Necrophoresis...My Favorite Word

Eusocial insects such as ants often have many unique behaviors that seem fantastical based upon their small size.  One such behavior that many ants exhibit is the removal of dead members of the colony from the nest site.  This process, coined necrophoresis, has many advantages for the colony.  Research conducted by Diez, Le Borgne, Lejeune, & Detrain (2013) showed that in red ant, Myrmica rubra, special workers that live outside the main host of the colony are tasked with the removal of dead ants from the colony.  This process has direct benefits from preventing any diseased or parasitized ants from infecting the main host of the colony.  How do ants know when to remove a dead colony member?  Research completed by Choe, Millar, & Rust (2009) indicate that fatty acid compounds associated with the insect cuticle (waxy covering of the exoskeleton) disappear during death and are key indicators for worker ants to remove them from the colony.

                                             Copyright Discoverlife.org




Works Cited:

Dong-Hwan Choe, 

Jocelyn G. Millar, 

and Michael K. Rust 

Chemical signals associated with life inhibit necrophoresis in Argentine ants PNAS 2009 106 (20) 8251-8255; published ahead of print May 4, 2009, doi:10.1073/pnas.0901270106

Diez, L., Le Borgne, H., Lejeune, P., & Detrain, C. (2013, December 1). Who brings out the dead? Necrophoresis in the red ant, Myrmica rubra. Retrieved October 12, 2015.

Play Video Games....For Science!

Science has, in its past, been largely a private affair between other scientists with little to any input from non scientists.  The dawn of the digital age has largely changed this as data is more widely available and researchers investigate large scale scientific issues and require large quantities of data.  One way scientists in various fields are gaining access to larger pools of data is employing the assistance of "citizen scientists".  Video games are one way researchers have encouraged and used citizens to assist in further scientific knowledge.  For example the games, "Forgotten Island" &  "Happy Match" present gamers with actual images of insects and other organisms and require them to classify them to unlock more puzzles.  This data has enabled researchers associated with these projects to gain insights into classifying and identifying unknown species (Haley, 2012)

Image: Image courtesy of Syracuse University, Citizen Sort

If you feel like being a citizen scientist you can try your hand at Forgotten Island here

Works Cited: 

Haley, K. (2012, September 21). Shall we play a game?: Merging citizen science and video games. Retrieved September 16, 2015.

Haplodiploidy of Eusocial Insects

Varying the amount of DNA transmitted to offspring is a unique strategy many insects that live in colonies such honeybees and ants employ.  What exactly is haplodiploidy?  Put simply, female insects are given a full diploid set of chromosomes through fertilization while the male counterparts are the result of unfertilized eggs.  Why employ this strategy?  One major benefit is a reduction in the role of sex which is energetically costly for females as well as sisters being more closely related to one another (Breed, 2003).  The schematic below provides a nice overview of the process in honeybees.

Works Cited: 

Breed, M. (2003). HAPLODIPLOIDY. Retrieved September 1, 2015.

Zombies are real!

Zombies are among us! Okay, not the undead like in the popular television show, "The Walking Dead", but there are unique instances of parasitic organisms causing zombie like symptoms in their hosts.  For example, a number of fungal spores can cause insects to behave in a bizarre fashion.  Carpenter Ants infected with Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis fungal spores are "mind controlled" into not only dropping new spores near the colony but when they die to climb to leaves in the forest canopy so that spores can rain down on the floor below infecting new victims (Prigg, 2014).  Watch the video below for a more detailed look at the process.

Other infections from parasitic worms in snails cause them to pulsate in their eye stalks and climb vegetation to be consumed by birds for the worms to complete their life cycles. After birds defecate the cycle resumes with snails ingesting the eggs found in the bird droppings (Simon, 2014)  Yum!

Works Cited: 

Prigg, M. (2014, August 21). Watch out for the zombie ants! Scientists find insects infected by mind controlling fungus always go back to their nest so their killer can find fresh victims. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

Simon, M. (2014, September 14). Absurd Creature of the Week: The Parasitic Worm That Turns Snails Into Disco Zombies. Retrieved August 18, 2015.

Illegal Pet Trade

Through out the world rare and endangered animals are captured and sold to individuals who fancy themselves exotic pet owners.  Not only is this illegal in many countries it also exacerbates wild population numbers for endangered species.  For example, according to a story published by Daniel Hajek for NPR, a man was arrested in California for smuggling frozen sea cucumbers over the Mexico border.  The 100 pounds of sea of sea cucumbers, worth up to $10,000 were found in the spare tire compartment of his car (2014).

                                    Image of man attempting to smuggle song birds through an airport                                                   (Credit:Associated Press)

As more species become endangered the ill effects of the illegal pet trade on wild numbers will increase.

Works Cited:

Hajek, D. (2014, April 5). Lucrative Illegal Animal Trade Thrives In Southern California. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/2014/04/05/299385928/lucrative-illegal-animal-trade-thrives-in-southern-california

Conservation of the Uglies

In conservation biology determining which species to protect can often be a difficult decision.  Iconic species such as the Monarch Butterfly often evoke stronger calls for conservation from the public than lesser known species.While any type of conservation is in theory a good thing, not focusing on the ecological roles different species play in a given habitat is a poor strategy.  For example, researchers have named a new species of snail (Charopa lafargei) in Malaysia after a quarrying company (Lafarge) in hopes it may delay or prevent the company from destroying the habitat in which the snail was found.  Furthermore, a survey by George Mason University found that survey respondents were more likely to want to save "patriotic" or cute  named organisms than those with other names (Shiffman, 2014).  While the public opinion of a given species should not have much of an impact on ecological decision it can, and often does, have profound impacts on influencing government agencies.  Not only can public approval help a species by making it more visible to the general public but it also can generate important monetary donations which lesser known species would not be able to get.  While conservation of species is an important topic I think that the general public would be well advised to support all species rather than to pick "favorites" as biodiversity is something we all should value.

Java mouse-deer at the Jerusalem Zoo (Wikipedia)

Works Cited:

Shiffman, D. (2014, December 16). Could an Animal's Name Save It from Extinction? Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-an-animal-s-name-save-it-from-extinction/

North American Native Bees

The average U.S. citizen may be surprised to know that the common honey bee (A. mellifera) is not a native bee species to North America.  While the importance of the honey bee to agriculture is unquestionable, a number of native insect species also act as pollinators in North America.  Carpenter Bees for example, are native bees found in North America as well as a number of cuckoo bees.

Native Bees pollinate crops native to North America including: tomatoes, blueberries, pumpkins, eggplants, and a number of other important crops.  While some native bees are social like the honey bee a number of other species live solitary lives or don't construct traditional combs.  Much like non-native honey bees a number of these important pollinators are also on the decline.  For more information on native bees read here.

Native Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens)

Works Cited: 

Native Bees of North America. (2010.). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/475348