Florida State to test evolution theory on fire ants.

Publication: Tallahassee Democrat (Tallahassee, Fla.) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Tallahassee Democrat

Byline: Bruce Ritchie

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Walter R. Tschinkel is out standing in his field of fire-ant research.

Tschinkel (pronounced "CHINK-ehl"), a professor of biological sciences at Florida State University, is leading a team of researchers who are studying fire ants in a pasture at SouthWood, Fla.

They are testing part of the theory of evolution, which describes how populations evolve. The theory suggests that traits that help populations survive or reproduce are more likely to be passed along to the next generation.

Tschinkel is trying to understand and prove how the theory applies to social-insect colonies, including fire ants.

Thousands of individual "workers" are sterile, so their traits are not passed on directly. Yet fire-ant...

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