Colony Collapse Disorder:

Eric Lindblom

Navigation

collapse007

Eric Lindblom

Harvard

Harvard University

Harvard

credit: modbee

Superorganism:

Theoretical

Biology

Colony Collapse Disorder:

Theoretical Biology

General Systems Theory: Superorganism

photocredit: isss.org

"... actually, in my view of the world information is constituted of three fundamental fragments: nonreferential information, referential information, and statereferential information; and the referential fragment is responsible for the ontology of the system ...." B

Bela A. Banathy

Collapse: "Latin collapsus, past participle of collabi, from com- + labi to fall, slide" http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/collapse

See for detail: http://referential.bravehost.com

NonReferential information:

"Biologists agree that social insect colonies, such as ant nests or beehives, are best seen as such superorganisms." ~Heylighen

The Social Superorganism and its Global Brain

Author: F. Heylighen,
Updated: Jul 7, 1997
Filename: SUPORGLI.html

photocredit: bees co

"It is an old idea, dating back at least to the ancient Greeks, that the whole of human society can be viewed as a single organism. Many thinkers have noticed the similarity between the roles played by different organizations in society and the functions of organs, systems and circuits in the body. For example, industrial plants extract energy and building blocks from raw materials, just like the digestive system. Roads, railways and waterways transport these products from one part of the system to another one, just like the arteries and veins. Garbage dumps and sewage systems collect waste products, just like the colon and the bladder. The army and police protect the society against invaders and rogue elements, just like the immune system.

Such initially vague analogies become more precise as the understanding of organisms increases. The concepts of systems theory provide a good framework for establishing a precise correspondence between organismic and societal functions. The fact that complex organisms, like our own bodies, are built up from individual cells, led to the concept of superorganism. If cells aggregate to form a multicellular organism, then organisms might aggregate to form an organism of organisms: a superorganism.

Biologists agree that social insect colonies, such as ant nests or beehives, are best seen as such superorganisms."

http://pcp.lanl.gov/PCP-book.html

Ontology: "a particular theory about the nature of being or the kinds of things that have existence"

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/ontology

Referential information:

"the referential fragment is responsible for the ontology of the system ...." B

The Problem: Superorganism

"British beekeepers are seeing an alarming amount of a disease that is wiping out 50%-75% of some hives in the US and Europe.

The condition has been called Colony Collapse Disorder, and DEFRA have described the symptoms as "the total collapse of bee colonies, with a complete absence of bees or only a few remaining in the hive".

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/bees_disease_l.php

Honey Bee Die-Off Alarms Beekeepers, Crop Growers, Researchers

American Beekeeping Federation

"An alarming die-off of honey bees has beekeepers fighting for commercial survival and crop growers wondering whether bees will be available to pollinate their crops this spring and summer.

Researchers are scrambling to find answers to what’s causing the affliction– recently named Colony Collapse Disorder — which has decimated commercial beekeeping operations across the country. As more beekeepers in cold wintering locations get into their colonies, the number of states affected is expected to grow.

"During the last three months of 2006, we began to receive reports from commercial beekeepers of an alarming number of honey bee colonies dying in the eastern United States," says Maryann Frazier, apiculture extension associate at Penn State University. "Since the beginning of the year, beekeepers from all over the country have been reporting unprecedented losses."

http://abfnet.org/news/honey-bee-die-off-alarms-beekeepers-crop-growers-researchers/

Colony Collapse Disorder Preliminary Report

Map of U.S. States Reporting Colony Collapse Disorder

http://www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/pressReleases/ColonyCollapseDisorderWG.html