A Review of Ant Nests and Their Implications for Architecture

Yang, Guanghong; Zhou, Wei; Qu, Wenjun; Yao, Wu; Zhu, Pinghua; Xu, Jing

doi:10.3390/buildings12122225

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This technique allows conclusions to be drawn at the scale of human underground excavations, and it is a first-class analogue experimental solution without the need for complicated apparatus and analogue sandboxes [60]. The size of the ant colonies (relative to their size) exceeds even the deepest excavations, such as in the example of the Pyhiisalmi Mine in Finland, which is the deepest metal mine in Europe, with a depth of 1444 m [61]; and the Mponeng gold mine in South Africa [62], which has reached depths of over 3.6 km and is shown in comparison to the mold of an ant colony [4] in Figure 10b. [4] with Europe's deepest copper Pyhiisalmi Mine [61] and the world's deepest underground gold mine in South Africa [62].…”

Section: Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, they build underground tunnels and mounds, pattern the ground, contribute to bioturbation, modify the qualities of the soil (such as infiltration rate) and vegetation cover, and impact runoff and erosion [1]. The benefits to humans of coexisting with ants are well known; from improving soil and ecosystems' health [2,3] to the architectural design of buildings [4], and solving complex engineering problems by mimicking ant behavior. Living with ants has inspired humans over the centuries, creating myths such as Herodotus' golden ant.…”

Section: Introduction 1the Importance Of Ants For Human Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Smallest “Miner” of the Animal Kingdom and Its Importance for Raw Materials Exploitation

Xiroudakis,

Saratsis,

Manoutsoglou

2024

Mining

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The mining industry is the leading supplier of raw materials in modern society. This sector of human activity has experienced a severe crisis due to the energy transition and has been revived in recent years due to the need for critical metals that are essential in the post-coal era. In underground and open pit mining, processes such as extraction, transportation, safety, underground ventilation, waste management, and rehabilitation are of major importance, and their “design” is critical to the economic survival of the mine. All the above processes required to operate a mine are strongly reminiscent of an example of nature’s workman: the ant. The sympatric insect uses the same processes as the ones aforementioned during the creation of its nest. The ants dig to “extract material from the ground”, and they transport this material from the nest‘s site to the waste deposition location. The ants ensure the safety of the underground opening and the proper ventilation needed for them to live there for a long time. This article attempts to identify the relations between all the above processes and sub-processes, and how human mining and ant colony development correlate with each other. Furthermore, we examine how an ant colony has aided in the development of mining technology, and what more humans can learn and adopt from a “miner” that is 66 million years old, in order to improve their processes.

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Section: Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction 1the Importance Of Ants For Human Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Smallest “Miner” of the Animal Kingdom and Its Importance for Raw Materials Exploitation

Xiroudakis,

Saratsis,

Manoutsoglou

2024

Mining

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“…This fact is the basis of the trend known as bionics and has been the subject of numerous studies over the years. [2][3][4] The works on the study of multiscale structures in this field deserve special attention. They constitute a complicated and multi-faceted answer to the problem of multi-criteria optimization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This fact is the basis of the trend known as bionics and has been the subject of numerous studies over the years. 2–4…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization on compressive strength of sandwich plates with internal arborescent microstructure

Wirowski,

Kowalczyk

2023

Jnl of Sandwich Structures & Materials

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The subject of this work is the optimization of a topology for sandwich plates with an internal arborescent microstructure. Here, we propose a parametric approach to the optimization using visual programming methods in the Dynamo Sandbox environment. An internal structure of the sandwich plate was optimized in terms of minimizing the weight of the entire structure in relation to the compressive strength. Several variable parameters in the optimization process were applied: lengths of individual tree levels, their cross-sections and locations of nodes. To validate obtained results of the optimization process, a 3D model of the plate was printed and tested on compressive strength. The results were also analysed and compared with other authors’ research.

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“…The issue also showcases how some of the novel techniques outlined above are transforming our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nests [ 18 , 22 , 23 ]. Further, the papers within the issue will also have implications for concepts such as nest-inspired architecture—a phenomenon exemplified by the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the ‘Bird's Nest', which hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games—which has recently gained momentum [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach

Mainwaring

Stoddard

Barber

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Nests, including the enormous structures housing colonies of eusocial insects and the elaborately built nests of some fishes, have long fascinated scientists, yet our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nests has lagged behind our understanding of subsequent reproductive stages. There has, however, been a burgeoning amount of interest in nests over the past decade, and this special issue on ‘The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach' outlines our understanding of the form and function of nests in diverse animal lineages. Papers in ‘The function of nests: mechanisms and adaptive benefits' theme examine the various functions of nests, while papers in ‘The evolution of nest characteristics' theme examine the evolution of nesting behaviours. Meanwhile, papers in the ‘Large communal nests in harsh environments' theme examine how the enormous structures constructed by eusocial insects and social birds enable them to inhabit harsh arid environments, whereas papers in the ‘Nests in the Anthropocene' theme examine how adaptive shifts in nest architecture allow animals to adapt to breed in the age of accelerating global human impacts. Finally, the synthesis outlines how the mixture of ideas and approaches from researchers studying different taxa will advance our understanding of this exciting field of research. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach’.

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A Review of Ant Nests and Their Implications for Architecture

Cited by 8 publications

References 70 publications

The Smallest “Miner” of the Animal Kingdom and Its Importance for Raw Materials Exploitation

The Smallest “Miner” of the Animal Kingdom and Its Importance for Raw Materials Exploitation

Optimization on compressive strength of sandwich plates with internal arborescent microstructure

The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach

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