Tag Archives: greek

How Beetles Hack Into Ant Colonies

Pretending to be one of them, ant-nest beetles trick ants to rear their brood — and then reward their hosts by devouring them. UA entomologists have discovered that the beetles evolve at an astonishing rate.

We’ve all heard the story of the Trojan horse, when unsuspecting Trojans opened their city’s gate to a giant wooden horse, only to find themselves ambushed by the Greek soldiers hiding inside. (more…)

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Predators and isolation shape the evolution of ‘island tameness,’ providing conservation insights

ANN ARBOR — Charles Darwin noted more than 150 years ago that animals on the Galapagos Islands, including finches and marine iguanas, were more docile than mainland creatures. He attributed this tameness to the fact that there are fewer predators on remote islands. (more…)

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Ice-Age Reptile Extinctions Provide a Glimpse of Likely Responses to Human-Caused Climate Change

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A wave of reptile extinctions on the Greek islands over the past 15,000 years may offer a preview of the way plants and animals will respond as the world rapidly warms due to human-caused climate change, according to a University of Michigan ecologist and his colleagues.

The Greek island extinctions also highlight the critical importance of preserving habitat corridors that will enable plants and animals to migrate in response to climate change, thereby maximizing their chances of survival.  (more…)

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