Biology of Fungus Ants

Synopsis

The observation of the behaviour of atta ants, whose normal habitat is equatorial America, was made possible for the first time due to experiments conducted in the laboratory. Gives a detailed study of a colony. Starts by showing the queen founding the nest by preparing a fungus garden with fungus mycelium. Then her feeding and maternal care of worker larvae are shown. The colony is established after one year; after 2 1/2 years, changes in the fungus garden, and the activities of workers are shown, including tending of fungus, division of labour, ant wars, toilet activity and refuse disposal.

Language

English

Country

France

Medium

Film; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 22 min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1960

Availability

OUT OF DISTRIBUTION

Subjects

Biology

Keywords

ants; insects

Credits

Producer

M Bazire; N Bariand; P P Grassé

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Distributor

Name

French Scientific Film Library