Lecture 1 Flashcards
How many species of insects are known?
1 million
What other trophic level do insects co-evolve with?
plants, e.g. plants come up with traits that make it hard for insects to feed, and then insects evolve to continue feeding on these plants
What is the earliest time indicating presence of insects?
400 million years ago
What was the environment like during early insect existence?
different abiotic conditions
many more species
What are the 3 most abundant insect species?
beetles, hymenoptera, lepidoptera
What is the general insect body plan?
Draw, slide 20 lecture 1
What is digestion like for an insect?
simple digestion
- simple tube with glands
- salivary glands
- sometimes have a crop present for further breakdown of compounds and sometimes have microbiota
What is the consequence of being a large insect?
- volume increases faster than surface
- increasing problems with diffusion of oxygen
- increasing problems with exoskeleton
What are the consequences of being a very small insect?
- how to cope with reduction in organs, especially brain
- At some point cells/brain cannot become smaller therefore you might end up with a head that is much larger than the body size
What is an example of a small insect that struggles with its small size and brain function?
- Parasitic wasps – can have genetically identical individuals, can have the same genetics but completely different body plan (smaller/larger), can use memory/smell and associate with positive experiences
o Tried to scale down body size and figure out at what point does the brain not scale down at the same linear rate as the body
o Head was almost entirely filled with brain
o They found out that there seems to not be a limit on brain size
o Do smaller wasps differ in brain function?
Bad flyers
What are the 5 trophic levels?
1st trophic level - plant
2nd trophic level - herbivore
3rd trophic level - primary parasitoid
4th trophic level - secondary parasitoid
5th trophic level - tertiary parasitoid
How can distinction in diet affect the body plan of insects?
solid or liquid foods, whether it is plant/animal based can have an influence on body plan, different body structures
What are the types of diet for insects?
herbivores, carnivores, parasitoids, pollinators, detritus feedeers
What are some ecological services of insects?
removing dung
pollination of crops
controlling pests
food for animals/start of food chains
