ecology
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Shipworms, termites of the sea
The shipworms are marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae: a group of saltwater clams with long, soft, naked bodies. They are notorious for boring into (and commonly eventually destroying) wood that is immersed in sea water, including such structures as wooden piers, docks and ships; they drill passages by means of a pair of very small shells (“valves”) borne at one end,…
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Zombie Ant Fungus “Medicinal potential”
Ophiocordyceps are known in the pharmaceutical world to be a medically-important group. O. unilateralis fungi produce various known secondary metabolites, as well as several structurally uncharacterised substances. These natural products are reportedly being investigated as potential leads in discovery efforts toward immunomodulatory, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and hypocholesterolemic targets. In an Ophiocordyceps species within Japanese cicadas, the Ophiocordyceps replaces the symbiotic bacteria within the cicadas to help the host…
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Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis AKA Zombie Ant Fungus Wiki
The zombie-ant fungus is easily identifiable when its reproductive structure becomes apparent on its dead host, usually a carpenter ant. At the end of its life cycle, O. unilateralis typically generates a single, wiry yet pliant, darkly pigmented stroma which arises from the dorsal pronotum region of the ant once it is dead. Moreover, perithecia, the spore-bearing sexual structure, can…
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Ants and Aphids Wiki
Some species of ants farm aphids, protecting them on the plants where they are feeding, and consuming the honeydew the aphids release from the terminations of their alimentary canals. This is a mutualistic relationship, with these dairying ants milking the aphids by stroking them with their antennae. Dairying ants also milk mealybugs and other insects. Although mutualistic, the feeding behaviour of aphids is altered by…
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Aphids, Carotenoids and Photoheterotrophy Wiki
Some species of aphids have acquired the ability to synthesise red carotenoids by horizontal gene transfer from fungi. They are the only animals other than two-spotted spider mites and the oriental hornet with this capability. Using their carotenoids, aphids may well be able to absorb solar energy and convert it to a form that their cells can use, ATP. This is the only known example…
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Venus flytrap
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina and South Carolina. It catches its prey—chiefly insects and arachnids—with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant’s leaves, which is triggered by tiny hairs (called “trigger hairs” or “sensitive hairs”) on their inner surfaces. When an insect or spider crawling along…
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Plant arithmetic
Plant arithmetic is a form of plant cognition whereby plants appear to perform arithmetic operations – a form of number sense in plants. Arithmetic by species Venus flytrap The Venus flytrap can count to two and five in order to trap and then digest its prey. The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that catches its prey with a trapping structure formed by the terminal portion…
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Cephalotus
Cephalotus (Greek: κεφαλή “head”, and οὔς/ὠτός “ear”, to describe the head of the anthers) is a genus which contains one species, Cephalotus follicularis the Albany pitcher plant, a small carnivorous pitcher plant. The pit-fall traps of the modified leaves have inspired the common names for this plant, which include ‘Albany pitcher plant”, “Western Australian pitcher plant”, “Australian pitcher plant”, or “fly-catcher plant.” It is an evergreen herb that is endemic to peaty…
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Honeydew
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem, the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the anus of the aphid. Honeydew is particularly common as a secretion in hemipteran insects and is often the basis for trophobiosis. Some caterpillars of Lycaenidae butterflies and some moths also produce honeydew. Honeydew producing insects, like cicadas, pierce phloem ducts to access…
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Katydids Have The Biggest Balls of All Wiki
Insects in the family Tettigoniidae are commonly called katydids (especially in North America), or bush crickets. They have previously been known as “long-horned grasshoppers”. More than 8,000 species are known. Part of the suborder Ensifera, the Tettigoniidae are the only extant (living) family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea. They are primarily nocturnal in habit with strident mating calls. Many species exhibit mimicry and camouflage, commonly with shapes and colors similar to leaves. Etymology The family…
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