The superorganism : the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies

Bibliographic Information

The superorganism : the beauty, elegance, and strangeness of insect societies

Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson ; line drawings by Margaret C. Nelson

W.W. Norton, c2009

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Superorganism promises to be one of the most important scientific works published in this decade. Coming eighteen years after the publication of The Ants, this new volume expands our knowledge of the social insects (among them, ants, bees, wasps, and termites) and is based on remarkable research conducted mostly within the last two decades. These superorganisms—a tightly knit colony of individuals, formed by altruistic cooperation, complex communication, and division of labor—represent one of the basic stages of biological organization, midway between the organism and the entire species. The study of the superorganism, as the authors demonstrate, has led to important advances in our understanding of how the transitions between such levels have occurred in evolution and how life as a whole has progressed from simple to complex forms. Ultimately, this book provides a deep look into a part of the living world hitherto glimpsed by only a very few.

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Details

  • NCID
    BA88540720
  • ISBN
    • 9780393067040
  • LCCN
    2008038547
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    New York
  • Pages/Volumes
    xxi, 522 p.
  • Size
    26 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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