Biological teams live
Stumble It!Much of the foundation of bioteaming is based on the organisation, communications and behavior of social insect societies. The BBC has a wonderful series Life in the Undergrowth narrated by David Attenborough with a whole programme dedicated to Supersocieties and Super-organisms.
You can see short video clips of all the best bits including Giant Asiatic honeybees and Mangrove ants.
The Programme Trailer says
It's easy to be dismissive of invertebrates because, being so small, they often pass us by unnoticed.
But some invertebrates have overcome the limitation of their small size by banding together in huge numbers.
Many of these societies are so fine-tuned in the way they operate it's as if they were a single being or, in the words of David Attenborough, a "super-organism".
And by working together they can achieve great things.
Take, for instance, African termite mounds that act as huge ventilation systems and are so sophisticated in their structure that we humans are only just unravelling how they work.
But insect societies aren't all shining examples of co-operative Utopias.
As a bumblebee colony reaches its maximum size towards the end of summer, conflict spreads among the female workers; eventually they turn on their mother - the queen - and sting her to death.
The programme ends with two insect societies meeting head on as Matabele ants raid a nearby termite mound.
The ensuing battle lasts just 15 minutes and ends with a most horrific scene of carnage
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Bioteams Books Reviews
The Organizational Zoo
I was introduced to an interesting book and web site, The Organizational Zoo, by Arthur Shelley which offers humorous observations of the characteristics and behaviours of the other creatures in your "organizational Zoo".
Buy it now from:
Amazon.Com
Amazon.Co.UK
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