I found this article on the Internet dealing with Nasa's experiments with Pogonomyrmex occidentalis in space.
www.starsacademy.com/sts107/experiments/ants_top.htm
It's pretty cool, but what got me really excited was the setup they are using to keep the ants in!! The ants tunnel in a transparent agar-based gel that provides a combination of sucrose, amino acids, other nutrients, and water. Inhibitors are also present in the gel that control fungal growth.
This PDF goes into more detail about the experiment
www.paragonsdc.com/1A2Anew01ICES-252.pdf
and actually outlines the basic design of the enclosure.
I'm pretty excited about this! Does anyone have any experience or comments about using agar as a substrate? It seems like you'd have some of the visual benefit of a plaster nest but allow the ants to retain their tunneling behavior. There's also the added plus of not have to worry about fungal growth and vibrations don't ruin the
tunnels (which made the setup a great choice for a space mission). I had some concerns that this type of setup would only be good for a short term experiment like this one, but it mentions on the PDF that a queenless colony has been surviving for eight months and is still alive.
The PDF mentions the company name that supplies the gel Plant Technologies, INC. out of New Jersey but I couldn't really find them on the Internet. I wonder if you'd be able to order gel or get detailed instructions on the recipe. At any rate I'll probably experiment on my own with some agar.
I would really appreciate everyone's input on this! I'm excited to experiment with it.
[revised the title...ZA]
www.starsacademy.com/sts107/experiments/ants_top.htm
It's pretty cool, but what got me really excited was the setup they are using to keep the ants in!! The ants tunnel in a transparent agar-based gel that provides a combination of sucrose, amino acids, other nutrients, and water. Inhibitors are also present in the gel that control fungal growth.
This PDF goes into more detail about the experiment
www.paragonsdc.com/1A2Anew01ICES-252.pdf
and actually outlines the basic design of the enclosure.
I'm pretty excited about this! Does anyone have any experience or comments about using agar as a substrate? It seems like you'd have some of the visual benefit of a plaster nest but allow the ants to retain their tunneling behavior. There's also the added plus of not have to worry about fungal growth and vibrations don't ruin the
tunnels (which made the setup a great choice for a space mission). I had some concerns that this type of setup would only be good for a short term experiment like this one, but it mentions on the PDF that a queenless colony has been surviving for eight months and is still alive.
The PDF mentions the company name that supplies the gel Plant Technologies, INC. out of New Jersey but I couldn't really find them on the Internet. I wonder if you'd be able to order gel or get detailed instructions on the recipe. At any rate I'll probably experiment on my own with some agar.
I would really appreciate everyone's input on this! I'm excited to experiment with it.
[revised the title...ZA]
