#Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen defend the colony gather or kill food and attack enemy colonies in search for foo

[tribbetherium]

The Middle Glaciocene: 110 million years post-establishment

Ice, Ice, Buggy: Terrestrial Invertebrates of the Middle Glaciocene

The Therocene not only saw an explosive radiation in the diversity of hamsters, but in the abundance of the terrestrial invertebrates: namely the various insects that, as on Earth, dominated the planet in a stunning array of forms. From a small collection of pollinators and decomposers initially introduced to balance the ecosystem, a wide diversification has since taken place, filling ecological gaps left vacant in the food web. The Glaciocene, however, has hit the insects quite badly, but many of the survivors would develop new adaptations to ensure that they, or at least their progeny, will survive the periods of cold.

One of the clades still flourishing are the neotenic moths: lepidopterans that, partially or completely, have retained larval features even into adulthood. The spooders (clade Saturnarachnidae) are one such partial-neotenous moths, that have since become predators of other insects: losing their wings, modifying their proboscis into one better geared for piercing the bodies of other invertebrates and feeding on their fluids, and retaining the silk glands they possessed as a larva: allowing them to spin webs to catch their prey, in an uncanny mimicry of the arachnids of Earth. These false spiders would primarily thrive in the warmer equatorial regions, where they would become desert-dwelling burrow-diggers like the spaders (Lepidoarachnus spp.), pond-dwellers such as spoodstriders (Saturnolongipes spp.) or small undergrowth-hunters like the mollantulas (Arachnomimus spp.)

Even more neotenic are the caterpedes (clade Permalarvaedes) that completely avoid metamorphosis entirely and mature in a caterpillar-like final molt, becoming millipede-like deritrivores on the forest floor and in the soil where they feed on decaying vegetation. Some of these would become predators, such as the centipede-like gnathopods (Cilopholarvum spp.), thriving in damp regions such as under rocks and logs, where they feed on small insects that they hunt using their formerly leaf-chewing mandibles now grown into lethal killing implements.

The ants too would be one insect clade that would be affected by the Glaciocene: many would retreat underground, safe from the freezing chill, and manage to survive by exploiting aubterranean food sources like small mites and fungi. They would retain quite a bit of diversity, though remain fairly conservative with their usual colonies of breeding queens and sterile workers and soldiers: however one very aberrant clade, the lonestingers (Solomyrmex spp.) would do something very unexpected of an ant-- they would become solitary. All lonestinger females are always born winged queens, who, instead of forming a colony, would instead feed on nectar for their own sustenance but forage for their larvae, and lay one egg at a time on larders of chewed-up plant matter, or paralyzed insects for the carnivorous species, for the larva to feast on. No longer do they produce throngs of wingless workers in service to the sole breeder: now they take on lifestyles more akin to solitary wasps where a self-sufficient, flying female is the sole provider to her young.

The beetles, meanwhile, would significantly decline, but still remain very diverse, overwintering their eggs and larvae and taking advantage of brief warm spells to mature, reproduce, and die en masse once the cold sets in. The most remarkable of these is the periodic glowing herald (Ambiguannulus impraedicta), a beetle that can spend anywhere from two years to up to fifteen years as a subterranean larva, depending on the climate and delaying their metamorphosis on especially cold winters--a common occurence in the Glaciocene. Once the weather is sufficiently warm, however, a hormonal trigger causes all the larvae to metamorphose at once and emerge as bioluminescent adults in the brief summers, gathering in massive glowing swarms at night, breeding, laying their eggs, and ultimately perishing once the job is done, all in the span of less than a month as an adult.

Another remarkable beetle is a descendant of the eusocial treeroyals: the honeybugs (Melliflorcoelopteryx spp.). This small, yellow, social beetle is one that weathers through harsh winters by storing food: namely, sugary fluids such as plant juices, tree sap and flower nectar, which they gather into specialized stomach pouches. They also feed on pollen, which they carry in clumps stuck to their legs, gluing it together with regurgitated nectar, which they then roll into balls using their hind legs as food for their larvae, or something they eat for themselves. These sticky, sweet-smelling spheres, however, bring the honeybugs into conflict with their sworn enemy: the shrooh (Soricimimomys winiae), a furbil from the chrew family that relishes honeybug pollen balls, and their larvae as well. This nest-raider is not met without resistance from the honeybugs-- adults defending their young and their stash will bite with their mandibles or spray irritating secretions from their abdomens to fend off the unwelcome, bothersome house guest.

And while insects are the predominant invertebrates on land, a few other phyla thrive during the Glaciocene. Gastropods, abundant in the sea in a stunning diversity of forms, are present on land too, though far less remarkable than their marine cousins, resembling mundane slugs and snails that are practically identical to those on Earth. A few notable exceptions exist, however, such as the Fissoric snhale (Cochleotitan megalis), an otherwise-typical land snail that is remarkable due to its size: able to grow to weights of up to a pound and on some of the islands of the Fissorian Archipelago are its sole land herbivores. Others would include the marsh snorlok (Sanguinocochleum nosferati), a half-shelled "semi-slug" native to wetlands that has become a leech-like bloodsucker that attaches to larger animals and files a wound in the skin using its toothed radula, and the neon toxslug (Noxiolimax vibrans), a shell-less "slug" species that sequesters toxins from the plants that it eats, primarily bleedweed, and uses it to protect itself from predators-- its concentrated toxins make it downright lethal if consumed by predators, and uses its bright, vibrant coloration as a warning sign of its nature as a deadly meal to any hungry creature.

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#speculative evolution #speculative biology #spec evo #speculative zoology #hamster's paradise

[pestexterminatorsampm]

Pest control for ants

#Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen defend the colony gather or kill food and attack enemy colonies in search for foo

[ponjunjun-blog]

HIIIII GUYS!!!!!! Good day to you all! I’d like to welcome you here in Tumblr! If you have time please check out my blog. It’s all about ants. This won’t take too long and if you like it leave a like and follow me thank you :D  :*

Ant are the little fellas that we all know, they always work together as a team.  

Ants help the environment. They are social insects, which means they live in large colonies or groups. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. 

Ant communities are headed by a queen or queens, whose function in life is to lay thousands of eggs that will ensure the survival of the colony. And they protect their queen from other insects. Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space.

As you can see in this picture, Ants are helping each other to achieve their goals. Just like us humans they can reach our goals too.

#Ant #blog #teamwork #english #activity

[jphayag]

Hello everyone! This blog talks about the facts about ants that we might didn’t know. This might be nonsense, but you’ll be surprised about these facts! It’s fun to know about ants and how they build their economy. So enjoy reading and I hope you learn something!

Did you know that ants can lift 20 times of their body weight? Strong enough to carry their foods!

Have you wonder when ants discovered? Ants were discovered in 1898

These are the facts about ants that might you didn’t know:

There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world. Isn’t that enormous? Is it? Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies!  Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet. When ants fight, it is usually to the death! When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been. Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest. Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes. When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.

Do you hate ants? I do hate ants. Their bites get in to my nerve. Its so irritating, but they’re a big help to our economy. Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment. They are social insects, which means they live in large colonies or groups. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. 

There are three kinds of ants in a colony: The queen, the female workers, and males. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants and they do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs! Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens.

Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the "slave" ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and babies, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds.

I’ve killed hundreds of ants because they are pests for me. They steal foods, they bite, and I hate to see a platoon of ants. They are nuisance. But out of my knowledge, they have a contribution to our economy. They clean our economy. They eat wasted foods, insects, etc. But still, I hate their bites.

These are the facts about ants that you have to know. That’s all. Thank you!

(picture and informations from google)

http://pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/ants/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant

#project

[geliebibi-blog]

Ant Facts

Ants are everywhere sometimes they bite us when they get into us. but what are there abilities?, are they some pests in our environment?, how ants can travel?, how ants survive? Are they dangerous?, etc. Here are some facts about ants. There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world.An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car!Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies!Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.When ants fight, it is usually to the death!When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been.Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes.When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.

Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment. They are social insects, which means they live in large colonies or groups. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants.

There are three kinds of ants in a colony: The queen, the female workers, and males. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants and they do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs! Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens.

Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the "slave" ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and babies, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds.

A queen ant was recorded to have lived for 30 years in its natural habitat in Idahoe USA. (The Ants pg 169)

Most ants have very poor eyesight. Some species have developed such advanced communication through use of their antennae, that they have no need for eyes at all. This major worker from the Driver ant species is a prime example of a 'blind' ant

Ants tend to build their nests; In lawns,In flower beds,Beneath paving stones,At the base of walls

If an ant nest is disturbed, the colony will move to a new location. Once a colony has been disturbed, it won't return to nest in the same place again.

Ants tend to be viewed as a nuisance but those found in the UK are generally harmless.

Black or garden ants don't bite or carry disease. However bear in mind that any ants you find in your home may have travelled through dirty places and could contaminate uncovered food.

What's more, ants often kill and eat other common pests such as flies (which spread germs) and fleas (which bite).

[antblog]

Facts about Ants: 😱There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world.
🚗An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car!
💯Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies!
👣Ants don’t have ears. Ants “hear” by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.
⚰When ants fight, it is usually to the death!
📌When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been.
👑Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.
🙀Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes.
☠When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.
😳Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment. They are social insects, which means they live in large colonies or groups. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. There are three kinds of ants in a colony: The queen, the female workers, and males. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants and they do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs! Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens. Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the “slave” ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and babies, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds. Reference: http://pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/ants/

[worldbestlawyers]

New Post has been published on World Best Lawyers

New Post has been published on http://www.worldbestlawyers.com/leadership-found-in-the-few-and-the-small/

Leadership Found in the Few and the Small

Introduction

Envision an army of ants, multitudes of them carrying food and piling the food on a large rock. These ants are performing their task in uniformity and in a sequential order. The leadership is responsible for delivering the goods in order to maintain the survival of the ant colony. On the human side, imagine a commanding officer of a unit assigned to a foreign country, responsible for his troops’ safety, operating an efficient command post, defending his country, and operating as an assumed dignified commander.

“Success in leadership, success in business, and success in life has been, is now,

and will continue to be a function of how well people work and play together (Kouzes & Posner, 2002, pg. 21).”

The two films which were selected represented a virtual-time situation, “A Bug’s Life” and a real-time situation “A Few Good Men.” Each film demonstrated a leadership style conducive to its environment and a communication style which revealed its strengths and weaknesses. Both films illustrated deception in leadership, the revelation of power in numbers, and the success and failure of leadership in action.

Analyzing Leadership in the Ants

The main character of this movie was an ant name Flik. Flik was an army ant who had a creative imagination. His role brought challenges to the leadership team and forced them to make a decision to send him away to find an answer to their dilemma of confronting the grasshoppers. In the beginning of the movie, the ants are gathering food and marching the food up to a rock. This gathering of food serves a two-fold purpose:

First, to feed the swarm of rebellious grasshoppers, led by “Hopper” their leader, and

Second, to secure the survival of the ant colony.

The story focuses on a colony of ants who seasonally gather food for themselves and a wild gang of rowdy grasshoppers. When bumbling worker-ant Flik (David Foley) destroys the food supply, the angry grasshoppers, lead by the maniacally warped Hopper (Kevin Spacey) threaten to kill the ants if they don’t produce a new supply of food by the time they return, an impossible feat. Flik leaves the anthill in search of help in the form of bigger bugs to wage war against the grasshoppers. What he doesn’t know is he has actually discovered a group of down-on-their-luck traveling circus insects in need of a job. When the ants realize that their heroes are really circus performers (and the circus bugs realize that these grasshoppers are really big and mean) the situation goes from bad to worse. Ultimately the ants use their large numbers to overcome the grasshoppers. (Gore, 1998, http://www.allmovie.com).

Yukl’s definition of leadership basically defined the process in which leadership was demonstrated in “A Bug’s Life.”

Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish the shared objectives (pg. 7).

Leadership was prevalent in all parts of the movie. The “Queen Ant” and the “Princess” were the female leaders who were born into their natural assignment by virtue of the fact they were the reproducers of the colony. They performed their assignment with the utmost of integrity, considering the safety and well-being of the colony. Because of this demand, their leadership skills reflected, “….consensus building, inclusiveness, and interpersonal relations, being willing to develop and nurture subordinates and to share power and information with the colony (Carr-Ruffino, 1993; Grant, 1988; Hegelsen, 1990; Rosener, 1990) (Yukl, pg. 412).” The movie demonstrated how each ant was committed to the survival of the ant colony; thus, demonstrating the shared power from the leadership. Leadership’s goal was to organize and protect the colony, laying down their life for one another if necessary.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34, NIV)

Although there was a Hierarchical type of leadership, the movie shifted the spotlight to the workers who were part of a “networking” which reflected the Paradigm Shift stated in Benus and Nanus book, written by Chronicler John Naisbitt (1997, pg. 13).

Communication in the Colony

When Flik was sent away to seek help, he heard the colony cheer for his leaving. The colony was communicating a cheer of “yea, he is leaving” but Flik thought they were communicating a cheer of “yea, he is going to find help.” Communication was the main element in this movie. There was:

Miscommunication – When the colony sent Flik away to seek help, they did not communicate the real reason of why he was being sent away.

Non-communication – When Flik hired the circus bugs, he did not communication to them the real purpose of their going to the colony.

Body language was prevalent in the movie and reflected powerful emotions throughout the movie:

The face is the language of emotions. Different parts of it are used to display different emotions. Fear is usually looked for in the eyes, as is sadness. Happiness is seen in the cheeks and the mouth as well as in the eyes. Surprise is seen in the forehead, eyes and mouth (Latiolais-Hargrave, 1999, pg. 39).

Communication was a powerful tool within the colony expressing emotions, surprise, anger, and deception. The biggest turnaround in the movie took place when the Princess communicated to the colony to rally together and unify for the purpose of saving what generations of ants have fought for. Once the Princess realized the colony was more powerful in number and unity, they were able to defeat the grasshoppers and end their harassment. The model of communication which this movie followed was the Superior and Subordinate Nonverbal Relationships: Appearance, Gesture and Movement, Face and Eye, Vocal Behavior, Space, Touch, Environment, Scent, and Time. This reflected the Higher Status definitions and the relationship to the Lower Status relationships (Goldhaber, 1993, pg. 197).

Analyzing A Few Good Men

The main character of this movie was Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee. He was assigned to defend two Marines who were facing a Court Martial for the death of a fellow Marine. The intensity of the movie bounced leadership off the wall in almost every scene. From the beginning of the assignment of defending the accused until the end of the trial, the leadership and the tremendous interaction revealed a range of leadership from the ethical down to the dark side of charisma.

In this military courtroom drama based on the play by Aaron Sorkin, Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend two Marines, Pfc. Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of the murder of fellow leatherneck Pfc. William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo) at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kaffee generally plea bargains for his clients rather than bring them to trial, which is probably why he was assigned this potentially embarrassing case. But when Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) is assigned to assist Kaffee, she is convinced that there’s more to the matter than they’ve been led to believe and convinces her colleague that the case should go to court. Under questioning, Downey and Dawson reveal that Santiago died in the midst of a hazing ritual known as “Code Red” after he threatened to inform higher authorities that Dawson opened fire on a Cuban watchtower. They also state that the “Code Red” was performed under the orders of Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Keifer Sutherland). Kendrick’s superior, tough-as-nails Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), denies any knowledge of the order to torture Santiago, but when Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh) confides to Kaffee that Jessup demanded the “Code Red” for violating his order of silence, Kaffee and Galloway have to find a way to prove this in court. A Few Good Men also features Kevin Bacon as prosecuting attorney Capt. Jack Ross, and Kevin Pollak as Kaffee and Galloway’s research assistant, Lt. Sam Weinberg. — (Deming, 1992, http://www.allmovie.com).

The lawyers and the Marine Officers each formed their leadership relationships which described the Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX). This theory “…describes the role-making processes between a leader and an individual subordinate (Dansereau, Graen, & Haga, 1975; Graen & Cashman, 1975) (Yukl, pg. 116).” The exchange relationship usually takes one of two different forms. According to the theory, most leaders establish a special exchange relationship with a small number of trusted subordinates who function as assistants, lieutenants, or advisors (Yukl, pg. 116). In the case of the Marine Commander and the LMX Theory, his intention in usurping his authority was for deceptive purposes. The lawyers utilized the LMX (Yukl, pg. 116) Theory to produce a values and ethical outcome for the Marine prisoners.

Communication for the Pros and Cons

The lawyers representing the convicted soldiers shared their leadership responsibilities. They were appointed to the case and one of them emerged as the leader because of his passion for the truth. They eventually found the loop hole in the case and proceeded to communicate a path which led to the truth. Their presentation created an atmosphere of suspense which eventually broke the Commanding Officer’s self-righteousness attitude and unfolded the truth.

Researchers comparing the impact of assigning or choosing leaders have discovered that followers expect more from natural leaders than appointed leaders.Since they have more invested in leaders that they have selected for themselves members have higher expectations and tolerate less failure. Yet, at the same time, group members give natural leaders more room to operate. Emergent leaders have greater freedom to make decisions on behalf of the group. One of the most common assignments for appointed group leaders is to plan and to preside over meetings, the subject of the next section (Hackman And Johnson, 2004, pg. 193).

The Marine Commander communicated a message to his entire command which perverted the Marine Code and the minds of the soldiers. The Commander was highly charismatic and knew his strength and power. He became his own Commander-in-Chief, deceiving himself and creating his own rules and regulations. Charismatic leaders tend to make more risky decisions that can result in a serious failure, and they tend to make more determined enemies who will use such a failure as an opportunity to remove the leader from office (Yukl, pg. 251).

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him Fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. (Pro. 5:21-23,NIV).

Resolution Conclusion

The bugs had resolved to believe their destiny was doomed by serving the grasshoppers the rest of their ant lives. They did not realize their power in unity until the situation became a life and death matter. The colony was used to following rituals, rites and routines (Hackman & Johnson, pg. 224) which kept them bound to traditional servant hood. The Princess and the Queen were desperate for a resolution. At the point of contending with the enemy, the colony realized their numbers were greater than the grasshoppers. It took the boldness of the Princess to urge the colony to unite together and defend their rights and territory.

Your effectiveness as a symbolic leader will depend in large part on how well you put your “stamp” on an organization’s culture or subcultures either as a founder or as a change agent (Hackman & Johnson, pg. 230).

In “A Few Good Men”, the Commander became so wrapped up in his assignment that he went overboard in performing the very purpose he was assigned to his post. He perverted the Code of Ethics and his charismatic leadership fell into the dark side contributing to the death of his fellow Marine. The resolution of the movie came to past when the Commander’s true intentions were revealed. Hackman and Johnson describe his charismatic leadership as follows:

Uses power only for personal gain.

Promotes his or her own personal vision.

Censures critical or opposing views.

Demands that his or her own decisions.

Be accepted without question.

Engages in one-way communication.

Is insensitive to followers’ needs.

Relies on convenient external moral.

Standards to satisfy self-interests (pg. 117).

Leaders who learn to listen, seek wisdom, and evaluate the situation can find resolution in most conflict. Although these movies are secular, God can use the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (Matt. 11: 25, NIV) and teach life-learning lessons. The lesson learned from “A Bug’s Life” was the fact that desperate situations can bring unity and resolution. “A Few Good Men” was an example of the struggle people encounter when they shut off the rest of the world and allow their world to become the pivotal point in all of life.

#Custody Lawyer