Insect Preservation In Amber

We call the formation of fossils “fossilisation”. Fossils form in a really unique way, and it depends on several factors. It is quite hard to have all the favorable conditions to form a fossil. The corpse of the dead animal is usually eaten, or it is even affected by the presence of bacteria before the process of fossilisation can start. Erosion and corrosion are also responsible for destroying harder parts of the body, such as the bones. In order for the process

Volk is a writer for Discover magazine and he follows around Darren Cox who is a 50 year old beekeeper who tries to make a change. The biggest question they are trying to answer is what is killing the bees, and how can it be stopped? Cox’s bees do not produce the amount of honey they used to and he would like to see an answer. Another point they consider is that the bees are not only dying, but they are weakening. He believes that the quality of work that bees put out is diminishing, which is then leading to the decrease in the quality of the honey in recent years. Volk’s article helps display how losing bees will impact us significantly. As far as solving the bee problem it is not what I was looking for but, I will use it as an example of what needs to change.

The Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes is a short story about a relationship between a teenage girl and her abuelita. Although, the title seems unfitting for a story about a loving relationship between family members the significance of the moths, in this story, has a much deeper meaning than one would think. Like many other aspects of the piece, the insects have a symbolic meaning in order to convey the author’s feelings during the time of her grandmother’s death. Throughout the story we see the use of multiple descriptions, settings, as well as dialogue in order to pass a message to the audience. The Moths is not only a story about death and brokenness, but a story about cures and peace. Upon further examination of this narrative, the story presents symbolic attributes about the main characters personalities, descriptions, and religious imagery that tell the story about a cure for brokenness, a rebirth of hope, and coming of age.

“‘Treat all people -- even the most unsightly beetles -- as though they were angels sent from heaven’” (29). In Mawi Asgedom’s memoir, Of Beetles and Angels, he talks about the obstacles he faces through growing up. Throughout Mawi’s life he overcomes the obstacles of racial prejudice, school bullies, and financial disadvantage, which motivated him to build a fulfilling successful life.

Females lay white spherical eggs on the trunk, and produce a yellow viscous material from the ovipositor which is smoothed over into a covering, before fading to white or grey. Larvae exit the egg directly into the plant, never becoming exposed, and so are impervious to sprays. Young larvae are restricted to the cambium, circling the cane 3-4 times in a close spiral, girdling the primocane, and producing gall-like swellings. As larvae grow, they extend feeding deeper into wood and pith, and staightening the spiral and heading usually toward the distal end of the cane (tunnels may extend 15 cm below to 64 cm above the gall). Larvae reach a length of 12 mm, and have a pair of horn-like projections on the posterior end. The larvae are white and legless, with a flattened head (the family is often called flat headed borers). Larvae winter in the cane, and in March create a pupal chamber. The pupa is formed in late April. The pupal period lasts 20-40 days. When the adult leaves the pupal skin, it remains in the tunnel for about 10 days before chewing a D-shaped emergence hole. Adults feed on foliage for several days before beginning oviposition. They are most easily found on the plants on warm sunny days. There is one generation

The creosote bush grasshopper has a simple body. It has a rounded head capsule which contains the compound eyes, chewing mouth parts, and the short thread-like antennae, which are always shorter than the rest of body (Estella, 2009). The middle thoracic segments and part of the abdomen are covered by a type of hard shield called a pronotum which extends from the first thoracic segment. The forewings are leathery but they are not used for flight. Instead, they protect the delicate hind wings. They also have long jumping hind legs, which enable them to leap well over 20 times their body length (Anonymous, 2015).

Diatomite is a rock that forms from the silica cell walls of a group of unicellular algae known as diatoms. Diatoms are found in both fresh water and salt water. When they die, their cell walls dissolve under water and become compacted over time into diatomite. The fossilization rock, may have fossil remains of many kinds of plants preserved within it. Amber is considered a mineral that is used as a gem but is less valuable than precious stones. Amber or semiprecious stones is the fossilized resin produced by earlier cone-bearing evergreen trees. Before resins harden, floral parts, pollen grains, fungal spores, and other plant parts may become trapped and be preserved. Amber is valued for jewelry and as fossils mainly from two parts of the world, the region of northern Europe and the Dominican Republic. When describing different types of fossilization, specific qualities of the fossil are used. A two-dimensional with organic material is called compressions. The physical 3-D structure is compressed to one or two-dimensions. Peat, lignite, and coal are compressions of thick plant debris of covered mineral sediment. Impressions are two-dimensional imprints lacking organic material. If the sediment is grained, impressions may show detailed external forms of the plant. Casts and models is a three-dimensional that has a surface layer of organic material. A cast is made when sediment is deposited into cavities left by the decay of plant parts. A mold is a cavity left in the sediment by the decayed plant tissue. Molds are usually unfilled, or partly filled with sediment. Casts and molds may be found together with the cast filling the mold. Permineralizations are also three-dimensional with plant tissue being infiltrated by mineral-rich fluid. The internal structure of the plant is preserved in three dimensions. Lastly, molecular fossils are non-structural and preserves organic

In June of 2011, the Asian Longhorned Beetle was found in Clermont County, about 30 minutes from where I live now. Clermont County is home to East Fork State Park, a 4,870 acre state park which is comprised of about 50% woodland. The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is an invasive insect in Ohio that will host in about 10 different types of trees. This is an important topic to me because this invasive insect is not only single-handedly taking down forests in Ohio, but the introduction of an invasive species also disrupts the soil, air, and water quality. I chose this topic because more people need to be aware of the little things they are doing that can affect the environment. By moving firewood, different types of lumber, or nursery stock to a location that is not affected by the ALB will just make matters worse.

Wash any jars or cans you are putting back into the pantry in hot soapy water. When restocking your pantry, always place the food in jars with a rubber ring and metal clasp or sealed plastic containers. Zipper bags will not work. Your food must be protected by something more than a bag to keep pantry moths at bay.

While I certainly do not consider myself one who is particularly concerned with the environment, I do enjoy God’s creation and find that making my little corner of the world friendly for a wide variety of flora, fauna, and animal life brings an amount of satisfaction to me. Therefore, my three goals tie into things that are already important to me.

Beeswax and resin were important for making weaponry. These bee by-products were used to fasten pieces of stone to wood. This would be achieved by heating the wax until it became a malleable liquid and would then be poured over the two materials and left to dry. Once dried, the honey would harden acting as a strong ‘glue’ to hold the material together to be used for hunting

The mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae) is a native insect of North America that induces pine tree mortality from bark boring infestation. On average, the MPB lives for one year with four stages of development (egg, larva, pupa and adult). The MPB remains burrowed within a host pine tree throughout all four stages of its life except in the late fall when the mature beetles leave a brood tree in search of a new reproduction site. When a MPB finds an optimal tree for infestation, pheromones are released which attract a swarm of adult beetles. After successfully burrowing into the Pine bark, egg galleries are created for the 75 eggs each female will lay, and these eggs develop into larvae that feed on the host tree's phloem.

The author argues that cedar bark beetle which is a species of insect parasites endanger the yellow cedar. Conversely, the lecturer brings up the idea that the yellow cedar is much more resistance to insects than other species trees due to its bark releases a powerful chemical poison which is fatal, so insects are killed by attacking to bark.

In 1993 Volkswagen had record low sales but by the end of 1997 the VW brand had sold 137,885 cars. That was an increase of 178% from it’s 1993 slump. It is safe to say that the the ’94 relaunch of VW on the American Market was a success. The “Drivers Wanted” campaign, developed by Arnold Communications, I believe was successful as a result of excellent market research and positioning.

: Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient organisms which have been preserved. For example, a fossil can exist as skeletal remains or even as a footprint. Such organisms are subjected to a slow rate of decaying since they have been rapidly buried under conditions that facilitate this. It is common for fossils to occur as hard-bodied organisms as these are more resistant to environmental influences. Fossils are usually found embedded in rock. The layers of rock are of different age and makeup. Hence fossils found in one layer would vary in characteristics from those found in another layer. They can be observed and analyzed through visual as well as radiometric means so that the age and morphology can be determined. These features indicate