Insectarium of Victoria, Victorian Institute of Invertebrate Sciences Research, Ecology of Ants, Arthropods, Bugs, Insects, Arachnids, entomology, Conservation. Ecology of Ants. The diversity and abundance of the formicidae in Australia impacts upon the distribution of other invertebrate species in terrestrial environments. Ants are found in numerous habitats such as soil, under stones, hollow branches and numerous cryptic species inhabit forest leaf litter. The formicidae have a unique ability in exploiting habitat resources and provide an ideal assessment method for environmental monitoring.
Males die shortly afterwards.
The fertilised queen then begins constructing the underground nesting chamber where the first batches of eggs are produced. Once the first brood appears, the queen may feed developing larvae on nutrients stored in her own body as in most Camponotus species, or they may forage in the open for suitable prey as in the Myrmecia . The success of colony establishment is dependant on the ability of the queen to locate and capture prey successfully. As the first brood mature, foraging and nest expansion is undertaken by the worker caste leaving the queen to devote her remaining life to egg production. Some species may also have intermediate castes as found in the genera Rhytidoponera as well as other ants of the Ponerine group, with differentiated queens being replaced by mated workers.