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Myrmecology ( /mɜrmɨˈkɒlədʒi/; from Greek: μύρμηξ, myrmex, "ant" and λόγος, logos, "study") is the scientific study of ants, a branch of entomology. Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and sought to find solutions to human problems by studying them. Ants continue to be a model of choice for the study of questions on the evolution of social systems because of their complex and varied forms of eusociality. Their diversity and prominence in ecosystems has also made them important components in the study of biodiversity and conservation.
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The word myrmecology was coined by William Morton Wheeler (1865–1937) although human interest in the life of ants goes back further with numerous ancient folk references. The earliest scientific thinking based on observation of ant life was that of Auguste Forel (1848–1931), a Swiss psychologist who was initially interested in ideas of instinct, learning and society. In 1874 he wrote a book on the ants of Switzerland, Les fourmis de la Suisse and he named his home as La Fourmilière (the ant colony). Forel's early studies included attempts to mix species of ants in a colony. He noted polydomy and monodomy in ants and compared them with the structure of nations.[1]
Wheeler looked at ants in a new light, in terms of the social organization and in 1910 he delivered a lecture at Woods Hole on the “The Ant-Colony as an Organism,” which pioneered the idea of superorganisms. Wheeler considered trophallaxis or the sharing of food within the colony as the core of ant society. This was studied using a dye in the food and observing how it spread in the colony.[1]
Some like Horace Donisthorpe worked on the systematics of ants. This tradition continued in many parts of the world until advances in other aspects of biology were made. The advent of genetics, ideas in ethology and its evolution led to new thought. This line of enquiry was pioneered by E. O. Wilson who founded the field termed as sociobiology.[1]
Note: Names are listed alphabetically.