The Leafcutter Ants Civilization by Instinct

by ;
Edition: 00
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2010-11-15
Publisher(s): W. W. Norton & Company
List Price: $21.28

Buy New

Usually Ships in 5-7 Business Days
$21.26

Buy Used

Usually Ships in 24-48 Hours
$15.96

Rent Textbook

Select for Price
There was a problem. Please try again later.

Rent Digital

Rent Digital Options
Online:180 Days access
Downloadable:180 Days
$23.94
Online:1825 Days access
Downloadable:Lifetime Access
$22.74
$23.94

How Marketplace Works:

  • This item is offered by an independent seller and not shipped from our warehouse
  • Item details like edition and cover design may differ from our description; see seller's comments before ordering.
  • Sellers much confirm and ship within two business days; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and refunded.
  • Marketplace purchases cannot be returned to eCampus.com. Contact the seller directly for inquiries; if no response within two days, contact customer service.
  • Additional shipping costs apply to Marketplace purchases. Review shipping costs at checkout.

Customer Reviews

Excellent overview  March 27, 2011
by
Rating StarRating StarRating StarRating StarRating Star

This little book is a very readable overview of leafcutter ant natural history and biology. It contains fascinating information that will interest the layman as well as the professional entomologist. The photos and drawings alone provide a great deal of insight into the organization and behavior of these wonderful insects.






The Leafcutter Ants Civilization by Instinct: 5 out of 5 stars based on 1 user reviews.

Summary

The Leafcutter Ants is the most detailed and authoritative description of any ant species ever produced. With a text suitable for both a lay and a scientific audience, this textbook provides an unforgettable tour of Earth's most evolved animal societies. Each colony of leafcutters contains as many as five million workers, all the daughters of a single queen that can live over a decade. A gigantic nest can stretch thirty feet across, rise five feet or more above the ground, and consist of hundreds of chambers that reach twenty-five feet below the ground surface. Indeed, the leafcutters have parlayed their instinctive civilization into a virtual domination of forest, grassland, and cropland-from Louisiana to Patagonia. Inspired by a section of the authors' acclaimed The Superorganism , this brilliantly illustrated work provides the ultimate explanation of what a social order with a half-billion years of animal evolution has achieved.

About the Author

Bert Hölldobler (born 25 June 1936) is a German behavioral biologist and Sociobiologist whose primary study subjects are social insects and in particular ants. He is a co-winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work on The Ants (1991) with Edward O. Wilson. In 1990, he received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, which is the highest honor awarded in German research. He also collaborated with Wilson to write Journey to the Ants (1994). In 2008 he and Wilson co-authored their third book about superorganisms. He holds positions at the University of Würzburg and Arizona State University where he is a Foundation Professor in the School of Life Sciences.

Author Biography

Bert Hlldobler is foundation professor at Arizona state university and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize and the Pulitzer. He lives in Arizona and Germany. Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard university professor for nearly five decades, is the author of more than twenty books and the recipient of two Pulitzer prizes and the national medal of science. He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

List of illustrationsp. ix
Prologuep. 1
The Ultimate Superorganismsp. 5
The Attine Breakthroughp. 11
The Ascent of the Leafcuttersp. 31
Life Cycle of the Leafcutter Antsp. 33
The Atta Caste Systemp. 51
Harvesting Vegetationp. 59
Communication in Attap. 77
The Ant-Fungus Mutualismp. 89
Hygiene in the Symbiosisp. 95
Waste Managementp. 107
Agropredators and Agroparasitesp. 111
Lcafcutcer Nestsp. 115
Trails and Trunk Routesp. 123
Acknowledgmentsp. 129
Glossaryp. 131
Referencesp. 139
Indexp. 155
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.

This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.

By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.

Digital License

You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.

More details can be found here.

A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.

Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.

Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.