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Encounters Between Colonies And The Behavioral Ecology Of Seed Harvesting Ants
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Book Synopsis Encounters Between Colonies and the Behavioral Ecology of Seed-harvesting Ants by : Mark Jason Freeland Brown
Download or read book Encounters Between Colonies and the Behavioral Ecology of Seed-harvesting Ants written by Mark Jason Freeland Brown and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Ant Encounters by : Deborah M. Gordon
Download or read book Ant Encounters written by Deborah M. Gordon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-03-22 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do ant colonies get anything done, when no one is in charge? An ant colony operates without a central control or hierarchy, and no ant directs another. Instead, ants decide what to do based on the rate, rhythm, and pattern of individual encounters and interactions--resulting in a dynamic network that coordinates the functions of the colony. Ant Encounters provides a revealing and accessible look into ant behavior from this complex systems perspective. Focusing on the moment-to-moment behavior of ant colonies, Deborah Gordon investigates the role of interaction networks in regulating colony behavior and relations among ant colonies. She shows how ant behavior within and between colonies arises from local interactions of individuals, and how interaction networks develop as a colony grows older and larger. The more rapidly ants react to their encounters, the more sensitively the entire colony responds to changing conditions. Gordon explores whether such reactive networks help a colony to survive and reproduce, how natural selection shapes colony networks, and how these structures compare to other analogous complex systems. Ant Encounters sheds light on the organizational behavior, ecology, and evolution of these diverse and ubiquitous social insects.
Book Synopsis From Colonies to Communities by : Nathan James Sanders
Download or read book From Colonies to Communities written by Nathan James Sanders and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis The Behavioural Ecology of Ants by : J.H. Sudd
Download or read book The Behavioural Ecology of Ants written by J.H. Sudd and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is concerned with two problems: how eusociality, in which one individual forgoes reproduction to enhance the reproduction of a nestmate, could evolve under natural selection, and why it is found only in some insects-termites, ants and some bees and wasps. Although eusociality is apparently confined to insects, it has evolved a number of times in a single order of insects, the Hymenoptera. W. Hamilton's hypothesis, that the unusual haplodiploid mechanism of sex determination in the Hymenoptera singled this order out, still seems to have great explanatory power in the study of social ants. We believe that the direction, indeed confinement, of social altruism to close kin is the mainspring of social life in an ant colony, and the alternative explanatory schemes of, for example, parental manipu lation, should rightly be seen to operate within a system based on the selective support of kin. To control the flow of resources within their colony all its members resort to manipulations of their nestmates: parental manipulation of offspring is only one facet of a complex web of manipul ation, exploitation and competition for resources within the colony. The political intrigues extend outside the bounds of the colony, to insects and plants which have mutualistic relations with ants. In eusociality some individuals (sterile workers) do not pass their genes to a new generation directly. Instead, they tend the offspring of a close relation (in the simplest case their mother).
Book Synopsis Social Evolution in Ants by : Andrew F.G. Bourke
Download or read book Social Evolution in Ants written by Andrew F.G. Bourke and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biologists since Darwin have been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues involved in the evolution and ecology of the social behavior of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. In this important new book, Andrew Bourke and Nigel Franks not only present a detailed overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants, but also show how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. One of the substantial contributions of Social Evolution in Ants is its clear explanation of kin selection theory and sex ratio theory and their applications to social evolution in insects. Working to dispel lingering skepticism about the validity of kin selection and, more broadly, of "selfish gene" theory, Bourke and Franks show how these ideas underpin the evolution of both cooperation and conflict within ant societies. In addition, using simple algebra, they provide detailed explanations of key mathematical models. Finally, the authors discuss two relatively little-known topics in ant social biology: life history strategy and mating systems. This comprehensive, up-to-date, and well-referenced work will appeal to all researchers in social insect biology and to scholars and students in the fields of entomology, behavioral ecology, and evolution.
Book Synopsis Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem by : Elena Gorb
Download or read book Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem written by Elena Gorb and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countless ants transport and deposit seeds and thereby influence the survival, death, and evolution of many plant species. In higher plants, seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) has appeared many times independently in different lineages. More than 3000 plant species are known to utilize ant assistance to be planted. Myrmecochory is a very interesting and rather enigmatic form of mutualistic ant-plant associations. This phenomenon is extremely complex, because there are hundreds of ant species connected with hundreds of plant species. This book effectively combines a thorough approach to investigating morphological and physiological adaptations of plants with elegant field experiments on the behaviour of ants. This monograph is a first attempt at collecting information about morphology, ecology and phenology of ants and plants from one ecosystem. The book gives readers a panoramic view of the hidden, poorly-known interrelations not only between pairs of ants and plant species, but also between species communities in the ecosystem. The authors have considered not just one aspect of animal-plant relationships, but have tried to show them in all their complexity. Some aspects of the ant-plant interactions described in the book may be of interest to botanists, others to zoologists or ecologists, but the entire work is an excellent example of the marriage of these biological disciplines.
Book Synopsis Dissertation Abstracts International by :
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 950 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Behavioral, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Variation Among Colonies of the Red Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex Barbatus) by : Daniel Ari Friedman
Download or read book Behavioral, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Variation Among Colonies of the Red Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex Barbatus) written by Daniel Ari Friedman and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social insect colony behavior arises within a specific ecological context from patterns of interactions of nestmates with each other. The neurophysiological basis of behavior in the social insects has primarily been studied in the context of behavioral differences among nestmates, for example between nursing and foraging workers. Many conserved pathways that regulate behavior in other animals, such as the neurohormonal and biogenic amine neurotransmitter signaling pathways, are also involved in generating behavioral variation among social insect nestmates. Less is known from a molecular perspective about how worker neurophysiological variation is associated with colony-level, collective, behaviors. In this thesis, I consider how physiological differences among colonies of the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) are associated with colony behavioral differences, and with the evolution of collective behavior. Chapter 1 uses transcriptomic profiling of forager brains from P. barbatus colonies to explore differences in gene expression between groups of colonies that vary in how they regulate foraging in dry conditions. Forager brains of different colonies significantly varied in brain biogenic amine titers, as well as in the expression of multiple neurophysiological signaling pathways involved in regulating foraging in social and solitary insect species. Pharmacological experiments demonstrated that increases in forager brain dopamine titer resulted in increases in foraging activity, whereas decreases in brain dopamine decreased foraging activity. Chapter 2 investigates the relationship between colony foraging behavior, colony reproductive success, and forager desiccation physiology. Foragers from colonies that reduced foraging activity in dry conditions lose water and motor coordination more rapidly than foragers from colonies that did not reduce foraging in dry conditions. Manipulative experiments in the field show that hydrated foragers go on significantly more foraging trips than their unhydrated nestmates, and that this effect increases in strength as conditions get drier. Chapter 3 uses RNA-seq on single forager brains to investigate how variation in gene expression variation within and among colonies is associated with colony traits and with the degree of protein coding sequence constraint over evolutionary time. Hundreds of genes had expression and coexpression patterns correlated with colony traits. Gene coexpression modules were significantly differentially utilized among colonies, and these modules were enriched in neurophysiologically-relevant functions related to the regulation of biogenic metabolism and signaling. Loci that are more central to coexpression networks tend to be better correlated with colony traits, and are evolving under increased coding sequencing constraint relative to less central loci. Chapter 4 uses pharmacological experiments on individually-marked foragers to characterize how heterogeneity among nestmates in foraging activity was related to the effect of hydration and dopamine treatment on increasing overall foraging trips. The overall stimulatory effect of hydration and dopamine treatment was not due to a small subset of ants. The relationship between humidity and foraging activity was more variable within a day and between colonies, than between different treatment groups.
Book Synopsis Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology by : Leslie Real
Download or read book Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology written by Leslie Real and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1994-11-30 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book-length exploration of behavioral mechanisms in evolutionary ecology, this ambitious volume illuminates long-standing questions about cause-and-effect relations between an animal's behavior and its environment. By focusing on biological mechanisms—the sum of an animal's cognitive, neural, developmental, and hormonal processes—leading researchers demonstrate how the integrated study of animal physiology, cognitive processes, and social interaction can yield an enriched understanding of behavior. With studies of species ranging from insects to primates, the contributors examine how various animals identify and use environmental resources and deal with ecological constraints, as well as the roles of learning, communication, and cognitive aspects of social interaction in behavioral evolution. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate how the study of internal mechanistic foundations of behavior in relation to their ecological and evolutionary contexts and outcomes provides valuable insight into such behaviors as predation, mating, and dispersal. Behavioral Mechanisms in Evolutionary Ecology shows how a mechanistic approach unites various levels of biological organization to provide a broader understanding of the biological bases of behavioral evolution.
Download or read book Ants at Work written by Deborah Gordon and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2000 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ants have long been regarded as the most interesting of the social insects. With their queens and celibate workers, these intriguing creatures have captured the imaginations of scientists and children alike for generations. Yet until now, no one had studied intensely the life cycle of the ant colony as a whole. An ant colony has a life cycle of about fifteen years--it is born, matures, and dies. But the individual ants that inhabit the colony live only one year. So how does this system of tunnels and caves in the dirt become so much more than the sum of its parts?Leading ant researcher Deborah Gordon takes the reader to the Arizona desert to explore this question. The answer involves the emerging insights of the new science of complexity, and contributes to understanding the evolution of life itself.
Book Synopsis Cycles of Contingency by : Susan Oyama
Download or read book Cycles of Contingency written by Susan Oyama and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2003-01-24 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nature/nurture debate is not dead. Dichotomous views of development still underlie many fundamental debates in the biological and social sciences. Developmental systems theory (DST) offers a new conceptual framework with which to resolve such debates. DST views ontogeny as contingent cycles of interaction among a varied set of developmental resources, no one of which controls the process. These factors include DNA, cellular and organismic structure, and social and ecological interactions. DST has excited interest from a wide range of researchers, from molecular biologists to anthropologists, because of its ability to integrate evolutionary theory and other disciplines without falling into traditional oppositions.The book provides historical background to DST, recent theoretical findings on the mechanisms of heredity, applications of the DST framework to behavioral development, implications of DST for the philosophy of biology, and critical reactions to DST.
Book Synopsis In Defense of Plants by : Matt Candeias
Download or read book In Defense of Plants written by Matt Candeias and published by Mango Media Inc.. This book was released on 2021-03-16 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Study of Plants in a Whole New Light “Matt Candeias succeeds in evoking the wonder of plants with wit and wisdom.” ―James T. Costa, PhD, executive director, Highlands Biological Station and author of Darwin's Backyard #1 New Release in Nature & Ecology, Plants, Botany, Horticulture, Trees, Biological Sciences, and Nature Writing & Essays In his debut book, internationally-recognized blogger and podcaster Matt Candeias celebrates the nature of plants and the extraordinary world of plant organisms. A botanist’s defense. Since his early days of plant restoration, this amateur plant scientist has been enchanted with flora and the greater environmental ecology of the planet. Now, he looks at the study of plants through the lens of his ever-growing houseplant collection. Using gardening, houseplants, and examples of plants around you, In Defense of Plants changes your relationship with the world from the comfort of your windowsill. The ruthless, horny, and wonderful nature of plants. Understand how plants evolve and live on Earth with a never-before-seen look into their daily drama. Inside, Candeias explores the incredible ways plants live, fight, have sex, and conquer new territory. Whether a blossoming botanist or a professional plant scientist, In Defense of Plants is for anyone who sees plants as more than just static backdrops to more charismatic life forms. In this easily accessible introduction to the incredible world of plants, you’ll find: • Fantastic botanical histories and plant symbolism • Passionate stories of flora diversity and scientific names of plant organisms • Personal tales of plantsman discovery through the study of plants If you enjoyed books like The Botany of Desire, What a Plant Knows, or The Soul of an Octopus, then you’ll love In Defense of Plants.
Book Synopsis Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants by : Eleanor Spicer Rice
Download or read book Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants written by Eleanor Spicer Rice and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-08-03 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this witty, accessible, and beautifully illustrated guide, Eleanor Spicer Rice, Alex Wild, and Rob Dunn metamorphose creepy-crawly revulsion into myrmecological wonder. Dr. Eleanor?s Book of Common Ants provides an eye-opening entomological overview of the natural history of species most noted by project participants. Exploring species from the spreading red imported fire ant to the pavement ant, and featuring Wild?s stunning photography, this guide will be a tremendous resource for teachers, students, and scientists alike. But more than this, it will transform the way we perceive the environment around us by deepening our understanding of its littlest inhabitants, inspiring everyone to find their inner naturalist, get outside, and crawl across the dirt?magnifying glass in hand.
Book Synopsis Interindividual Behavioral Variability In Social Insects by : Robert L. Jeanne
Download or read book Interindividual Behavioral Variability In Social Insects written by Robert L. Jeanne and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book represents empirical studies of some aspect of the phenomenon of variability in social insect behavior. It illustrates the range of ways colony members can differ from one another and interprets the variability in terms of the external environment, social context, or individual experience.
Book Synopsis Consumer Control of Plant Communities in Current and Future Environments by : Halton Adrian Peters
Download or read book Consumer Control of Plant Communities in Current and Future Environments written by Halton Adrian Peters and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Behavioral flexibility and the foraging ecology of seed-eating ants by : D M. Gordon
Download or read book Behavioral flexibility and the foraging ecology of seed-eating ants written by D M. Gordon and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The American Naturalist written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 1140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
