Environment

Wednesday, August 8 2012

Ants behaviour.- A team of European researchers have discovered that ants take their community spirit to the extent when one of them suffers an injury. Then, the other members of the community reinforce the immune system of the injured member by licking the injury.

Scientists believe that components in the saliva of the ants protect the body against possible infections. The findings have been published in the prestigious magazine “PLoS Biology” and the article explains how saliva protects the immune system of the ants.

The study, led by Dr. Matthias Konrad from the Science and Technology Institute in Austria, also explains how healthy ants lick other members of the community when believing that they have entered into contact with infectious fungus. Experts realised how this behaviour of the ants, reduces significantly the infection.