Symbiotic Ants and Aphids Have a Strong Relationship

Symbiotic Ants and Aphids Have a Strong Relationship Ants and aphids share a well-documented symbiotic relationship, which means they both benefit mutually from their working relationship. Aphids produce a sugary food for the ants, in exchange, ants care for and protect the aphids from predators and parasites. Aphids Produce a Sugary Meal Aphids are also known as plant lice, they are very small sap-sucking insects that collect the sugar-rich fluids from host plants. Aphids are also the bane of farmers the whole world over. Aphids are known crop destroyers. The aphids must consume large quantities of a plant to gain adequate nutrition. The aphids then excrete equally large quantities of waste, called honeydew, which in turn becomes a sugar-rich meal for ants. Ants Turn Into Dairy Farmers As most people know, where there is sugar, there is bound to be ants. Some ants are so hungry for the aphid honeydew, that they will milk the aphids to make them excrete the sugary substance. The ants stroke the aphids with their antennae, stimulating them to release the honeydew. Some aphid species have lost the ability to excrete waste  on their own and depend entirely on caretaker ants to milk them. Aphids in an Ants Care Aphid-herding ants make sure aphids stay well-fed and safe. When the host plant is depleted of nutrients, the ants carry their aphids to a new food source. If predatory insects or parasites attempt to harm the aphids, the ants will defend them aggressively. Some ants even go so far as to destroy the eggs of known aphid predators like ladybugs. Some species of ants continue to care for aphids during winter. The ants carry the aphid eggs to their nests for the winter months. They store the precious aphids where temperatures and humidity are optimal, and move them as needed when conditions in the nest change. In spring, when the aphids hatch, the ants carry them to a host plant to feed. A well-documented example of the extraordinary mutualistic relationship of a corn root aphid, from the species Aphis middletonii,  and their caretaker cornfield ants,  Lasius. Corn root aphids, as their name suggests, live and feed on the roots of corn plants. At the end of the growing season, the aphids deposit eggs in the soil where the corn plants have withered. The cornfield ants collect the aphid eggs and store them for the winter. Smartweed is a fast-growing weed that can grow in the spring in the cornfields. Cornfield ants carry the newly hatched aphids to the field and deposit them on the temporary host smartweed plants so they can begin feeding. Once the corn plants are growing, the ants move their honeydew-producing partners to the corn plants, their preferred host plant. Ants Enslave Aphids While it appears the ants are generous caretakers of aphids, ants are more concerned about maintaining their steady honeydew source than anything else. Aphids are almost always wingless, but certain environmental conditions will trigger them to develop wings. If the aphid population becomes too dense, or food sources decline, aphids can grow wings to fly to a new location. Ants, however, do not look favorably upon losing their food source. Ants can prevent aphids from dispersing. Ants have been observed tearing the wings from aphids before they can become airborne. Also, a recent study has shown that ants can use semiochemicals to stop the aphids from developing wings and to impede their ability to walk away. Resources and Further Reading Cranshaw, Whitney, and Richard Redak. Bugs Rule!: An Introduction to the World of Insects. Princeton University, 2013.

Megans Law essays

Megans Law essays Are so called Megan's laws a good idea? Most definitely; Megan's law is designed to help protect a community by providing information about convicted sex offenders. The commonly known New Jersey law, "Megan's law", originated when the parents of seven year old Megan Kanka of Hamilton Township were not aware of the twice convicted sex offender living across the street until that neighbor brutally raped and murdered their daughter. The crime occurred only months after a similar incident in my hometown, Manalapan Township. In March of 1994, nineteen year old Kevin Aquino had woken his six year old neighbor, Amanda Wengert up and kidnapped her because he "wanted sex." He had put his hand over her mouth and punched her in the head to knock her out. He then preceded to smash her head up against a tree which terminated her life. During that time I remember coming across information that Aquino used to "peep" on young girls in the grammar school bathroom that I use to attend. He was arre sted for voyeurism. As an end result, Aquino will not see a parole board before he is seventy-four years old. This law established a three-tier notification process to provide information about offenders to law enforcement agencies and when appropriate, to the public. The type of notification is based on an evaluation of the risk to the community from a particular offender. The offenses that require notification are aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child, luring or enticing and, if the victim were a minor and the offender not a parent, kidnapping, criminal restraint and false imprisonment. I believe that this law is an extremely effective punishment for the offender, at least psychologically. For example, if the offender decided to reestablish his/her life after jail, he/sh...

Blooms Taxonomy of Education and its use in Nursing Education Essay

Blooms Taxonomy of Education and its use in Nursing Education - Essay Example It is apparent that chronic illness is naturally incurable. The indications of these chronic disease factors are constant and unremitting; thus, as regards cognition, the emphasis of nursing should be on care, supportive, and preventative procedures when a patient undergoes unavoidable disease deterioration. The nurses and other health care providers have to learn how to manage chronic diseases in order for them to be able to help chronically ill patients attain independence. An appropriate self-management plan for chronic disease is one of the major cognitive challenges to nurses (Larkin & Burton, 2008). In order to successfully accomplish this, health care professionals should be able to recall information about the patient (knowledge), understand the issues confronted by the patient (comprehension), apply the knowledge gained from interacting with the patient and the other medical staffs (application), differentiate assumptions from facts (analysis), develop a comprehensive care plan (synthesis), and evaluate the value and quality of the care plan (evaluation). On the other hand, the ‘affective domain’ focuses on feelings, core intentions, and attitudes, and thus is strongly applicable to the caring profession of nurses (Emerson, 2007). It is vital that chronically ill patients are empowered and inspired to help themselves. Therefore, nurses should learn to listen attentively and sincerely to their patients (receiving), to show eagerness to respond (responding), to express commitment and develop individualized treatment plan (valuing), to embrace professional ethical codes as regards management of chronic illness (organization), and to work in a team (internalizing values). The third domain—the ‘psychomotor’—involves exercise of motor skills, coordination, and physical aspects (Quinn, 2000). Within this domain, the nurse should learn to observe and compare the behavior of a chronically ill patient to another patient (imitation). In this way,

Exchange Rate Regimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Exchange Rate Regimes - Essay Example The impact of the inherent volatility and unpredictability of exchange rates on macroeconomic conditions is central to the debate about fixed and flexible exchange rates. Real exchange rates are defined as nominal rates adjusted for price levels. Since prices for individual countries, when expressed in a common currency, are subject to the variability of exchange rates, bilateral real exchange rates based on individual-country price levels may be infected with measurement errors. The use of one reference country, such as the USA, gives rise to asymmetries. By definition, the exchange rate is a relative price of two assets and, like other asset prices, is determined in a forward-looking manner in which expectations concerning the future course of events play a key role. Consequently, exchange rates are very sensitive to the receipt of new information. The large and sustained changes in nominal and real exchange rates were among the most significant developments in the world economy in the 1980s. For example, in the first half of the decade, the US dollar appreciated by about 40 per cent against most other major currencies and then, in the second half of the decade, declined, reversing all the previous appreciation. These changes gave rise to international pressures associated with rapidly changing competitiveness of exports; intervention by central banks in foreign exchange markets; and intense debate regarding the extent to which these exchange rate changes interact with current account imbalances. Some economists feel that conventional measures of economic growth based on the output of goods and services (gross national product) do not satisfactorily reflect economic welfare, arguing that they ignore factors such as pollution and the negative externalities from congestion.

Strategic Human Resource Search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Human Resource Search - Essay Example Most advisors have felt that the hotel should revise the contracts of some of these hotels in order to keep up the reputation of the larger chain. One of the greatest issues and challenges that faced the hotel chain was the sad reports that most of its chains were affected by bed-bugs (Brody 2011). Well, considering the nature of such reports and the impact it had on the organization, it can indeed be realized that the reputation of Marriot was indeed damaged by the reports which unfortunately were given much airplay and address by news agencies across the world. The reports which were mainly reported in 2010 and 2011 came through complaints on the internet where people reported being bitten by bedbugs after boarding in particular chains of the hotel. The issue became publicized to the extent that news agencies like CNN were able to address it in their casts. Sure enough, in the subject of food and hospitality, tidiness and proper care are simply indispensable (Enz 2010). In such a competitive environment where competitors can greatly gain from any tiny mistakes, the reputation of the organization holds everything. Marriot ind eed lost a lot of potential customers and other strategic partners who felt the hotel was not doing enough to address the very fundamental issues. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, the executives at Marriot have indeed tried to address the issues with a lot of concern by instituting several campaigns to build the seemingly shattered reputation of the organization. The challenge has been great but the Hotel has been forced to invest millions of dollars in the bid to improve its image. Much challenge was thrown to the human resources department in tackling the human resources aspect since most of the fault could be linked with lazy employees. On the same account, much research was conducted on the issue to find out

Raymond Kelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Raymond Kelly - Essay Example If he wins the race, he should quit the NYPD. This is because if he wins, he should focus his attention on his new position instead of distributing his attention which would disturb his focus. It will create hindrances for him in giving equal time to both posts and may make him exhausted. Additionally, he may not be able to exhibit fairness and make an equitable distribution of time for both posts which depict great responsibility. If however, he does not get selected, then he may continue to work in the NYPD which is his actual job and source of fame and popularity. People have mixed opinions about his future in the New York Mayoral Race. However I believe that his actions to remain in the NYPD should depend upon the result of his elections. The posts of a Mayor as well as Police Commissioner are both important and put great responsibility on the candidates appointed. A Mayor has to sort important matters in a state and hence it is a very demanding job. In a similar manner, a Police Commissioner manages crime as well as maintains peace in a state. Considering the nature of these jobs, it is essential the candidates should provide for undivided attention. Thus, if appointed as a Mayor, Raymond Kelly should quit the post of NYC Police Commissioner. Lauinger, J. (2012, May). â€Å"Ray Kelly loses head-to-head matchup for mayor to Christine Quinn,  Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio in new Quinnipiac poll.†New York Daily News. Retrieved from:

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response - Assignment Example This paper finds three of the statements of Brad interesting to look into further for an analysis. The highlight about the information and communication revolution brought about by the technology of Facebook, its ability to cut across social boundaries, and the growing concern about the ownership and usability of the content on Facebook are ideas that are worth scrutiny and analysis for their validity. It is, no doubt, true that Facebook has altered the way people communicate by providing a platform that surpasses the constraints of space and time. The article says â€Å"Facebook promises to change how we communicate even more fundamentally, in part by digitally mapping and linking peripatetic people across space and time, allowing them to publicly share myriad and often very personal elements of their lives† and it â€Å"reconnects regular folks with old friends and strengthens their bonds with new pals †¦help rebuild families† (Stone). This is very much true as the impact Facebook has had on the world internet users. Facebook claims on its website to have â€Å"more than 300 million active users† and it says â€Å"50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day† (Facebook). The extent of its influence is evident in its membership and usage. As the article says, the social networking is so powerful that it has been effectively used for activism as well. It is interesting to note that the article does not add any colour to the previous idea and the author keeps the voice low and account brief as seen in the second shortest paragraph. Secondly, the article says that Facebook has helped users build connections across socio-economic boundaries. To illustrate this, it cites the words of Mr. Zuckerberg who talks about a certain Claus Drachmann, a school teacher, who was successful in inviting Denmark’s Prime Minister for a talk in his school. This was made possible through Facebook, which otherwise would have