Never a lender or borrower be, says Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Nature ignores his advice. There is much lending and borrowing in nature’s ways. But perhaps it is more ‘give and take.’ After all, when we lend something, we expect it back. We borrow a lot from nature. Yet, we often forget to give it… Continue reading Nature’s give and take
Category: Nature
Global warming threat to Aardvarks
The effects of global warming may prove counter-intuitive. A clue comes from Aardvarks in their Sub-Saharan habitats. Climate change is making conditions in the semi-arid regions of aardvark distribution hotter and drier. Yet, animals may die of cold with global warming. Perversely, that may be the global warming threat to aardvarks. Aardvarks – nocturnal animals… Continue reading Global warming threat to Aardvarks
Learning from wood mice
Wood mice are essential to woodland life. So, by learning from wood mice, we get a better understanding of ecological intelligence. Study the forest, and we find the intimate relationship between mice, trees and tawny owls. So what do we know about intelligence? In the 1960s, researchers studied animal behaviour in ‘controlled’ laboratory conditions. Placing… Continue reading Learning from wood mice
Ecological Intelligence – from ants to birds and plants
All life demonstrates ecological intelligence, an ability to solve problems as groups or as ecological systems. This is seen in the behaviour of birds migrating, ants foraging and plants growing and spreading their seed. Life is on the move, a continuous and directed motion.
Bird migration strategies – rosefinches
migrating birds adopt seasonally distinct migration strategies: following an energy minimization strategy in autumn, driven by resource availability, and a time minimizing strategy in spring, driven by wind conditions.
Ants use communication to solve problems
Ants are creative in solving the problem.