Can I read The Guests of Ants : How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts on EtoBox?

The Guests of Ants : How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts by Bert Hölldobler, Christina L. Kwapich is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

What is The Guests of Ants : How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts about?

A fascinating examination of socially parasitic invaders, from butterflies to bacteria, that survive and thrive by exploiting the communication systems of ant colonies. Down below, on sidewalks, in fallen leaves, and across the forest floor, a covert invasion is taking place. Ant colonies, revered and studied for their complex collective behaviors, are being infiltrated by tiny organisms called myrmecophiles. Using incredibly sophisticated tactics, various species of butterflies, beetles, crickets, spiders, fungi, and bacteria insert themselves into ant colonies and decode the colonies' communication system. Once able to "speak the language," these outsiders can masquerade as ants. Suddenly colony members can no longer distinguish friend from foe. Pulitzer Prize–winning author and biologist Bert Hölldobler and behavioral ecologist Christina L. Kwapich explore this remarkable phenomenon, showing how myrmecophiles manage their feat of code-breaking and go on to exploit colony resources. Some myrmecophiles slip themselves into their hosts' food sharing system, stealing liquid nutrition normally exchanged between ant nestmates. Other intruders use specialized organs and glandular secre

Who reads The Guests of Ants : How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts?

Author

Bert Hölldobler, Christina L. Kwapich

Publisher

The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press

Published

2022

Language

EN

ISBN

9780674276451

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

Science, Zoology, Stem