Advances in Myrmecology

Advances in Myrmecology PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004630767
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 579

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Book Description

Advances in Myrmecology

Advances in Myrmecology PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004630767
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 579

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Book Description


Advances in Myrmecology

Advances in Myrmecology PDF Author: James C. Trager
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9780916846381
Category : Ants
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description


Ant Ecology

Ant Ecology PDF Author: Lori Lach
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199544638
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
The incredible global diversity of ants, and their important ecological roles, mean that we cannot ignore the significance of ants in ecological systems. Ant Ecology takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the beginnings of ants many hundreds of thousands of years ago, through to the makings of present day distributions.

Ants of North America

Ants of North America PDF Author: Brian L. Fisher
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520934559
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Ants are among the most conspicuous and the most ecologically important of insects. This concise, easy-to-use, authoritative identification guide introduces the fascinating and diverse ant fauna of the United States and Canada. It features the first illustrated key to North American ant genera, discusses distribution patterns, explores ant ecology and natural history, and includes a list of all currently recognized ant species in this large region. * New keys to the 73 North American ant genera illustrated with 250 line drawings ensure accurate identification * 180 color images show the head and profile of each genus and important species groups * Includes a glossary of important terms

The Fire Ants

The Fire Ants PDF Author: Walter R. Tschinkel
Publisher: Belknap Press
ISBN: 0674072405
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 748

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Book Description
Walter Tschinkel's passion for fire ants has been stoked by over thirty years of exploring the rhythm and drama of Solenopsis invicta's biology. Since South American fire ants arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1940s, they have spread to become one of the most reviled pests in the Sunbelt. In Fire Ants Tschinkel provides not just an encyclopedic overview of S. invicta--how they found colonies, construct and defend their nests, forage and distribute food, struggle among themselves for primacy, and even relocate entire colonies--but a lively account of how research is done, how science establishes facts, and the pleasures and problems of a scientific career. Between chapters detailed enough for experts but readily accessible to any educated reader, "interludes" provide vivid verbal images of the world of fire ants and the people who study them. Early chapters describe the several failed, and heavily politically influenced, eradication campaigns, and later ones the remarkable spread of S. invicta's "polygyne" form, in which nests harbor multiple queens and colonies reproduce by "budding." The reader learns much about ants, the practice of science, and humans' role in the fire ant's North American success.

Fire Ants

Fire Ants PDF Author: Stephen Welton Taber
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 9781603447119
Category : Fire ants
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
In the early years of the twentieth century, South American fire ants crossed the Caribbean and invaded the shores of the southeastern United States. These imported fire ants quickly found a niche in Gulf Coast fields and lawns, overpowered the native species, and began spreading. In the process they became a notorious pest to some, a beneficial ally to others, and a potential killer to allergy sufferers. As a result, they are among the most intensely studied insects in the world. Near the turn of the millennium the dominant species, the red imported fire ant, finally made its long-feared leap across the hostile western desert into the greener oasis of southern California, where it stood poised to infest the richest agricultural region in the country.In this authoritative book, five economically important species take center stage. These are the red imported fire ant, the black imported fire ant, the tropical fire ant, the southern fire ant, and the golden fire ant. A general introduction and a history of their invasion of North America open the door to additional chapters on natural history, origin and evolution, animals that share the fire ants' nest, the mixed successes of chemical control, and natural enemies and the hopes for biocontrol. Also examined are the pros and cons of fire ants, their medical importance, and suggestions for future research. The appendices list all known fire ant species and explain how to prepare, preserve, and identify every known species occurring in the United States.Well written and enhanced by an extensive glossary, a thorough bibliography of scientific literature, and more than one hundred photos, maps, and drawings, Fire Ants engages and informs both nonprofessionals and specialists.

Pheromone Communication In Social Insects

Pheromone Communication In Social Insects PDF Author: Robert K Vander Meer
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000302369
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Bringing together for the first time prominent researchers in social insect pheromone communication, including nestmate recognition, this book looks at ants, wasps, bees, and termites, highlighting areas of convergence and divergence among these groups, and identifying areas that need further investigation. Presenting broad synthetic overviews as well as species-specific studies, the volume will be useful to natural scientists, ecologists, and those interested in pest management, as well as to anyone interested in the fascinating chemically mediated behavioral interactions of social insects.

Swarm Intelligence

Swarm Intelligence PDF Author: Eric Bonabeau
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198030150
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Social insects--ants, bees, termites, and wasps--can be viewed as powerful problem-solving systems with sophisticated collective intelligence. Composed of simple interacting agents, this intelligence lies in the networks of interactions among individuals and between individuals and the environment. A fascinating subject, social insects are also a powerful metaphor for artificial intelligence, and the problems they solve--finding food, dividing labor among nestmates, building nests, responding to external challenges--have important counterparts in engineering and computer science. This book provides a detailed look at models of social insect behavior and how to apply these models in the design of complex systems. The book shows how these models replace an emphasis on control, preprogramming, and centralization with designs featuring autonomy, emergence, and distributed functioning. These designs are proving immensely flexible and robust, able to adapt quickly to changing environments and to continue functioning even when individual elements fail. In particular, these designs are an exciting approach to the tremendous growth of complexity in software and information. Swarm Intelligence draws on up-to-date research from biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, robotics, operations research, and computer graphics, and each chapter is organized around a particular biological example, which is then used to develop an algorithm, a multiagent system, or a group of robots. The book will be an invaluable resource for a broad range of disciplines.

A Revision of the Jumping Spider Genus Habronattus F.O.P.-Cambridge (Araneae, Salticidae), with Phenetic and Cladistic Analyses

A Revision of the Jumping Spider Genus Habronattus F.O.P.-Cambridge (Araneae, Salticidae), with Phenetic and Cladistic Analyses PDF Author: Charles E. Griswold
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520096967
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description


Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems

Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems PDF Author: Lee A. Segel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190285885
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
Design Principles for the Immune System and Other Distributed Autonomous Systems is the first book to examine the inner workings of such a variety of distributed autonomous systems--from insect colonies to high level computer programs to the immune system. It offers insight into the fascinating world of these systems that emerge from the interactions of seemingly autonomous components and brings us up-to-date on the state of research in these areas. Using the immune system and certain aspects of its functions as a primary model, this book examines many of the most interesting and troubling questions posed by complex systems. How do systems choose the right set of agents to perform appropriate actions with appropriate intensities at appropriate times? How in the immune system, ant colonies and metabolic networks does the diffusion and binding of a large variety of chemicals to their receptors permit coordination of system action? What advantages drive the various systems to complexity, and by what mechanisms do the systems cope with the tendency toward unwieldiness and randomness of large complex systems?