Harvester ant
A seed-collecting ant that gathers and stores seeds for food. Harvester ants include species in genera such as Pogonomyrmex and Messor.
Seed dispersal: The movement of seeds away from their parent plants by animals, wind, water, or other means. Harvesting can move seeds into nests, where some remain uneaten and may germinate.
Myrmecochory: Seed dispersal by ants, often involving seeds with nutrient-rich appendages that attract them. It contrasts with seed harvesting: ants disperse myrmecochorous seeds rather than consume them as food.
Formicidae: The family of insects known as ants, distinguished by social organization and a narrow waist. Harvester ants are members of this family, whose shared traits identify them as ants.
Leafcutter ant: An ant that cuts fresh vegetation and uses it to cultivate a fungus for food. Leafcutters harvest plant material to grow food, rather than storing seeds as their main resource.
Ant colony: A social unit of ants consisting of a reproductive queen or queens, workers, and developing young. Foraging and seed storage are organized around the colony’s shared food supply.
Granivory: The consumption of seeds by animals. Harvester ants are conspicuous granivores whose foraging can affect seed availability.
Pogonomyrmex: A genus of ants in the Americas that includes many seed-harvesting species. This is one of the principal genera associated with the name harvester ant.
Army ant: A nomadic ant whose colonies conduct coordinated raids on other arthropods. Army ants forage in mobile raiding columns rather than gathering seed stores.
Ant mandible: A paired jaw structure used by ants for tasks such as carrying, cutting, and manipulating objects. Workers use their mandibles to carry seeds and process them inside the nest.
Seed bank: A reserve of viable seeds stored in soil or another location for future germination. Ant nests can concentrate seeds, though storage does not always preserve them for germination.