Jürgen Tautz – författare

Jürgen Tautz, renowned German bee researcher explains how bees communicate. Exciting and surprising new insights on communication between bees. 

 From the author of the bestseller “The Buzz about Bees”. “The Language of Bees” assembles, for the first time, a complete overview of how bees understand one another. Although communication biology research on bees has so far concentrated largely on events within the hive, this book directs attention as well, to how bees communicate in the field outside the hive. The reader learns which steps new bee recruits take to reach the feeder a dancing forager has advertised. The book analyses the status of work on the bee dance published over the last 100 years and orders the essential findings as building blocks into a coherent new concept of how bees find their target. In addition, the historical survey of research on the “Bee Language” explains how several contradictory and incomplete hypotheses can still survive. A fresh point of view on one of the most remarkable behavioural performances in the animal kingdom. 

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Tautz is an expert on bees, sociobiologist, animal behaviourist and emeritus professor at the Biozentrum, University of Würzburg. He is a bestseller author and recipient of many awards of excellence for his successful communication of science to a wide public. 

Im Laufe der Evolution haben die Insekten eine schier unglaubliche Formenvielfalt und funktionelle Raffinesse entwickelt. Das Design ihres Außenskeletts ist so phantasievoll und ungewöhnlich, oft auch bizarr, dass man nur staunen kann. Dass Insekten für jedes noch so spezielle Problem Konstruktionslösungen finden können, macht sie überaus erfolgreich. Sie wurden so zu entscheidenden Bindegliedern in den komplexen Netzwerken der Natur. Beindruckende Makroaufnahmen und informative rasterelektronenoptische Bilder geben einen Einblick in Formenreichtum, Schönheit und Funktion der Sechsbeiner. Spannende Texte begleiten die Bilder und erklären u.a. wie der Gelbrandkäfer Wirbeltierhormone als K.O.-Tropfen einsetzt, wenn er von Fischen angegriffen wird, der Kiefernprachtkäfer weit entfernte Waldbrände lokalisiert, der Bombardierkäfer mit seinem Schussapparat gepulste Explosionen abgibt oder die Bläulingsraupe Ameisen bezirzt. In den Ökosystemen unseres Planeten spielen die Insekten eine entscheidende Rolle. Die menschengemachte Umweltzerstörung greift empfindlich in diese Kreisläufe ein. Das gefährdet das Überleben der Insekten, mit dramatischen Auswirkungen auch für uns Menschen.

In the course of evolution, insects have developed an almost unbelievable variety of shapes and functional sophistication. The design of their exoskeleton is so imaginative and unusual, often even bizarre, that one can only marvel. The fact that insects can find design solutions for any problem, no matter how special, makes them extremely successful. They have thus become crucial links in the complex networks of nature. Impressive macro photographs and informative scanning electron-optical images provide an insight into the wealth of forms, beauty and function of the six-legged creatures. Fascinating texts accompany the pictures and explain, among other things, how the great diving beetle uses vertebrate hormones as knock-out drops when attacked by fish, the pine moth beetle locates distant forest fires, the bombardier beetle emits pulsed explosions with its firing apparatus or the blue butterfly caterpillar glamours ants. Insects play a crucial role in the ecosystems of our planet. Man-made environmental destruction is interfering with these cycles in a sensitive way. This endangers the survival of insects, with dramatic consequences for us humans as well.

Attraverso foto spettacolari e un testo di facile comprensione Il ronzio delle api racconta la storia di questo insetto partendo da una prospettiva diversa.

Jürgen Tautz, attraverso le scoperte più recenti, molto delle quali frutto del suo gruppo di lavoro, ci offre la possibilità di venire a contatto con lo straordinario mondo delle api.

L’intera gamma delle sorprendenti attività che le api sono in grado di svolgere trova in questo testo una affascinante rappresentazione.

Pregevoli fotografie, mai viste prima, ritraggono le api impegnate nei compiti più diversi: pulizia delle cellette, cura della prole, accudimento della regina, visite ai fiori, raccolta del nettare, produzione del miele, costruzione dei favi, protezione dell’alveare, termoregolazione, ecc.

Il libro contiene anche immagini di api che si accoppiano, sciamano, combattono, dormono e soprattutto comunicano mediante suoni, profumi e danze.