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apocatastasis
King of the Jungle
Joined: 15 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:35 pm Post subject: Insect neurotransmission and hemoglobin. |
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This is a very cool subject, in my opinion. Our resident Dr. Martin wrote hsi thesis in neuroscience on this topic. This thread is devoted to the discussion of this subject. I hope we can all learn alot from an expert in the field.
To begin, I am curious about the neurotransmitters in ants. What function does acetylcholinesterase have in ants?
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject: Re: Insect neurotransmission and hemoglobin. |
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| apocatastasis wrote: | This is a very cool subject, in my opinion. Our resident Dr. Martin wrote hsi thesis in neuroscience on this topic. This thread is devoted to the discussion of this subject. I hope we can all learn alot from an expert in the field.
To begin, I am curious about the neurotransmitters in ants. What function does acetylcholinesterase have in ants? |
In a nutshell, its important in the transmission of nerve impulses. You can discover this by use of pesticides against ant test subjects. The pesticides cause a break down in their acetylcholine, which is a chemical involved in transmitting nerve impulses across the junctions between nerves. Without this functioning AChE, acetylcholine accumulates, producing rapid twitching of the involuntary muscles, convulsions, paraylsis and ultimately, death. Chlorpyrifos, or chlorpyrifoso-oxon are several toxics involved with killing the nervous systems of the insects that we studied. |
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apocatastasis
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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edit
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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| apocatastasis wrote: | | edit |
acetylcholine, which is a chemical involved in transmitting nerve impulses across the junctions between nerves.
In essence, its an enzyme necessary for the motor functions in ants. |
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apocatastasis
King of the Jungle
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Very cool, Dr. Martin.
Let's move on to ant "communication". Do ants have a language of some sort?
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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| apocatastasis wrote: | Very cool, Dr. Martin.
Let's move on to ant "communication". Do ants have a language of some sort? |
Not really, no. Most animals do not have a language.
The ant brain is so tiny, its almost incapable of thought and organization. Which is one of the many amazing and inexplicable things about nature. Ants are a good example of why I believe God exists. They have a certain swarm intelligence that is unexplainable with the exception of their being an initial creator in the process. In regards to language, however, humans are unique in the effect that they are basically the only type of animal to possess an actual language of sorts.
Are you aware that ants are able to carry food up to 7 times their own body weight, and also able to set up amazingly complex colonies with social "castes" in which every member has a role? This is mostly an Entomological issue, but I do have some experience in dealing with this area a bit. The ant social behavior is nothing short of amazing. |
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apocatastasis
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Are you aware that ants are able to carry food up to 7 times their own body weight, and also able to set up amazingly complex colonies with social "castes" in which every member has a role? This is mostly an Entomological issue, but I do have some experience in dealing with this area a bit. The ant social behavior is nothing short of amazing however. |
Yes, it is amazing. I was under the impression, however, that in most colonies, many ants play no role at all but to sit around and eat. Is that true?
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apocatastasis
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Dr. Martin.
Here's something I've wondered about: How are are neurotransmissions encoded in ants?
Also, in Endopterygota, what is special about the relationship between the permeability of the pre-synaptic membrane and the width of the synaptic cleft?
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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| apocatastasis wrote: | | Quote: | | Are you aware that ants are able to carry food up to 7 times their own body weight, and also able to set up amazingly complex colonies with social "castes" in which every member has a role? This is mostly an Entomological issue, but I do have some experience in dealing with this area a bit. The ant social behavior is nothing short of amazing however. |
Yes, it is amazing. I was under the impression, however, that in most colonies, many ants play no role at all but to sit around and eat. Is that true? |
They do far more than just that. They lay a trail of pheromone down in order to allow their fellow ants to detect the food sources. I will say that they also deposit this pheromone while walking, and each ant prefers to follow this direction rich in the pheromone. The ant colony is able to find the shortest route in this manner. The first ants to return should normally be those on the shortest route, so this will be doubly marked with phermone (once in each direction). Other ants will be more attracted to the path doubly marked with pheromone than otherwise.
This has ironically enabled us as humans to be able to create complex IT problems, such as rerouting traffic in a busy communications network. So Endomology is a very important study of Science.
They're also able to have symbiotic relationships with other insect species, such as aphids, or plant lice. The sap-sucking abilities of the aphids usually attracts the ants from this food source.
Ants are also able to overtake colonies however. A parasitic queen can enslave the inhabitants of the other species. The queen actually will attack and conquer the queen of other species and then is able to cover herself with the odour of the other queen so as to gain dominance and acceptance by the colony's residents.
Ants are truly a phenomenol creature.
Last edited by unverified2 on Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Trinity1
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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This is one way to avoid those rising tuition costs at the local university I suppose. 
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Trinity1 wrote: | | This is one way to avoid those rising tuition costs at the local university I suppose. |
I suppose you could say so.... . |
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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Also, in Endopterygota, what is special about the relationship between the permeability of the pre-synaptic membrane and the width of the synaptic cleft?
Membrane-bound vesicles with the pre-synaptic membrane of the neuronal cell results in a release of a neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft within Endopterygota. Thats an easy one. |
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Any further questions? |
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unverified2
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Forgot this one:
Here's something I've wondered about: How are are neurotransmissions encoded in ants?
The encoding was not what my main concern was within the research that I did.
I could explain this to you, but its very long and involved.
Last edited by unverified2 on Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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apocatastasis
King of the Jungle
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| Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Dr. Martin.
I think you've missed something. What you said is just an explanation of how EVERY neuron transmission works. I specifically asked what was special about the relationship. I also also asked about permeability and the width of the synaptic cleft. Can you answer this for me? Thanks.
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