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Weighing Ants with High Precision Weigh Module in Biology Experiment
The WMC weigh module is normally used in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. It is the ideal instrument for weight measurement in very small spaces. Now researcher, Ulrike Bauer has shown that it is also excellent for weighing ants.
In regions with deficient soil, some plants have developed a special strategy: They trap insects in order to improve their nutrient balance. This helps them thrive even on barren substrates like rocks, moors, and swamps.
These flowers' favorite food is ants, which they attract with sweet nectar.
Ants are adaptive insects that can respond quickly to the presence of a predator by relocating their ant colony. So why don't they learn to stay away from pitcher plants? Ulrike Bauer wants to prove with her research project that there is a good reason for this.
"I want to show that there is not a traditional predator-prey relationship between pitcher plants and ant colonies, but rather a symbiotic- relationship where both sides derive a benefit," says the biologist.
In order to test her hypothesis, Bauer wants to find out how much nectar the ants take from the plants.
For this purpose, she has developed an experimental setup in which the ant colony has to cross a bridge to reach a pitcher plant. Half of the span has an integrated ultra-compact WMC weigh module that automatically records the weight of the ants when they cross. This allows Bauer to measure exactly how much nectar the colony harvests. At the same time, a camera films the insects and counts how many workers are on their way to and from the plant. Because each ant can carry a maximum of one milligram of nectar, a sensitive module that can detect slight weight differences is needed. The WMC weigh module from METTLER TOLEDO is well suited for this, with its unique combination of extremely high precision and small size. The WMC weigh module is normally used in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. It is the ideal instrument for weight measurement in very small spaces. In a split second, it delivers highly accurate results, which is why it is very popular among customers in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries.
Currently, her research project is still in its initial phase, but Ms. Bauer expects to have the first results sometime later this year.
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