Download or read book The Ants of Southern Australia written by Alan Neil Andersen and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 1991 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ants are among Australia's most familiar and conspicuous insect groups, and play many vital roles in the functioning of our ecosystems. Their activities influence soil structure, accelerate nutrient-cycling and affect plant growth and reproduction. They interact with other arthropods and are prey to a variety of reptiles, birds and mammals. However, despite their importance, little is known about the biology of Australia's exceptionally rich ant fauna, and hundreds of species remain unnamed. Few people are able to identify even the most common genera due to the shortage of popular guides.