Myrmecology (/mɜːrmɪˈkɒlədʒi/; from Greek:μύρμηξ,myrmex, "ant" and λόγος,logos, "study") is a branch ofentomology focusing on the study ofants. Ants continue to be a model of choice for the study of questions on the evolution ofsocial systems because of their complex and varied forms ofsocial organization. Their diversity and prominence in ecosystems also has made them important components in the study ofbiodiversity and conservation. In the 2000s, ant colonies began to be studied and modeled for their relevance inmachine learning,complex interactive networks,stochasticity of encounter andinteraction networks,parallel computing, and other computing fields.[1]
The word myrmecology was coined byWilliam Morton Wheeler (1865–1937), although human interest in the life of ants goes back to ancient times. The earliest scientific thinking based on observation of ant life was that ofAuguste Forel (1848–1931), a Swiss psychologist who initially was interested in ideas of instinct, learning, and society. In 1874 he wrote a book on the ants of Switzerland,Les fourmis de la Suisse, and he named his homeLa Fourmilière (the ant colony). Forel's early studies included attempts to mix species of ants in a colony. He notedpolydomy and monodomy in ants and compared them with the structure of nations.[2]
Wheeler looked at ants in a new light, in terms of their social organization, and in 1910 he delivered a lecture atWoods Hole, Massachusetts,[why?] on "The Ant-Colony as an Organism", which pioneered the idea of superorganisms. Wheeler consideredtrophallaxis or the sharing of food within the colony as the core of ant society. This was studied using a dye in the food and observing how it spread in the colony.[2]
Some, such asHorace Donisthorpe, worked on the systematics of ants. This tradition continued in many parts of the world until advances in other aspects ofbiology were made. The advent ofgenetics, and ideas inethology and its evolution, led to new thought. This line of enquiry was pioneered byE. O. Wilson, who founded the field termed associobiology.[2]
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Ants often are studied byengineers forbiomimicry and bynetwork engineers for more efficient networking. It is not known clearly how ants manage to avoid congestions and how they optimize their movements to move in most efficient ways without a central authority that would send out orders. There already have been many applications in structure design and networking that have been developed from studying ants, but the efficiency of human-created systems is still not close to the efficiency of ant colonies. Furthermore, there are efforts to use ant algorithms and the behavioral strategies of ants in modern management.[3]
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