EFTA Document EFTA02003858

To: jeeyacationeDgmaitcom[jeeyacation@gmaitcom]; Jeffrey Epstein[jeevacation©gmail.com] From: Corina Tamita Sent Sat 4/14/2012 8:04:16 AM Subject Re: I'm studying relationships between ants and trees -- ants defend trees against herbivores; trees provide food and shelter for the ants. and there's a very interesting ant that in certain parts of kenya is a good mutualist and in other parts is parasitic (sterilizes the tree and prevents it from reproduction). i made a model to show that can happen when the system is invaded by another ant species which is agressive and dominant -- so the presence of a third species can lead to a switch in the behavior of an existing one, from mutualist to parasite. the reason it sterilizes is because then the tree diverts the energy resources otherwise used for reproduction into making more food and shelter for the ants. this way the ant colony gets larger and stronger and has a much better chance against takeovers by the invader. now that trees are budding and flowering we're going to different regions where the invasive ant is present, absent, or present but not yet spread all over the system, and measure how that affects the behavior 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 of the amount of sterilization observed in the different regions. have you ever been to kenya? I'm falling in love with the place.. On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 9:03 AM, Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]> wrote: what is the experiment On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 8:13 AM, Corina Tamita wrote: dear Jeffrey, I'm so sorry but i will miss your visit to cambridge. I'm in kenya now 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). ?m really really sorry and hope to see you sometime soon. c The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may PROT2 PROT0 constitute inside information, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the property of Jeffrey Epstein Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to [email protected], and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. copyright -all rights reserved PROT3 PROT1