The Science of Ant Communication

I have just finished reading The Science of Ant Communication (how ants talk to each other) a free ebook by Pamela Paterson who has a master's degree in science. The interesting thing is that the ebook actually contains the same book written twice, once in an everyday layman language for the general public and then again another version written in a more scientific language for the specialists. I read both yet enjoyed the simplified version more. I guess she has written the more scientific version first then simplified it into the easier-to-read version later.

I found a few interesting things in this short ebook. She says that ants communicate with one another using various means one of which is through pheromones which are chemicals secreted by a number of different glands in present in the ant's body which are then picked up by other ants through their olfactory sense (sense of smell). Ants can also produce sounds, despite them not having ears, yet they sense the vibrations that travel through the ground. They produce the sounds not through a vocal apparatus like humans and other animals but by moving specific parts of their bodies same as like with some other insects.

The Science of Ant Communication

It was interesting to see in the book that there are so many different kinds of ants and that they differ greatly in their habits yet still share common methods for communication. I also liked to know the specialization of ants in the ant kingdom, some of them act as guards, other scouts for food, still others clean their nest while others go out for foraging and bringing food to the nest. And of course there is the all respected queen ant same as with bees which have a queen (which some arguably call the mother in case of the bees).

One of the things that also interested me was what is called tandem running where two ants walk together in the direction of the source of food while one of them being the leader and the other the follower. The leader 'teaches' the follower how to reach the source of food. This tandem running results in slower movement yet helps the ant that is following to learn and be able to later inform the other ants and act as the leader in the next trip towards the food source with a different ant that would now act as its follower. I noticed in the references section at the end of the ebook a reference to a paper titled Teaching in tandem-running ants which made me very interested due to the word "teaching" in it.

Another interesting this she mentioned was that ants do not speak to one another directly but rather give signals that increase the probability of other ants carrying out a certain behavior. Furthermore, they may use more than one method of communication simultaneously in order to make their message get through more strongly and hasten the response from other ants.

There are so many other interesting things found in this tiny ebook that are worth reading. I recommend reading the part written in layman language rather then the one written in a more scientific one, unless you are specialized in the field.

Growing Moringa in my Balcony

Having bought a pack of Moringa seeds from the Sahara Exhibition that was held in Cairo last month I selected a suitable day for planting them where the moon was in a suitable zodiac. I watered thoroughly and waited. I waited for several days and there were no signs of anything germinating. I kept my fingers crossed for a week and more yet nothing still happened. I started to worry but still had hope. Upon visiting my pots in the balcony a few days ago I discovered that 3 of the seeds have actually germinated and shot up superbly. Two days ago I found that a fourth seed has also germinated while the others grew taller and a bit bigger. I rejoiced!

Today I Googled for [harvesting moringa] and came across this interesting article about harvesting Moringa leaves. I'm planning to harvest some leaves and try to make tea out of them when the plants are a bit bigger. I had tasted Moringa tea before and it tasted wonderful!

Moringa leaves

Having Googled a few days ago for [growing moringa] I came across this webpage about growing Moringa from which I learnt that the variety I am growing is called Moringa Oleifera. I realized this from the picture of the seeds present in that webpage. The other type of Moringa, that I am not growing, is called Moringa Stenopetala, which is actually the one I had tasted the tea of several months ago.

I hope my moringa trees start growing rapidly and I start harvesting their leaves to make tea out of them and perhaps eat the leaves as well!

Gecko in my Balcony

When I first witnessed a gecko darting across the wall in my balcony I had a strong adrenaline rush and ran away quickly in fear. I was afraid that it could be harmful causing any diseases or so. After checking online, I realized that geckos are pretty harmless and even kept as pets by some.

I started being less fearful of geckos after learning about their harmless nature. They kept coming to my balcony time and again to visit the plants I was growing in pots in my balcony.

Green Gecko

Although I have lost my fear from geckos, except from the really large ones particularly when they run so fast, yet they seem to still by absolutely terrified upon seeing me. I tried once and again to approach them slowly to win their trust but without succeeding. I even tried to calm down my thoughts thinking that maybe they sense one's own energy and probably perceive things through their senses in a different way than humans do. It still didn't work, yet.

I have noticed that after watering the plants they tend to come. I noticed that they come for humidity. I realized later that after watering the plants some humidity loving insects flourish in the soil inside the pots and the geckos seem to feed on them hence their appearance after I water the plants.

I'm still unable to enjoy looking at them or observing them. I only manage to get a very brief glimpse of them every now and then as I enter the balcony and see them suddenly darting by hiding behind some pot as I enter.

Ecology is my Passion

I have just completed a training course by Mohamed Tohami called From Passion to Profit in which he helped us find our passions.

I am creating this blog as a means of broadcasting whatever interests me in the field of ecology as I have discovered that ecology is my passion.