Nice work of a very young boy!!
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Acacia plant controls ants with chemical
This is an old topic, but it is really amazing!
In Africa and in the tropics, armies of tiny creatures make the twisting stems of acacia plants their homes.
Aggressive, stinging ants feed on the sugary nectar the plant provides and live in nests protected by its thick bark.
This is the world of "ant guards".
The acacias might appear overrun by them, but the plants have the ants wrapped around their little stems.
These same plants that provide shelter and produce nourishing nectar to feed the insects also make chemicals that send them into a defensive frenzy, forcing them into retreat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8383577.stm
In Africa and in the tropics, armies of tiny creatures make the twisting stems of acacia plants their homes.
Aggressive, stinging ants feed on the sugary nectar the plant provides and live in nests protected by its thick bark.
This is the world of "ant guards".
The acacias might appear overrun by them, but the plants have the ants wrapped around their little stems.
These same plants that provide shelter and produce nourishing nectar to feed the insects also make chemicals that send them into a defensive frenzy, forcing them into retreat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8383577.stm
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Height matters more than size for dispersing seeds
Plant height rather than seed mass is a better predictor of how far seeds will be dispersed, a study has shown.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14076475
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14076475
Labels:
Biomimetics,
Seeds dispersal
A rainforest vine has evolved dish-shaped leaves to attract the bats that pollinate it
Tests revealed that the leaves were supremely efficient at bouncing back the sound pulses the flying mammals used to navigate.
When the leaves were present the bats located the plant twice as quickly as when these echoing leaves were removed.
A team of scientists in the UK and Germany reported its findings in the journal Science.
The study is the first to find a plant with "specialised acoustic features" to help bat pollinators find them using sound.
Most bats send out pulses of sound to find their way around; the way they sense objects in their environment by sensing how these pulses bounce off them is known as echolocation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14328999
Labels:
Biomimetics,
Pollination strategy
Monday, 25 July 2011
Thank a genius
The Biomimicry Institute started a biodiversity conservation initiative to help protect the organisms and ecosystems helping humanity on its path towards sustainability.
Help protect the organism that inspires you, mentors you, that resulted in a breakthrough innovation. Afterall, shouldn't we honor the organisms and ecosystems that evolved these ingenious, sustainable ideas, and thank them for showing us the way?
http://www.asknature.org/article/view/thank_a_genius
Help protect the organism that inspires you, mentors you, that resulted in a breakthrough innovation. Afterall, shouldn't we honor the organisms and ecosystems that evolved these ingenious, sustainable ideas, and thank them for showing us the way?
http://www.asknature.org/article/view/thank_a_genius
Labels:
Biomimetics
Friday, 22 July 2011
Fish suction feeding vs Carnivorous bladderworts
...don't you see any similarities?
Labels:
Carnivorous plant,
Video
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