Entomology: Relatives Insects
Entomology: The Study of Insects and their Relatives
Insects and their terrestrial relatives belong to the phylum called Arthropoda and have inhabited the earth for an extensive time. Paleontologists show that the earliest fossils, most primitive forms of arthropods date back to the Devonian Period over 350 million years ago (Henning 1981). By the Age of Dinosaurs, 300 million years ago, insects were abundant in number and diversity. Like the dinosaurs, some pre-historic forms of insects were enormous: the dragonfly Meganeuropsis had a wing span of 35 inches, and the giant Mesozoic relatives of the scorpions, the eurypterids, measured over 6 feet in length (Borror and others 1992).
The origins and evolution of insects and related groups is complex. Insects themselves may have descended from the many-legged animals that were similar to present-day centipedes. The functional effectiveness of six-legs was decided early, for it is a constant feature among orders of insects. Wings must have also given considerable advantage to even the earliest insects, which dominated the air millions of years before flying reptiles, birds, and bats. Insects took advantage of multiple developmental stages, metamorphosis, to further diversify occupying many niches and thus increase their chances for survival. All these characteristics contributed to the overriding success of insects as a group: today insect species outnumber those in all other living groups combined (Borror and others 1992).
How Do Insects Interact with Humans
People benefit from insects in many ways, without them, human society could not exist in its present form. In contrast, many insects are destructive, and truly quite obnoxious. Most people are aware of the injurious insects and their effects than they are of the beneficial insects. The destructiveness of these creatures normally hides their beneficial aspects. The many roles that insects play, friend or foe, have an importance in our lives.
The
Insects and their terrestrial relatives belong to the phylum called Arthropoda and have inhabited the earth for an extensive time. Paleontologists show that the earliest fossils, most primitive forms of arthropods date back to the Devonian Period over 350 million years ago (Henning 1981). By the Age of Dinosaurs, 300 million years ago, insects were abundant in number and diversity. Like the dinosaurs, some pre-historic forms of insects were enormous: the dragonfly Meganeuropsis had a wing span of 35 inches, and the giant Mesozoic relatives of the scorpions, the eurypterids, measured over 6 feet in length (Borror and others 1992).
The origins and evolution of insects and related groups is complex. Insects themselves may have descended from the many-legged animals that were similar to present-day centipedes. The functional effectiveness of six-legs was decided early, for it is a constant feature among orders of insects. Wings must have also given considerable advantage to even the earliest insects, which dominated the air millions of years before flying reptiles, birds, and bats. Insects took advantage of multiple developmental stages, metamorphosis, to further diversify occupying many niches and thus increase their chances for survival. All these characteristics contributed to the overriding success of insects as a group: today insect species outnumber those in all other living groups combined (Borror and others 1992).
How Do Insects Interact with Humans
People benefit from insects in many ways, without them, human society could not exist in its present form. In contrast, many insects are destructive, and truly quite obnoxious. Most people are aware of the injurious insects and their effects than they are of the beneficial insects. The destructiveness of these creatures normally hides their beneficial aspects. The many roles that insects play, friend or foe, have an importance in our lives.
The
Cited: Fenster C. B., Ambruster W. S, Wilson P, Dudash M. R. 2004. Pollination syndromes and floral specialization. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 35: Borror D. J., Triplehorn CA, & Johnson N. F. 1992. An Introduction for the Study of Insects. Forth Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Gorham J. R. 1976. Insects as food. Bulletin of Society of Vector Ecology, 3: 11-16. Gould F, Schliekelman P. 2004. Population genetics of autocidal control and strain replacement. Annual Review of Entomology, 49: 193-218. Henning W. 1981. Insect Phylogeny. New York: Wiley and Sons. Hogue C. L. 1993. Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Kettle D. S. 1993. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, Yokoyama T. 1963. Sericulture. Annual Review of Entomology 8: 287-306.