Pest Management Professional, June 2016
Pest trends Desert ants beat heat with mirror like coats A study published on PLOS recently revealed that the silvery coat of an ant species in the Sahara Desert reflects sunlight which reduces their body temperature and allows them to withstand high temperatures Hairs on the top of Saharan silver ants Cataglyphis bombycina act as mirrors so the ant doesnt absorb the PROBLEM VIRUSES BED BUGS LICE BACTERIA DUST MITES ROACHES FLEAS ODORS TICKS GERMS MILDEW FUNGUS CENTIPEDES FIREBRATS SALMONELLA ENTERICA PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA PENICILLIUM VARIABILE STAPHLOCOCCUS AUREUS TRICHOPHYTON MENTAGROPHYTES INTERDIGITALE HERPES SIMPLEX VACCINIA VIRUS ASPERGILLUS NIGER Solved desert heat which can reach up to 122 F in the summer Previous research showed that the silver hairs aided in the prevention of overheating but it was unclear how Quentin Willot an evolutionary biologist at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium as well as other researchers analyzed the path of reflected light inside the ants dense hairs then compared that to the light path in shaved ants whose hairs were removed The study Total Internal Reflection Accounts for the Bright Color of the Saharan Silver Ant shows that the hairs increase light reflection by nearly 10 times which results in a lower internal body temperature while under sunlight The top of each workers head thorax and abdomen is covered with the thick prism shaped silver hairs MORE ONLINE ScienceDaily com releases 2016 04 160413151051 htm Total internal reflection a phenomenon that occurs when a light wave hits the hairs of the ants has been reported as a side effect of superhydrophobic leaves in water as well as in fireflies according to the study Total internal reflection within the ants hair is responsible for their silver shimmer The desert is a harsh place where animals fight to survive so most predators lurk at night when the temperatures drop With the silver ants ability to work in the sun they are less likely to be devoured by lizards who seek shelter when the sun is too hot It has been shown that silver ants have evolved remarkable thermoregulatory solutions to cope with the thermally stressful conditions of their natural environment the study states 26 June 2016 Pest Management Professional mypmp net PHOTO Bjørn CHrisTian Tørrissen Wikimedia Saharan silver ants capture a desert beetle
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.
