A pair of researchers at the University of Lausanne has found a link between invasive animal species and commercial success in the global pet trade. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ...
The aptly named gopher tortoise is a keystone species of the southeastern United States, digging burrows that can extend more than 30 feet and serve as a habitat for more than 350 other species. Unfortunately, one of them ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2021
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5
Powerful and deadly, the bite of a trap-jaw ant is renowned throughout the animal kingdom. Unlike normal gripping jaws, which rely on muscles to open and close, the trap-jaw latches itself open, storing energy like a stretched ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2021
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148
In one species of ants, workers duel to establish new leadership after the death of their queen. While these sparring matches stretch for more than a month, changes in behavior and gene expression in the first three days ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 18, 2021
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154
In a recent study, my colleagues and I discovered micronutrients in the ground can control populations of invasive crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva).
Ecology
Jan 21, 2021
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188
Attine ants are farmers, and they grow fungus as food. Pseudonocardia and Streptomyces bacteria are their farmhands, producing metabolites that protect the crop from pathogens. Surprisingly, these metabolites lack common ...
Biochemistry
Jan 20, 2021
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54
For a caterpillar that lives surrounded by ants, there are two ways of avoiding attack: going unnoticed or offering the ants a sugary treat in exchange for protection. This is the main conclusion of a study funded by FAPESP ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2020
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13
A well-known leaf-cutting ant grows its own body armour using biominerals, a protective power previously unknown in the insect world, scientists have discovered in research published Tuesday showing this makes the ants almost ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 24, 2020
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19407
Ants use their own acid to disinfect themselves and their stomachs. A team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Bayreuth has found that formic acid kills harmful bacteria in the animal's ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 3, 2020
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11
Imagine millions of leafcutter ants on parade through a tropical forest. Driven by a craving mysterious to humans, they suddenly stream up a towering tree trunk. How do they know exactly which species of leaves to cut for ...
Evolution
Oct 26, 2020
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158
