| publisher=Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)
| access-date=6a de julio 2008}}</ref> Formikoj okupas ampleksan gamon de [[ekologia niĉo|ekologiaj niĉoj]] kaj ekspluatas multajn diferencajn manĝorimedojn kiel rektaj aŭ nerektaj [[herbovorulo]]j, [[predanto]]j kaj [[kadavromanĝanto]]j. MostPlej antformikospecioj speciesestas are omnivorousĉiomanĝantaj [[Ĝeneralistaj kaj specialistaj specioj|generalistsĝeneralistoj]], butsed amalmultaj fewestas arespecialismaj specialist feedersmanĝantoj. TheirIlia ecologicalekologia dominancehegemonio isestas demonstratedmontrita byper theirilia [[biomassBiomaso (ecologyekologio)|biomassbiomaso]]: antsoni areĉirkaŭkalkulas, estimatedke tofomikoj contributeestas 15–20 % (onaveraĝe average andkaj nearlypreskaŭ 25% inen the tropicstropikoj) ofde terrestrialsurtera animalanimala biomassbiomaso, exceeding thatsuper oftiu thede [[vertebratevertebruloj]]s.<ref name="schultz">{{cite journal | vauthors = Schultz TR | title = In search of ant ancestors | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 97 | issue = 26 | pages = 14028–9 | date = December 2000 | pmid = 11106367 | pmc = 34089 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.011513798| bibcode = 2000PNAS...9714028S }}</ref>
AntsFormikoj rangegamas inlaŭ sizegrando fromel {{convert|0.75|to(-)| al 52| mm|sigfig=2}},<ref name = AntsDorylusWilverthaiQueen >Hölldobler & Wilson (1990), p. 589</ref><ref name = OligomyrmexMinor>{{Cite book | author = Shattuck SO | title = Australian ants: their biology and identification | year = 1999 | publisher = CSIRO | location = Collingwood, Vic | isbn = 978-0-643-06659-5 | page = 149 }}</ref> thekaj largestla speciesplej beinggranda thespecio fossilestus la fosilia ''[[Titanomyrma|Titanomyrma giganteum]]'', thekies queenreĝino ofestis which6 was {{convert|6|cm|in}}longlonga withkun aflugilenverguro wingspande of15 {{convert|15|cm|in}}.<ref name="Messel">{{cite journal|journal=Encyclopedia of Life Sciences|author=Schaal, Stephan|date=2727a de Januaryjanuaro 2006|doi=10.1038/npg.els.0004143|title=Messel|isbn=978-0-470-01617-6}}</ref> Ants vary in colour; most ants are red or black, but a few species are green and some tropical species have a metallic [[Lustre (mineralogy)|lustre]]. More than 12,000 species are currently known (with upper estimates of the potential existence of about 22,000) (see the article [[List of ant genera (alphabetical)|List of ant genera]]), with the greatest diversity in the tropics. Taxonomic studies continue to resolve the classification and systematics of ants. Online databases of ant species, including [http://antbase.org/ AntBase] and the [https://hns.osu.edu/ Hymenoptera Name Server], help to keep track of the known and newly described species.<ref>{{cite web | veditors = Agosti D, Johnson NF | year=2005 | title=Antbase | url=http://www.antbase.org/ | publisher=American Museum of Natural History | access-date=6 July 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080811000511/http://antbase.org/| archive-date= 11 August 2008| url-status= live}}</ref> The relative ease with which ants may be sampled and studied in [[ecosystem]]s has made them useful as [[indicator species]] in [[biodiversity]] studies.<ref>{{cite book | veditors = Agosti D, Majer JD, Alonso JE, Schultz TR | year = 2000 | title = Ants: Standard methods for measuring and monitoring biodiversity | publisher = [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian Institution Press]] | url = http://antbase.org/databases/publications_files/publications_20330.htm | access-date = 2015-12-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/hymenoptera/nomenclator.home_page | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127143848/http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/hymenoptera/nomenclator.home_page | url-status = dead | archive-date = 27 January 2016 | title = Hymenoptera name server | publisher = [[Ohio State University]] | vauthors = Johnson NF | year = 2007 | access-date = 6 July 2008 }}</ref>
