{Cambridge IELTS Reading Ant Intelligence}

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Ant Intelligence: How Ants Can Teach Us About Cognition and Communication

Ants are among the most successful and abundant animals on Earth. They have colonized almost every habitat and have evolved complex social systems. But how intelligent are they And what can we learn from them about cognition and communication

In this article, we will explore some of the fascinating aspects of ant intelligence, based on the reading passage \"Ant Intelligence\" from the IELTS Cambridge 7 Test 3. We will see how ants use chemical signals, navigate by landmarks and celestial cues, farm fungi and aphids, and adapt to changing environments. We will also compare and contrast ant intelligence with human intelligence, and discuss the implications for our understanding of animal cognition.

Chemical Communication

One of the most remarkable features of ant society is their use of chemical signals to communicate with each other. Ants secrete pheromones from various glands in their bodies, which convey information about their identity, status, location, direction, and mood. For example, ants can mark trails to food sources, recruit nestmates to defend against intruders, or signal alarm and confusion in case of attack.

According to the reading passage, such chemical communication can be compared to the human use of visual and auditory channels (as in religious chants, advertising images and jingles, political slogans and martial music) to arouse and propagate moods and attitudes. However, there is a fundamental difference between ant and human communication: in ants, everything must be encoded in the genes, whereas in humans, only basic instincts are carried in the genes, while other skills are learned from others in the community as the child grows up. This means that ant communication is more fixed and innate, while human communication is more flexible and cultural.

Navigation

Another aspect of ant intelligence is their ability to navigate in complex environments. Ants can find their way back to their nests by using various cues, such as landmarks, sun position, polarized light patterns, and path integration. Path integration is a process by which ants keep track of their distance and direction from the nest by counting their steps and using an internal compass.

The reading passage mentions a study by Rudiger Wehner and his colleagues at the University of Zurich, who showed that some desert ants can use path integration to return to their nests after foraging for food. They also found that these ants can correct for errors in their calculations by using landmarks as backup cues. This suggests that ants have a sophisticated spatial memory and can integrate multiple sources of information to orient themselves.

Farming

Perhaps one of the most impressive examples of ant intelligence is their farming behavior. Ants were farmers fifty million years before humans were. Ants can't digest the cellulose in leaves - but some fungi can. The ants therefore cultivate these fungi in their nests , bringing them leaves to feed on, and then use them as a source of food. Farmer ants secrete antibiotics to control other fungi that might act as 'weedsâ, and spread waste to fertilise the crop.

The reading passage also mentions that some ants raise aphids as livestock. Aphids are insects that suck sap from plants and produce a sugary substance called honeydew. Ants protect aphids from predators and parasites, and collect honeydew from them as food. In return, aphids benefit from the ants' defense and transportation.

It was once thought that the fungus that ants cultivate was a single type that they had propagated, essentially unchanged from the distant past. However, recent evidence suggests that ants are continually domesticating new species of fungi, which indicates that they are able to adapt to changing conditions and preferences.

Comparison with Human Intelligence

How does ant intelligence compare with human intelligence The reading passage points out some similarities and differences between the two. On one hand, both ants and humans have evolved complex social systems that require coordination and cooperation among individuals. Both ants and humans can store food, repel attackers, exchange information ceaselessly, farm crops and animals, and use tools. Both ants and humans can also learn from experience and adjust their behavior accordingly.

On the other hand, there are also significant differences between ant and human intelligence. Ants lack individuality and creativity; aa16f39245