School of Ants

• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Atlas of Living Australia
• Subjects: Argentine; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://researchdata.edu.au/school-ants/670263

Ants are deeply embedded in the Australian psyche. Whether you are aware of it or not, you encounter ants pretty much every day of your life in Australia. School of Ants Australia aims to document the diversity, distribution and diet preferences of Australia’s dominant ground foraging ants; those ubiquitous little black ants that infiltrate homes, backyards, parks and schools. Uncover a world of ants at your own feet, in your backyard, school or park. By becoming a citizen scientist you can help us locate damaging invasive species, compare and contrast species of common little black ants across the country, and add important records to our understanding of ant biodiversity. Records like this are crucial in our understanding of how the ranges of organisms change with our changing climate and landscapes. Ants are ubiquitous in Australia. They occupy every habitat and landscape across all States and Territories (excluding Antarctica). Their sensitivity to disturbances of many sorts means they can be used as bioindicators of landscape health, reforestation and mine site recovery. They are important predators, pest controllers and soil engineers, but can also become pests themselves. Ants also move around with humans all the time, so finding out what ants are where can help us pinpoint problem ants before they cause problems for humans, our environment or agriculture in Australia. The Red Imported Fire Ant, the Yellow Crazy Ant, Electric Ant and the Argentine Ant are examples of introduced ants that have become problematic.