ANT
LEADERSHIP

Topics: Church; Community; Cooperation; Discipleship; Family; Growth; Leadership; Mentoring; Patience; Results; Sacrifice; Sanctification; Teaching; Training; Unselfishness

References: Romans 12:1–8; Ephesians 4:1–7; Colossians 3:12–17

Worker ants sacrifice time and efficiency to teach other ants how to find food, which benefits their society as a whole.

There’s more. According to research published in January 2006, when a female ant of the species Temnothorax albipennis goes out to find food, she will often choose another ant to accompany her. If the second ant doesn’t know the way to the food source, the leader will teach her through a process called “tandem running.” As the teacher runs along the path to food, the student follows behind, often stopping to locate landmarks. That creates a gap between the leader and student. When ready, the student will run forward and tap the teacher on the back legs.

Ants participating in tandem running located a food source in an average of 201 seconds, while ants searching for food on their own took an average of 310 seconds (a 35 percent difference). However, the process is detrimental to the teachers. Research indicated that the lead ants traveled up to four times faster when not accompanied by a student.

So why do leaders sacrifice their time and efficiency to teach others? According to Nigel Franks, study leader, “They are very closely related nest mates, and their society as a whole will benefit.” This occurs as the students gradually learn their way and are able to teach other ants, which increases the efficiency of the entire population.

—Bjorn Carey, “Ant School: The First Formal Classroom Found in Nature,” FoxNews.com (January 13, 2006)