21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments
linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:18:05

linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:18:05

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THE BASE IDEA. “Darwinian evolution, as it was first conceived, has two dimensions: adaptation, that is, selection based upon “apt function”, defined as the “good fit” between an organism’s metabolic and biological demands and the environment in which it is embedded; and heredity, the transmissible memory of past apt function.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments
linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:16:53

linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:16:53

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THE SUBJECT MATTER of this fragment is the seemingly unimpressive termite nest exits that stick above ground. “The various types of Macrotermes mounds. a. An open-chimney mound. b. The spire-topped mound of M. michaelseni. c. The low mound of i.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments

linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:13:31

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AUTHOR “J. Scott Turner (born 11 August 1951) is an American physiologist who has contributed to the theory of collective intelligence through his fieldwork on the South African species of termite Macrotermes michaelseni, suggesting the architectural complexity and sophistication of their mounds as an instance of his theory of the extended organism or superorganism. His theory was reviewed in a range of journals, including Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, the New York Times Book Review, EMBO Reports, and American Scientist.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Scott_Turner View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments

linkedin post 2020-10-17 05:10:45

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FRAGMENT FROM NATURE highlights a lovely article by Professor J Scott Turner at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry on the superorganism, the mound-building termite of South Africa. These creatures are insect farmers life Leafcutter ants, and cultivate gardens of fungi for food. But they also regulate their hive, which is some two meters underground by means of an external chimney. And this article is about how the worker termites with short lives carry the institutional memory forward that enables them to repair the hives. Enjoy this snapshot of marvelous nature. https://lnkd.in/dj6JZnD View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments

linkedin post 2020-10-16 03:38:16

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PHYSIOLOGICAL PLASTICITY. "Other physiological examples are to be found in carbon assimilation (photosynthesis rates) and dry matter partitioning indicate that herbivory and pest defence mechanisms can generate enormous numbers of physiologically distinguishable individuals arising from the moving target model." http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/1/1.full View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments
linkedin post 2020-10-18 04:11:27

linkedin post 2020-10-18 04:11:27

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STRUCTURE BETRAYS FUNCTION. “The mound’s differentiated structure is important to its function. The mound is a wind-driven lung that intercepts kinetic energy in turbulent wind and filters it through an elaborate network of tunnels that ultimately connects the nest air to the atmosphere. For many years, it was thought this tunnel network served to direct bulk flows of air through the nest, driven either by buoyant nest air heated by the colony’s metabolism, or by tapping into boundary layer gradients in wind speed.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments
linkedin post 2020-10-18 04:08:49

linkedin post 2020-10-18 04:08:49

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EXOPULMONARY ORGAN. “The structure of the Macrotermes mound is strongly differentiated from that of the nest, which is the genus’ fourth distinctive feature: the mound is an organ of “extended physiology” that serves a physiological function, capturing energy in turbulent wind to power respiratory gas exchange for the colony. The need for such an organ is considerable: the collective metabolism of the termites and fungi is equivalent to that of medium-size to large domestic livestock.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-016-9256-5 View in LinkedIn
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21Sep 2022 by Nigel Fleming No Comments

linkedin post 2020-10-16 03:36:03

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PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY AS FORESIGHT. “Plasticity is the degree to which an organism can be changed in response to environmental signals and is, as indicated earlier, a clear example of plant intelligence. Plasticity can be expressed in both physiology and morphology.” http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/1/1.full View in LinkedIn
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