Habits and Traits of the Ant Family

Habits and Traits of the Ant Family Ask any insect enthusiast how they became so interested in bugs, and hell probably mention childhood hours spent watching ants. Theres something fascinating about social insects, especially ones as diverse and evolved as the ants, the family Formicidae. Description Its easy to recognize ants, with narrow waists, bulbous abdomens, and elbowed antennae. In most cases, when you observe ants you are only seeing the workers, all of which are female. Ants live underground, in dead wood, or sometimes in plant cavities. Most ants are black, brown, tan, or red. All ants are social insects. With few exceptions, ant colonies divide labor between sterile workers, queens, and male reproductives, called alates. Winged queens and males fly in swarms to mate. Once mated, queens lose their wings and establish a new nest site; males die. Workers tend to the colonys offspring, even rescuing the pupae should the nest be disturbed. The all-female workforce also gathers food, constructs the nest, and keeps the colony clean. Ants perform important tasks in the ecosystems where they live. Formicids turn and aerate the soil, disperse seeds, and aid in pollination. Some ants defend their plant partners from attacks by herbivores. Classification Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HymenopteraFamily – Formicidae Diet Feeding habits vary in the ant family. Most ants prey on small insects or scavenge bits of dead organisms. Many also feed on nectar or honeydew, the sweet substance left behind by aphids. Some ants actually garden, using gathered leaf bits to grow fungus in their nests. Life Cycle The complete metamorphosis of an ant may take from 6 weeks to 2 months. Fertilized eggs always produce females, while unfertilized eggs yield males. The queen can control the sex of her offspring by selectively fertilizing the eggs with sperm, which she stores after a single mating period. White, legless larvae hatch from eggs, completely dependent on worker ants for their care. The workers feed the larvae with regurgitated food. In some species, pupae look like colorless, immobile adults. In others, pupae spin a cocoon. New adults may take several days to darken into their final color. Special Adaptions and Defenses Ants employ a fascinating variety of behaviors to communicate and defend their colonies. Leafcutter ants cultivate a bacteria with antibiotic properties to keep unwanted fungi from growing in their nests. Others tend aphids, milking them to harvest sweet honeydew. Some ants use a modified ovipositor to sting, like their wasp cousins. Some ants function as little chemical factories. Ants of the genus Formica use a special abdominal gland to produce formic acid, an irritating substance they can squirt as they bite. Bullet ants inject a strong nerve toxin when they sting. Many ants take advantage of other species. Slave-making ant queens invade colonies of other ant species, killing the resident queens and enslaving her workers. Thief ants raid neighbor colonies, stealing food and even young. Range and Distribution Ants thrive throughout the world, living everywhere except Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, and a few isolated islands. Most ants live underground or in dead or decaying wood. Scientists describe nearly 9,000 unique species of Formicids; almost 500 ant species inhabit North America. Sources Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallAnt Information, University of ArizonaFormicidae: Information, Animal Diversity Web

Oxbow Lakes - Information and Examples

Oxbow Lakes s Rivers flow across wide, river valleys and snake across flat plains, creating curves called meanders. When a river carves itself a new channel, some of these meanders get cut off, thus creating oxbow lakes that remain unconnected but adjacent to their parent river. How Does a River Make a Loop? Interestingly, once a river begins to curve, the stream begins to move more rapidly on the outside of the curve and more slowly on the inside of the curve. This then causes the water to cut and erode the outside of the curve and deposit the sediment on the inside of the curve. As the erosion and deposition continue, the curve becomes larger and more circular. The outer bank of the river where erosion takes place is known as the concave bank.   The name for the bank of the river on the inside of the curve, where sediment deposition takes place, is called the convex bank. Cutting off the Loop Eventually, the loop of the meander reaches a diameter of approximately five times the width of the stream and the river begins to cut the loop off by eroding the neck of the loop. Eventually, the river breaks through at a cutoff and forms a new, more efficient path. Sediment is then deposited on the loop side of the stream, cutting off the loop from the stream entirely. This results in a horseshoe-shaped lake that looks exactly like an abandoned river meander. Such lakes are called oxbow lakes because they look like the bow part of the yoke formerly used with teams of oxen. An Oxbow Lake Is Formed Oxbow lakes are still lakes, generally, no water flows in or out of oxbow lakes. They rely on local rainfall and, over time, can turn into swamps. Often, they ultimately evaporate in just a few years after having been cut off from the main river.   In Australia, oxbow lakes are called billabongs. Other names for oxbow lakes include  horseshoe lake, a loop lake, or cutoff lake.   The Meandering Mississippi River The Mississippi River is an excellent example of a meandering river that curves and winds as it flows across the Midwest United States toward the Gulf of Mexico. Take a look at a Google Map of Eagle Lake on the Mississippi-Louisiana border. It was once part of the Mississippi River and was known as Eagle Bend. Eventually, Eagle Bend became Eagle Lake when the oxbow lake was formed. Notice that the border between the two states used to follow the curve of the meander. Once the oxbow lake was formed, the meander in the state line was no longer needed; however, it remains as it was originally created, only now there is a piece of Louisiana on the east side of the Mississippi River. The length of the Mississippi River is actually shorter now than in the early nineteenth century because the U.S. government created their own cutoffs and oxbow lakes in order to improve navigation along the river. Carter Lake, Iowa Theres an interesting meander and oxbow lake situation for the city of Carter Lake, Iowa. This Google Map shows how the city of Carter Lake was cut off from the rest of Iowa when the channel of the Missouri River formed a new channel during a flood in March 1877, creating Carter Lake. Thus, the city of Carter Lake became the only city in Iowa west of the Missouri River. The case of Carter Lake made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Nebraska v. Iowa, 143 U.S. 359. The court ruled  in 1892 that while state boundaries along a river should generally follow the natural gradual changes of the river when a river makes an abrupt change, the original border remains.

The roles and influences of the various actors and groups involved in Essay

The roles and influences of the various actors and groups involved in policy-making - Essay Example Thus, tourism, for any State, creates job opportunities, bringing in money, while forming a cost-effective measure to revive ‘run-down communities’ (ibid). A sustainable and well-managed tourism sector is environmentally advantageous for the country, subsequently assisting in elevating the quality of lives for the local inhabitants. Thus it is imperative that public policies on an economic sector as important as tourism be carefully framed, keeping in mind various aspects like economic development of the chosen location, sustainability of the entire project, amongst many others. Policies, in both public and private sectors, provide a framework for making decisions, and help to connect the process of strategy planning with actual implementation (Wheelen and Hunger, 1990). Tourism policy is can be viewed as "a set of regulations, rules, guidelines, directives, and development objectives and strategies† (Goeldner, Ritchie & McIntosh 2000, 445). In tourism policymaking , the focus would involve around creating guidelines for the development of sustainable tourism along with a plan for future measures and developmental route (Jenkins 2000). The Tourism industry in any country includes other business sectors like hospitality services, museums, heritage sites, various events, and transportation, thus making it imperative that besides the governmental authorities, various actors and groups form other business sectors remain involved or taken under consideration while framing policies for tourism. This essay will examine the various actors and groups that remain involved in tourism policymaking, the levels of influence of the various groups involved in tourism policy-making and how this has changed over time, and evaluate the linkages and/or partnerships that exist between groups involved in tourism policy-making especially in the context of UK tourism policymaking. Discussion A brief analysis of tourism industry in UK: UK tourism primarily is domestic based, and figures (fig 1) show that UK residents make more than â€Å"1bn overnight trips and day visits† annually, which comes to a count of nearly of 17 trips per person residing in UK, subsequently leading to almost ?67bn being circulated within UK economy each year (Tourism-Alliance, Tourism: Britain’s best opportunity for sustainable economic growth and new employment, 2010, 1). Fig 1: Domestic Tourism Expenditure by Destination. Here we find that redistribution of expenditure within UK tourism occurs mainly from urban centres like large cities and towns, and moves towards small villages and communities that live near the sea. (Source: Tourism-Alliance, Tourism: Britain’s best opportunity for sustainable economic growth and new employment, 2010, 1). In the arena of international tourism, UK is a popular destination, with large number of foreign visitors coming in each year. These overseas tourists act as a booster for the UK economy (as shown in fig 2), a s they bring in annual revenue worth almost ?19bn (which is worth more than the revenues earned from North Sea oil). Of the revenue generated the foreign tourists, nearly â€Å"?3.5bn goes straight to the Exchequer through Air Passenger Duty and VAT to help fund health, education and other public services†

Athletes and Drugs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Athletes and Drugs - Research Paper Example on drug abuse because current trends indicate that college athletes are also inreasingly abusing drugs not only for recreational purposes but to enhance their athletic ability. According to Sturmey, the use of recreational drugs and performance enhancing drugs among athletes has increased exponentially since the 1980s leading to the deaths of several athletes and banning of others from competitions (859). Drugs are substances that alter physiological processes in the body and their usage can result to significant tisssue damage and even death. In sports, drugs usage abuse the integrity of the competition by providing the drug users with unfair advantage. The irony in the whole scenario is that athletes are expected to be conscious of their health and aviod habits that can jeorpadize their chances in competitions. However, the need to be more stringer has driven athletes to use strength enhancing drugs. The pressure and stress associated with athletics also drive some athletes to take recreational drugs. Evidence of Drug Abuse by College Athletes. A study conducted by The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug use and Violence Prevention, realized that drug abuse among college athletes was on the increase and had actually surpassed drug abuse among non-athletes. The observed trend was a total turn around to previous findings that had realized that athletes were unlikely to use drugs because they needed to maintain physical fitness. A study conducted by Meldrum & Judy established that already 1% of college athletes were using anabolic steroids and a further 12% revealed that they were considering to use strength enhancing anabolic steroids. A related study documented in Family Practice Notebook outlines that in the current situation in America 80%-88% of college students consume alcohol, 20%-36% use marijuana, 17% use Cocaine, 8% use amphetamine and 2%-6% use anabolic steroids. The findings of these studies are shocking and indicate college athletes are

The contributions of Washing and Jefferson Essay Example for Free

The contributions of Washing and Jefferson Essay In 1789, the first person was elected to become the first president of the United States of America under the Constitution. The first person was Washington. Following Washington years later was the third president, Jefferson. The first few presidents of the United States contributed to establish a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution. They stabilized the government through international affairs and internal affairs. Washington contributed to the stability of the government through internal affairs. One such series of affairs started out through the Hamiltons Fiscal Plan. Because of the Fiscal Plan, which was made to stabilize the economy, was the reason for the Whiskey rebellion. What Washington did was take out the rebellion. He used federal force to push the rebellion down under. Through that event, it showed the nation the federal power that the government had and therefore strengthens it. Washington also established the judiciary branch and its power through the Judiciary Act of 1789. This strengthened the judicial branch of the government making the government more rounded and stronger internally. Similarly, Washington also strengthened the stability of the government through international affairs. One such event would be the conflict with Britain and France in 1793. France wanted the US to side with them because of the Franco-American Alliance in 1778; however, Washington didnt want to get involved with other nations problems. Washington declared the Neutrality Proclamation in 1793. This kept the US out of any conflict. This neutrality would be the basis of all of the USs foreign policy for the next hundred years. Like Washington, Jefferson also aided in the stability of the government under the Constitution through internal affairs. One internal affair that Jeffersons term of office went through was the Marbury vs. Madison Case of 1803. The resolution of this conflict strengthened the stability of the judicial branch of the government and therefore strengthening the stability of the government. Jeffersons election also found flaws in the Electoral College which lead to the 12th amendment of the constitution which fixed the problem in the election process which strengthens the stability of the  government. Similarly, Jefferson also strengthened the stability of the government through international affairs. One such event would be the Tripolitan War. This event led to the development of the US navy and marines. They would strengthen the nations protection forces which in turn strengthen the US government. The following years after the presidency of Washington and Jefferson were able because of the contributions that Washington and Jefferson made to stabilize the government. Both presidents aided in the stability of the government through internal affairs like fixing flaws in the Electoral College and through international affairs like foreign policies with Britain and France.

The Rise of Democracy in Britain Essay -- British Politics Papers

The Rise of Democracy in Britain The dynamic course of the nineteenth century set off a revolution within the realm of British politics. Foreign influence and domestic transformation created a situation where individual interests were forced into the public sphere for political reconciliation. The shift towards democratic government was largely unscripted because Britain had no written constitution to guide its path. Thus, Britain’s pursuit of democracy was not prescribed by any rules or written precedents. Instead, it was the outgrowth of an immediate national responsibility to fulfill the demands of the disenfranchised. Britain’s journey towards democracy cannot be explained without taking into account the many factors that spurred its development. The forces responsible for advancing democratic government in Great Britain were the diverse products of a unique set of evolving social, economic, and political structures. To understand the forces that propelled Britain towards democracy in the nineteenth century, one must first look back to the preconditions that fostered contemporary social change. The development of democratic government and the rise of capitalism are intrinsically linked. Necessary to the ideology of capitalism was the notion that the free individual was making a personal investment of labor or service and receiving the means with which to purchase property in return. Thus, a person of property was politically invested. Industrialization, however, changed the economic climate that had defined the way politics operated prior to the nineteenth century. Suddenly, society contained groups of people who were worki... ...tension that pushed forward the original reforms of 1832. This spirit of public demand for political representation would be essential in propelling the future advances of British democracy. As the political demands of the middle and working class came into the public sphere for the first time, the second track of political change arose. Political organizations placed their goal at giving public demands a parliamentary voice. The subsequent evolution of political parties and interest groups shaped the composition of Parliament and its attitude towards reform. In the final analysis, the influence of the public and the interests of the parties that had developed to represent their needs came together to push through the great nineteenth century reforms that later stood as buttresses to the structure of British democracy.

Social Inequality to Kill a Mockingbird

Social Inequality Think of social inequality. Is it fair for people to be ranked and divided simply because of their social status? Maybe you’re thinking of the high school social rankings but it’s more than that. People are being treated according to their social classes by the colour of their skin or their family background or financial status, all aspects that we do not have a choice in. Take the Royal family for instance. They are on the top of the pyramid, simply because of their status and wealth; people will treat them differently to how they would treat us commoners.They are deemed superior simply because they are the Royals, but it is only because they were born into that family with a silver spoon in their mouths. What about those homeless people on the streets? Would you treat them the same way you would treat the royals? In To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finches were a pretty well off family with Atticus being related to nearly everyone in town and his job as a lawyer provided sufficient money to support his family. The Cunningham family on the other hand, are poor famers that try to scrape along with what they have.They are ridiculed because of their lack of wealth, and because they were ‘Cunninghams’. Although the Cunninghams are poor, they are respectable because they find other ways to pay instead of money. Scout is unaware of such things as social standings, but is however, aware that the Cunninghams are poor; and points out rather helpfully to her first grade teacher Miss Caroline, that Walter Cunningham is ‘a Cunningham’ so he would never be able to pay back her quarter if she had lent it to him.Later Scout is disgusted by Walter’s eating manners, which leads to her being scolded by Calpurnia to not judge someone because of whether they were poor or not. Even if the Cunninghams were poor, they were nothing compared to the Ewells. They were typical ‘white trash’ characters that lived with horrible hygiene, uneducated and did not abide by the law. The Ewells were considered the worst of the worst with their uncouth manners and language. Most people avoided them but felt sorry for them just like Tom did for Mayella. However he helping her only led to landing him a court case and ultimately death.But even below the Ewells on the social pyramid is the black community. They are deemed even worse than the Ewells because they are Negroes. The colour of their skin decided their social status and people judged them simply because of that. They put up with far worse treatment than the Ewells or the Cunninghams. Social inequality just goes to show if people are labelled ‘Cunningham’ or ‘Ewell’ or ‘Negro’. It is pigeonholing people into someone might not be. Social status does not decide the people we are and people should be treated equally no matter what.