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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| "I for one welcome our new Ant overlords..." |
| 2005-03-22 |
| Global warming could trigger ant invasions Global warming may lead to an unexpected threat from the insect world - swarming invasions of tiny ants - suggests new research. The study of 665 ant colonies in environments ranging from tropical rainforests to frozen tundra suggests that in warmer environments the ants' body size shrinks, on average, while the number of individuals in the colony booms. Interesting response. One might almost think they'd been through this process before... Global warming might shrink ant workers by as much as a third, says Michael Kaspari at the University of Oklahoma, US, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, who carried out the study: "And since ant species with small workers appear to be particularly successful at invading, ant invasions - already destructive - may become more common in a warming world." It's pretty damn common in my kitchen already. Kaspari found that worker ant and colony size varied almost 100-fold in his survey of ant colonies in 49 ecosystems in the Americas. Average nest populations varied from 63 workers in a cold temperate pine forest, to over 9000 workers in a hot, temperate desert. "The tiniest colonies are not much bigger than the inside of a Cheerio while the largest colonies can fill up a garbage can," he told New Scientist. Garbage can? C'mon, some of the big leaf-cutter colonies cover acres, pal... |
| Posted by:mojo |
| #22 Yep, that's the infamous "cross-dressing" picture. My great-great-great grandpappy probably turned over in his grave, he being in the 4th Alabama and all. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-03-22 9:08:08 PM |
| #21 yikes twoer Db now. That's DecaonMan and Ace. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 6:49:16 PM |
| #20 Check the link Em, that's Db and Ace. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 6:48:31 PM |
| #19 Deacon, we need a picture of Ace. I gotta see what all the fuss is about... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-03-22 6:10:21 PM |
| #18 Rantburg Classic™? |
| Posted by: Korora 2005-03-22 6:02:02 PM |
#17 It's said now that people will be shorter in height, |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2005-03-22 5:18:49 PM |
| #16 Ya gotta admit, Ace is one handsome horse, a goober, but handsome. I have to be really careful when we're crossing a stream. He likes to lie down in it and roll over. Dang near drowned me oncet. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-03-22 4:20:40 PM |
| #15 Indeed DeaconMan. Fire Ants are worser than blue bellies. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 3:52:44 PM |
| #14 Ah, yes, Helstrom's Hive. Gave me the heebeejeebees. I read recently where fire ants are becomming a big problem in China. Hell, we've been battling them in South Alabama for a looooong time. Right Ship? |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-03-22 3:41:39 PM |
| #13 I'm not worried. Due to global warming, the melting polar ice caps will just drown them. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-03-22 3:38:14 PM |
| #12 Hellstrom knew... |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-22 3:35:57 PM |
| #11 "You see a bug hole, YOU NUKE IT." |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-03-22 3:27:28 PM |
| #10 "BUGS!..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-03-22 2:34:57 PM |
| #9 starship troopers? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-22 2:30:48 PM |
| #8 warmer environments the ants’ body size shrinks, on average, while the number of individuals in the colony booms. I can handle the little guys... but what happens during an ice age? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-22 2:28:35 PM |
| #7 ed - what brain? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-03-22 2:20:45 PM |
| #6 So the dream is EU unity is really an Atta cephelotes conspiracy. Let's open up Giscard d'Estaing's cranium and see just what is really controlling his brain. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-03-22 1:47:32 PM |
| #5 take a look at Google's main page Silly me, I thought it was blue Easter Egg dye. Silly silly... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-22 1:39:15 PM |
| #4 C’mon, some of the big leaf-cutter colonies cover acres, pal... One super-colony of South American ants, with millions of nests and billions of individuals, stretches 6,000 kilometres around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, researchers have found. Every ant in the colony treats every other as its nest-mate - even though they may be quite unrelated. The nests have buried their differences to create the largest cooperative unit ever discovered, say Laurent Keller of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and his colleagues1. "You can mix Spanish and Italian ants and there’s no aggression," says Keller. "We were extremely surprised to find this." |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-03-22 1:33:23 PM |
| #3 In related global news, wishing you all a happy International Water Day! That will be 5¢ please, For The Children. And go take a look at Google's main page... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-03-22 1:15:44 PM |
| #2 I am sure that before this comes to pass, some Israeli would invent fierce nanoant warriors. Ant worker paradise does not stand a chance! |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-22 1:00:57 PM |
| #1 |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-22 12:59:59 PM |