Found 39 Articles for Other Topics

Introduction Mimicry can be described as the phenomenon of resemblance in physical characteristics or behavioural traits of an animal with a different animal species, usually of different taxa to gain a selective advantage in its environment. Camouflage, on the other hand, refers to the animal species resembling a non-living or inanimate object. Insects constitute a large percentage of mimicry and practice various forms of camouflage and colouration. Types and Examples In nature, four types of mimicry can be observed in different species of animals. Mullerian Mimicry, Batesian Mimicry, Aggressive Mimicry, and Automimicry Mullerian Mimicry Mullerian mimicry is observed between unrelated ... Read More

Introduction Our demand for food is increasing with the increasing human population. To cope with this situation, our agriculture system needs more food production through a sustainable management system. Pollinators play the most vital role in food production. Ways of Pollination Out of 115 leading global crops of human consumption, 87 depend on animal pollination to some extent. Five to eight per cent of global crop production with a market value of about 235 to 577 billion US dollars can be directly attributed to animal pollination. About 200, 000 different animal species are found to act as pollinators, insects, ... Read More

Introduction Thousands of plant pathogens are known to affect plants. Generally, these plant pathogens are viruses, but they can also be bacteria, fungi, or parasitic nematodes. Most of the vectors of plant pathogens are sucking insects feeding on plant juices of the suborder Homoptera under order Hemiptera. The small stylets of these insect vectors help in the insertion of pathogens to plant cells or vascular tissues with minimum physical damage. Aphids (family Aphididae) are the most widely known vectors of plant pathogens. Whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), leafhoppers (Cicadellidae), plant hoppers (Fulgoridae), mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) and various other hemipteran insects help in the ... Read More

Introduction Metamorphosis can be defined as "a process of profound postembryonic reorganization of tissues which usually prepares an animal for the rest of its life in a different habitat." Metamorphosis is regulated by juvenile hormone secreted from the insect’s brain. Juvenile hormone secretion causes moulting of the insect and results in the emergence of the adult. The soft body of most insects remains covered by a thick envelope called exoskeleton for protection against external environment. An insect pass through egg, larva, pupa, and adult in its life, through growth and transformation. But its exoskeleton has limited capability of expansion. Therefore, ... Read More

Introduction Social insects are more advantageous with respect to solitary insects over solitary insects. Many individuals in the colony increase systematic functioning, organised and efficient working, sharing information through specialised communication about the food resources. It helps in the foraging of the colony, in many cases retaining the memory of previous reward source and select location of profitability. Communication in Ants Foraging communication of social insects has been a subject of study for long. In 1880s, Victorian John Lubbock found that ants use odour for trail networking and foraging. Wassman, his contemporary believed that ants have a sophisticated language encoding ... Read More

Introduction Bioluminescence is an example of chemiluminescence or light emission by chemical reaction in a living organism. ‘Bioluminescence’ is derived from Greek- ‘bio’ means living and ‘lumen’ means ‘light’. It is an enzyme-catalysed reaction, a process of conversion of light energy into chemical energy. The Greeks and Romans were the first to discover glowing organisms and sea phosphorescence. Aristotle described them as ‘cold light’. The first book on Bioluminescence was published by Conrad Gesner in 1555 and later in the nineteenth century, Raphael Dubois extracted two key components- ‘luciferin’ and ‘luciferase’ of this biochemical reaction. Luciferin (from Latin of Lucifer- ... Read More

Introduction Beetles are found everywhere around us. They are very common insects. Beetles belong to the insect order Coleoptera. They can be easily identified by their hard armour-the elytra, giving the appearance of a big nut. Characteristics of Beetles Some of the key features of Beetles are as described below. ⦁ Body structure − Adult beetles can be distinguished by a pair of elytra, the hardened forewings having cryptic colour patterns. The elytra protect the beetle from mechanical damage, predators, parasites, pathogens, and excessive desiccation to increase their longevity and survival. They can adapt to different habitats from deserts ... Read More

Introduction Symmetry describes the harmony or agreement between an organism's dimensions. Since most living species share the form of symmetry they exhibit with their most recent common ancestor, symmetry is employed in the animal kingdom to both classify organisms and identify their common ancestors. Animal Characterization Using Body Symmetry Based on the symmetry of their bodies, animals and plants can be categorized. The term "symmetry" specifically refers to a correspondence of bodily components on either side of a dividing line or dispersed around a central point or axis that are similar in size, shape, and relative location. True animals can ... Read More

Introduction Experiments on properties of acids and bases are one of the most vital topics in chemistry. It is discussed that the sour chemicals usually turns blue litmus into red are called acids. In a similar fashion, bases that are bitter tasting convert red litmus into blue. And acids and bases on reaction with one another give salt and water. This indicates neutralizing i.e, both the base and acid neutralize into the pH of water. These facts will only remain assumptions if not tested and experimented with. Therefore, this article will consist of Experiments on Properties of Acids and ... Read More

Introduction $\mathrm{Fe_3O_4}$ (Iron oxide) is one of the easily synthesized compounds occurring in nature are iron oxides. The iron oxides are better known as magnetic oxides have been in use by humans for ages now. A very common example of magnetic oxides being used are the nanoparticles of iron oxide (IONPS). For around 50 years, they have been used for diagnosis conducted in vitro as a contrast agent. Iron oxides have the formula as $\mathrm{Fe_3O_4}$. They are also simply seen as rust. What is Iron Oxide? Laboratory-easy synthesized compounds, also commonly found in nature are Iron oxides. The ... Read More