EFTA01768684.pdf

From: Corina Tarnita Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 8:04 AM To: Jeffrey Epstein Subject: Re: i'm studying relationships between ants and trees -- ants defend trees =gainst herbivores; trees provide food and shelter for the ants. and there&=39;s a very interesting ant that in certain parts of kenya is a good mutua=ist and in other parts is parasitic (sterilizes the tree and prevents it f=om reproduction). i made a model to show that can happen when the system i= invaded by another ant species which is agressive and dominant -- so the =resence of a third species can lead to a switch in the behavior of an exis=ing one, from mutualist to parasite. the reason it sterilizes is because then the tree diverts th= energy resources otherwise used for reproduction into making more food an= shelter for the ants. this way the ant colony gets larger and stronger an= has a much better chance against takeovers by the invader. now that trees are budding and flowering we're goin= to different regions where the invasive ant is present, absent, or presen= but not yet spread all over the system, and measure how that affects the =ehavior of the other ant species. thus far it's quite promising -- the=hypothesis seems to be supported and the model turns out to be predictive =f the amount of sterilization observed in the different regions. have you ever been to kenya? I'm falling in love wi=h the place.. =n Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 9:03 AM, Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]> w=ote: what is the experiment On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 8:13 AM, Corina Tarn=ta wrote: dear jeffrey, i'm so sorry but i will miss your visit to cambridge. I'm in kenya =ow at a research center here doing modeling and field work with my collaborators and we decided to extend the trip because finally the rains are coming (and that part is crucial for our experiment). i'm really really sorry and hope to see you sometime soon. c EFTA_R1_00078758 EFTA01768684  The information contained in this communicat=on is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use of the a=dressee. It is the property of Jeffrey Epstein Unauthorized use, di=closure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictl= prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, p=ease notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to [email protected], =nd destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachm=nts. copyright -all rights reserved --146d042dfea919b1bd04bd9f09a1-- date-last-viewed 0 date-received 1334390656 flags 8590195713 gmail-label-ids 22 2 remote-id 217298 2 EFTA_R1_00078759 EFTA01768685