Question

from adventures among ants
weaver ant nests are most common in the outer, often uppermost, sunlit branches of trees. the site of energy influx and photosynthesis, this shell of greenery is where most biological action in forests takes place and thus where the majority of resources sought by the ants accumulate. there the ants bind adjacent living leaves into a kind of arboreal tent. ranging from the size of a baseball to the size of a volleyball but weighing not much more than an inflated balloon, the nests look frail, but they shelter the ants from wind, rain and rivals. transpiration from their leaf walls creates a built - in hvac system providing relatively stable temperature and humidity.
to begin building a nest, a worker pulls at the edge of a leaf, and if shes successful in bending it, nearby ants join her. the workers may stand side by side while gripping the leaf margins, but if the leaves are too far apart, they climb on top of one another and, seizing each other by the waist, form leaf - to - leaf chains that are strong enough to drag the foliage together. within hours, the nearby leaves are drawn tight and aligned in a nest configuration.
the name weaver ant comes from the next step, which involves a kind of child labor. in many ant species, the larvae spin silk cocoons in which they transform into adults. but a weaver ant larva does not make a cocoon. instead, it produces silk at a young age, when still small enough to be held and manipulated by an adult worker. after bearing the larva to the construction site, the worker locates a leaf edge through palpations of her antennae, then lowers the larvas head to it. the larva attaches a silk line to the edge, and the worker then shuttles it back and forth between the leaves like a weaver working a loom, until the foliage is bound by woven sheets. as a finishing touch, the nest is detailed with tidy entries and internal walls and galleries. the nests, i suspect, can last for years: when the leaves
in paragraph 1, the author states that the leaf walls of a weaver ant nest function as a \built - in hvac system\. how does this statement help readers understand the authors viewpoint?

1. by comparing characteristics of the nest to technology developed by humans, the author suggests that weaver ants build impressively ingenious nests.
2. by mentioning a familiar technology while discussing weaver ant nests, the author shows that the methods weaver ants and humans use to control conditions in living spaces are identical.
3. by mentioning the ability to control the temperature inside a nest, the author emphasizes that weaver ants have an extraordinary ability to survive in any type of environment.
4. by comparing nest - building techniques to building - design techniques, the author emphasizes that weaver ants can provide inspiration to humans for the development of new engineering technologies.

Explanation:

The author compares the leaf - walls of weaver ant nests to a human - developed HVAC system. This comparison highlights the ingenuity of weaver ants in building nests that can regulate temperature and humidity, similar to how HVAC systems work. It shows that weaver ants build impressively complex structures.

Answer:

1. By comparing characteristics of the nest to technology developed by humans, the author suggests that weaver ants build impressively ingenious nests.