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*Aphids & Ants*


*Aphids & Ants*
Photo Information
Copyright: Thorsten Buchen (thor68) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 792 W: 138 N: 1312] (5642)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-06-13
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Sigma EX 105mm F2.8 DG Macro, SanDisk Ultra II 1GB, Hama sky 1A (LA+10) (IV) 58mm
Exposure: f/18.0, 1/80 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-06-13 12:38
Viewed: 949
Points: 20
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Some Aphids and Ants (Black Garden Ant - Lasius niger)
i found today on the stinging-nettle in the garden.
the ants protect and "milk" the aphids.

Aphids secrete a sweet liquid called honeydew.
Normally this is allowed to fall to the ground, but
around ants it is kept for them to collect. The ants
in turn keep predators away and will move the aphids
around to better feeding locations. Upon migrating to
a new area, many colonies will take new aphids with
them, to ensure that they have a supply of honeydew in
the new area.

Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects
in the animal kingdom and are of particular interest
because they are a social insect and form highly
organized colonies or nests, sometimes consisting of
millions of individuals. Colonies of invasive ant
species will sometimes work together and form
supercolonies, spanning a very wide area of land. Ant
colonies are sometimes described as superorganisms
because they appear to operate as a single entity.

Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth and
can constitute up to 15% of the total animal biomass
of a tropical rainforest, in the Amazon the combined
weight of the ants is said to be four times larger
than that of the tetrapods in the same area. As of
2006, there are 11,880 known ant species, most of
which reside in hot climates.

[from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant]
elefantino, aido, SkyF, liziafa, thistle, firelord, Broglia has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Thosten,
also mit Ameisen hatte ich noch nie so richtig Glück, immer etwas unscharf, im Gegensatz zu Deinen hier. Gernial, auch die Farben sind toll, richtig gut gelungen, vielen Dank
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Hi Thor, great macro!
Really inside a 'microcosmos'.
Nice details and compo.

Andrea

  • Great 
  • BeBe Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 124 W: 0 N: 251] (917)
  • [2006-06-13 21:23]

Hi Thorsten, excellent sharp macro photo, knowing the size of this insects the picture is a great capture, Juan

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-06-14 4:48]

Hi Thor,
A nice shot and an interesting note. I watched a programme on TV about Ants a while ago, the social structure within each colony is amazing. They have so many levels of 'responsibility', it really is an amazing society. Something here I didn't know is that they 'farm' the Aphids in the same way that humans farm cows. Amazing. Excellent detail on both the Ants and Aphids, great colours too. Great post.
Cheers,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2006-06-14 6:41]

Hallo Thorsten,
dass man Ameisen so interessant fotogrfieren kann musstest du mir erst zeigen. Wirklich ein toller Bildaufbau mit den super Details und dazu noch mit der interessanten Info.
Gruss..Sky

No time for a decent critique mf,
BUT well deserved :)
Howard

Hi Thorsten,
Very good capture.
Excellent colors, light, POV, DOF and sharp.
Well done!
TFS Malgosia

Hello Thor,
Lovely shot! Ants aren't easy subject and it's difficult to get even one in focus and you have two! ;-) Honestly, I think it's one of best pictures of ants here. The aphids look great as well. I like the POV and framing a lot, great details too.
VERY WELL DONE!

Great picture with exceptional note on the symbiotic relation between ants and aphids. :)

Hi Thorston, great shot. Superb detail. Very sharp and a nice composition too. Regards, Roberto.

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