Population Studies of Two Species of Ants, Leptothorax Longispinosus Roger and Leptothorax Curvispinosus Mayr

Population studies of social insects, while on the increase, are still in the beginning stages. Possible reasons for this lack of study are: (1) taxonomic and economic studies have dominated the field, (2) there is lack of interest in population problems by those who have the necessary background knowledge of social insects, and (3) there are difficulties in controlling the environment of social insects in such a way that successful laboratory studies may be made upon them. However, social insects are valuable for population studies because of the fact that each colony is a closed unit of society which shows all the phases of population phenomena of incipiency, growth, and decline. Moreover these populations are stable units of a restricted environment, because each centers around a nest which is usually maintained in one particular spot throughout the life of the colony. Ants are favorable social insects for population studies because they are so abundant, so numerous in varieties, and so varied in habitat.