers capture the larvae in the middle of the nest. From the captives, the conquerors raise “slaves”, who then raise the children of the aggressors, monitor the cleanliness of the premises, and obtain food. Of the 15 thousand species of invader ants, there are three thousand.

2. Observations of the life activity of an anthill.

AND
Ants live in large families not only in characteristic anthill buildings, but also in tree trunks, underground. But not everyone knows that this is the top floor of the anthill. Its main part goes deep underground.

I carried out my observations in sunny and cloudy rainy weather.

Before it rains, ants close the entrances and exits, and in good weather they sometimes bring out their white testicles to warm them. In fact, these are not eggs, but pupae from which adult ants emerge. The eggs that the female lays hatch into curved white worm-like larvae. Worker ants feed them a nutrient mass, then the larvae turn into pupae. The pupa lies in a cocoon and is very similar to an adult ant, only it is white and motionless. Then, either a worker ant—an underdeveloped female—or winged males and females hatch from the pupa. The age of winged males is short-lived. They will rise into the air in a brilliant swarm, and then descend to the ground and die.

And the females shed their wings and settle in the depths of the anthill until the end of their lives, laying eggs.

IN In the forest we found several anthills, which are under the protection of the local forestry department.

Having carefully examined the anthill, I saw that it consisted of needles, small twigs, pieces of bark and plant debris. At first glance, it seems that all this garbage is scattered randomly. Worker ants do all the work in the anthill: build, store food, protect. Some ants have “soldiers” - larger ants.

Among the red ants, the elderly sages work at the top of their house as an observer. Old ants are the keepers of information in the anthill.

It turns out that ants are the fastest to learn to find the right path in a maze. Formic acid helps them in this, which they also use for defense and offense. If a young female ant, due to inexperience, establishes an anthill in damp soil, its smart inhabitants build a path of pine needles so as not to get their paws wet.

If you put an ant on your hand, after a few seconds you will feel a burning sensation on the skin. The ant released formic acid for defense. If a young female ant, due to inexperience, establishes an anthill in damp soil, its smart inhabitants build a path of pine needles so as not to get their paws wet. These insects love not only to work, but also to relax. Ants sleep for about three hours, crawling into a hole in the ground and pressing their limbs closely to their body. When they wake up, they stretch and yawn like people.

If you take food from them with tweezers and put it in one place for a certain time, the results will show that the ants drag into the nest mainly pine cutworm caterpillars, sawfly larvae, various beetles and butterflies that are classified as forest pests.

I I decided to take a red forest ant and examine it under a digital microscope.

It turned out that he has 6 legs, with the help of which the ant moves quickly.

3. Conclusions. The benefits of ants.

Forest red ants benefit humans by helping them destroy dangerous pests of tree plantations. This is not difficult to verify if you conduct a very simple experiment. Observing an anthill, you can immediately notice that there are paths running from it in all directions, along which ants scurry about; some run away from the nest in search of food, while others return with prey. In addition, they destroy slugs that damage tree foliage. These workers also spread the seeds of herbs and flowers. By digging underground passages, they loosen the soil, mix it, enriching it with organic fertilizers. Instead of earthworms, they transform the soil. The red forest ant eats many insects that are harmful to the forest. The trees around the anthill are greener and taller because the ants protect them from pests. In a day, an ant nest destroys up to 100 thousand harmful insects. The presence of ants in a forest is a guarantee of its health and the development of flora and fauna.

Ants have long been considered sages. In Kyrgyzstan, many years ago, a person who was planning a good deed went to spend the night at an anthill - this promised good luck.

Some people sometimes stir up anthills with sticks, thereby disturbing the normal life of the ants. Thus, the forest is deprived of its most reliable defenders.

Ants are very beneficial insects. By protecting anthills, we save our forests!

YI. Used Books:

1. Forest and environment. Molchanov A.A. The science. 1968

2. Suvorova P.I. Insects - friends and enemies. Education. 1979

3.Forest entomology. Vorontsov A.I. Higher school. 1975

4. Poems about an ant. Novikova R.