The document describes an experiment conducted to observe how ants communicate. The experiment involved placing sugar in two boxes connected by transparent pipes, one pipe shorter than the other. Observations showed that initially ants took the longer path but after one ant returned, more took the shorter path, indicating ants communicate by releasing pheromones that guide other ants. After 30 minutes, most ants used the shorter path where more pheromones were deposited, showing ants can find efficient paths through pheromone communication.

2. The Group Members
• Utkarsh Kumar– GROUPLEADER
• ShubhamSuday
• Mohit Singhania
• Roshan
• RamnikUjjwal
• Nikhil singh

3. Index
• Introduction
• Ants
• Pheromone
• Experiment (Materials Required)
• Preparation
• Experiment
• Observation
• Conclusion
• Relation with biodiversity.

4. Introduction
• Ants are very humanlike creatures, like us,
they live in colonies (societies) , hunt
together for food ,protect their homes
from enemies , mate and also
communicate .
• This communication makes it possible for
them to live together and is probably the
reason why they flourish all over the earth.
• We decided to do an experiment to find
out whether and how ants communicate.

5. MATERIALS
REQUIRED
Transparent Pipes Transparent Sheet
Shoebox
Sugar
Small Cardboard box
Chart Paper

6. Preparation
• The shoebox was taken and two
holes were made in it, near the
bottom.
• The same was repeated for the
butter box
• The top of each of the boxes was
removed and a plastic sheet was
stuck on top.

7. • The pipe was cut into two halves , one
longer and the other shorter.
• Both the boxes were placed some
distance apart and the shorter pipe
was placed in a straight line to one
hole on each box.
• The longer pipe was placed in a zigzag
manner to the remaining hole in the
boxes.
• The bottom of the boxes was covered
with white chart paper.

8. Experiment
• Sugar was placed in both the boxes.
• Ants were then released in the bigger box.
• Then the behaviour of the ant were observed.
• The experiment was repeated several times
with the following changes :-
1. All old ants were removed and new ones were
introduced
2. The entire apparatus was shifted to a new area, also
the air was sucked out through a vaccum cleaner

9. TIME OBSERVATION INFERENCE
2 sec. There was one ant going
by each pipe.
Both the ants sensed
the food and travelled
to the food
30 sec. The ant from the shorter
pipe reaches the food
faster while the other ant
is still mid-way.
The first ant took the
shorter path.
1 min. The second ant reaches
the other end which took
the longer path while the
other ant had reached
back. Till now equal ants
were going by both ants.
This shows that ants
are not able to find
the shorter path until
an ant had returned
back .

10. TIME OBSERVATION INFERENCE
2-5 min. Now ant are travelling by both
paths.
This shows that ant
release pheromone while
coming back.
30 min. Most of the ants travel through
the shorter path.
There was more
pheromone on the shorter
path.
1 hr. The number of ants travelling
the shorter path was 18 times
the number of the ants
travelling by the longer path.
This was because less
pheromone was released
in the second path
became weaker while it
became stronger in the
longer path. Any ant will
take the shorter path ,as it
knows that the shorter
pipe is safe and short.

11. Conclusion
• Ants must release some substance
to communicate with each other as
one ant does not have to be
present for it to communicate with
the first ant.
• This substance must be transmitted
via the ground as change in
surroundings do not affect it.

12. • Ants are insects belonging to the family Formicidae.
• They are between 110 to 130 million years old
• Their body is divided into head, alitrunk , petiole and
gastor.
• They are found in all parts of the world excluding
Antarctica and a few remote places.
• They are 22,000 species of ants and they form 12 % of
the planet’s total animals
• Ants have division of labour among them – workers.
soldiers. drones queens etc.
Ants are truly amazing creatures .Don’t you
agree?

13. • Ants communicate using pheromones. Pheromone come
from the Greek word “phero” meaning “to bear” and
hormone.
• Pheromone is a secreted or an excreted chemical that
causes a social response among members of the same
species.
• These pheromones are sensed by the thin, wiry
projections on the heads of the ants called antennae.
• There are several different types of pheromone:
– Pheromone used for finding where food is located
– Propaganda pheromone which confuses ants of other colonies
– Attack pheromone which is released by dying ants , causing
others ants to go into a frenzy.

14. CONNECTION WITHBIODIVERSITY
• Ants may seem like alien creatures with their
antennae and strange eyes.
• But through this experiment we came to know
that they are very simmilar to us .
• Like us they communicate. This shows the
power of evolution even though we my look
very different, we all share the same basic
set of features.
• Now before killing any animal , however small
it may be ask yourself “Will you kill a fellow
human if it were in place of this insect ?”

15. BE THE CHANGE YOU
WISH TO SEE IN THE
WORLD !!!