NationStates Jolt Archive

What does the world have more of: Insects, or blades of grass?

Insects. Grass is only on part of the planet's land; insects are nearly everywhere.

What does the world have more of: Insects, or blades of grass?
Well, I know from here (http://pages.prodigy.net/jhonig/bignum/z15fram.html) that there are about a quadrillion ants in the world alone, and they're not even the world's most common insect. And I'm not sure how prevalent bladed grass is worldwide, but I'd have to side with insects on gut instinct.

There are an estimated 4,000,000,000,000,000 individual insects on Earth... that's quadrillion.. ten pounds of insects for every pound of human. 4-14 million species worldwide.

Not sure about grass, though.

Well, never actually having taken the time to count them, I'm just gonna go with water molocules here.

Blades of grass.

*likes Walt Whitman*

Blades of grass.

*likes Walt Whitman*
Aw, I knew it was gonna come from someone, but I didn't expect it to be you. :D Nah, Walt's cool.

Blades of grass.

*likes Walt Whitman*Isn't it Leaves of Grass? Then again, I imagine they're the same thing.

Isn't it Leaves of Grass? Then again, I imagine they're the same thing.


New and Improved version: if we can't have a decent live first rate poet, let us by all means revere a first rate corpse.

Honestly: Whitman is ever so much better to read than, say, Byron.

The average insect is about the size of a housefly.. about 1/4 of an inch in length... if you lined up 4 quadrillion houseflies, the line could make 500,000 trips around the Earth, or 5 trips to the Sun. I'm guessing insects outnumber grass.

I voted grass, but upon reflection, there are a lot of insects that are near microscopic...and ones that live underground. So meh.

I heard there are about 2 million insects to each human (David Attenborough's, "Life in the undergrowth"),so I think that's about: 12,907,256,000,000,001 insects. I'm sure there are more blades of grass though, considering every lawn, sport's pitch, field, park, and wilderness.

I vote that there are more molecules on and in Earth than both insects and grass.

Win?

New and Improved version: if we can't have a decent live first rate poet, let us by all means revere a first rate corpse.

Honestly: Whitman is ever so much better to read than, say, Byron.I tend to find poetry to be not very interesting, but I haven't read Whitman. I find this to be rather odd because I write poetry - or I used to, anyway.

What is there more of in the Universe, hydrogen or stupidity?

Insects. Grass is only on part of the planet's land; insects are nearly everywhere.
Exactically. There aren't any "blades of grass" in the rainforests, for example.

But I wouldn't exactly bet my life on it. Because there are an awful lot of blades of grass even in a patch of lawn, so to think about all the prairies out there..... Not to mention the golf courses. :p

Exactically. There aren't any "blades of grass" in the rainforests, for example.

But I wouldn't exactly bet my life on it. Because there are an awful lot of blades of grass even in a patch of lawn, so to think about all the prairies out there..... Not to mention the golf courses. :p

There are probably more springtails (Order: Collembola) alone in a square yard of sod than there are blades of grass.. and like you mentioned, large areas of the Earth have no grass.

There are probably more springtails (Order: Collembola) alone in a square yard of sod than there are blades of grass.. and like you mentioned, large areas of the Earth have no grass.
Hmm, I don't even want to know what springtails are (no, seriously, I don't, so no yucky pics please) but if you put it like that, I guess you're right.
I thought about all those endless North American prairies, for example, but then again, if you would look at those blades of grass really closely, you'd definitely find more than one insect living in there for every blade of grass.

So hey, I guess that cinches it. Insects it is!

I tend to find poetry to be not very interesting, but I haven't read Whitman. I find this to be rather odd because I write poetry - or I used to, anyway.

Hint: if you write it, don't read it.
You'll go into plagiarism, depression, or -worse!- writer's block.

What I liked best about Whitman was not poetry, it was his reminiscence of providing care for a wounded soldier on a US-civil war battlefield.

While it may not count as poetry, the simple humanism was impressive.

I tend to find poetry to be not very interesting, but I haven't read Whitman. I find this to be rather odd because I write poetry - or I used to, anyway.

I dont find it interesting to read, but I still write it.

Poetry, to me, is expressive, not creative. I dont write it to create and be great and for people to go 'ooo how deep and meaningful'.. its just to get crap out of my head :D

Hmm, I don't even want to know what springtails are (no, seriously, I don't, so no yucky pics please) but if you put it like that, I guess you're right.
I thought about all those endless North American prairies, for example, but then again, if you would look at those blades of grass really closely, you'd definitely find more than one insect living in there for every blade of grass.

So hey, I guess that cinches it. Insects it is!

They're smaller than a grain of sand.. I wouldn't worry about being grossed out, unless you have a 48x microscope and want to dig into your yard looking for them.. :p

I'm going to go with the grass here.

What is there more of in the Universe, hydrogen or stupidity?
Stupidity, clearly. Just look about you. Can't miss it.

Im feeling optimistic so im going with cookies

Stupidity, clearly. Just look about you. Can't miss it.
I would have gone with the mirror joke but then im nasty :p

They're smaller than a grain of sand.. I wouldn't worry about being grossed out, unless you have a 48x microscope and want to dig into your yard looking for them.. :p
Well, pictures of mites under the microcope gross me out (evil arachno-thingies with their too many legs *shudders*) so I'm not taking any chances. Better safe than sorry. :p

Well, pictures of mites under the microcope gross me out (evil arachno-thingies with their too many legs *shudders*) so I'm not taking any chances. Better safe than sorry. :p

It could help to know springtails from fleas.. might save you some money if you find one in your carpet.. :p People sometimes panic when they see 'em leap.

I haven't minded bugs since my breakfast cereals got infested with pantry beetles back in '99 or so.. no way was I going to let $25 worth of cereal go to waste. Almost all bugs are harmless and don't usually taste like much. :)

New Thought:

There has to be more plant-life ( expressed in biomass ) then animal life ( expressed in biomass ).

The former must outweigh the latter by at least a factor 10.

New Thought:

There has to be more plant-life ( expressed in biomass ) then animal life ( expressed in biomass ).

The former must outweigh the latter by at least a factor 10.

There are only about a million species of plants and animals combined, versus possibly 14 million for insects, but in terms of mass, plant matter probably does outweigh insect matter, I'd think.

There are only about a million species of plants and animals combined, versus possibly 14 million for insects, but in terms of mass, plant matter probably does outweigh insect matter, I'd think.


What's eaten must outweigh what eats.

Bio101. Admittedly some 6 US presidents back.

I haven't minded bugs since my breakfast cereals got infested with pantry beetles back in '99 or so.. no way was I going to let $25 worth of cereal go to waste. Almost all bugs are harmless and don't usually taste like much. :)
*sticks fingers in ears*

Lalalalalalalalaaaaaa.... I'm not listening.....Lalalalalalaaaa....

I would have gone with the mirror joke but then im nasty :p
That's the first place I checked.:p

*sticks fingers in ears*

Lalalalalalalalaaaaaa.... I'm not listening.....Lalalalalalaaaa....
*puts various bugs in your cereal*

Bwahaha! I win! :p

Thank you Nationstates.

*sticks fingers in ears*

Lalalalalalalalaaaaaa.... I'm not listening.....Lalalalalalaaaa....

Anyone done the dust mite thing yet?

Bwahaha! I win! :p

Thank you Nationstates.
I voted cookies.:p

When I sit on my porch, every insect in the city bites me! I'd say insects outnumber the grass! :(

I am pretty sure the answer is insects.

I voted grass but it should be cookies.

I voted grass but it should be cookies.
Why would anyone count bugs or grass when they could be eating cookies?

I think you should throw grains of sand into the mix as well :p

I think you should throw grains of sand into the mix as well :p
This calls for a new thread! :D

This calls for a new thread! :D
:p with polls? :D

It could help to know springtails from fleas.. might save you some money if you find one in your carpet.. :p People sometimes panic when they see 'em leap.

I haven't minded bugs since my breakfast cereals got infested with pantry beetles back in '99 or so.. no way was I going to let $25 worth of cereal go to waste. Almost all bugs are harmless and don't usually taste like much. :)


hmmm.... let me see, flies spread salmonella, mozzies Malaria, cockroaches were studied by the World Health Organization and they found them to carry 41 different pathogens (including polio, tetanus, typhoid, diptheria, salmonella, e-coli, SARS etc. etc).

Bed-bugs spread hepatitis, beetles salmonella. etc. etc. I'll shut up now. Lets just say I know all this cos I had to study it as part of my pest control training.

Also - to those who mentioned mites - they are classified as arachnids as they have 8 legs. Insects only have 6 legs.

:p with polls? :D

Obviously.

Oh, and do strands of human hair.

Obviously.

Oh, and do strands of human hair.


Oh and probably made for tv Lifetime movies, about a woman being stalker/raped/beat up. there are a lot of those too!

Grass, because it is on a lower trophic level than Insects. (Not taking into account other plants, though...)

Grass, I'd say.

Obviously.

Oh, and do strands of human hair.
Quoted for emphasis and as my reply. Funny how you posted what I was thinking.

Oh and probably made for tv Lifetime movies, about a woman being stalker/raped/beat up. there are a lot of those too!
Excellent. Let's fill the poll with joke options like this. It's brilliant!:D

I say insects, since some of them even live in bodies. Grass is not nearly as hardy, as evidenced by our ruined lawn every time it rains real hard here.

I say insects, since some of them even live in bodies. Grass is not nearly as hardy, as evidenced by our ruined lawn every time it rains real hard here.
Your grass sucks.

Your grass sucks.


I feel a yo momma joke..wait wait..here it comes....


Not as much as yo momma sucks :p

I feel a yo momma joke..wait wait..here it comes....


Not as much as yo momma sucks :p
Ew. If you knew my mother, you would vomit until you passed out.

Hint: if you write it, don't read it.
You'll go into plagiarism, depression, or -worse!- writer's block.

What I liked best about Whitman was not poetry, it was his reminiscence of providing care for a wounded soldier on a US-civil war battlefield.

While it may not count as poetry, the simple humanism was impressive.Ah, I can see how such a thing would be inspiring.

I dont find it interesting to read, but I still write it.

Poetry, to me, is expressive, not creative. I dont write it to create and be great and for people to go 'ooo how deep and meaningful'.. its just to get crap out of my head Ah, I see. I write for much of the same reason, but ideally it would have some meaning to the person reading it (and not just them saying that it's deep and meaningful, either, there's a lot of poetry like that).

New Thought:

There has to be more plant-life ( expressed in biomass ) then animal life ( expressed in biomass ).

The former must outweigh the latter by at least a factor 10.Yes, but many animals eat other animals and don't eat plants at all.