Transcript File
INSECTS Some (Review) Characteristics • 3 segments – Head, Thorax, Abdomen – 3 pairs = 6 legs • • • • • 1 pair of antennae (usually) 2 pairs of wings (usually) Compound Eyes Spiracles and Tracheal Tubes Various interesting mouthparts! So…Let’s Review… Segments, Legs, Antennae Antennae Compound Eyes • Made of many lenses • Brain assembles all images into 1 single image • Excellent at detecting movement! – That’s why it’s so hard to swat a fly! Compound eyes see little bits and pieces all at the same time – the brain then makes them all into 1 image Spiracles and Tracheal Tubes Very Cool Mouthparts! Siphoning Lapping PiercingSucking Sponging Chewing Metamorphosis Incomplete • 3 stages • Egg Nymph Adult Complete • 4 stages • Egg Larvae Pupa Adult Incomplete Egg Nymph (No wings, Can’t mate) Adult (wings, Can mate) Complete Egg Larva Pupa Adult Communication Sound – Bees, crickets, cicadas Visual – Fireflies Chemical – alarms, sex attractant, social order Insects and Humans… Beneficial or Detrimental? Benefits • Pollinators for many crops – 1/3 of the food you eat depends on plants pollinated by animals (insects too!) • Produce commercially valuable products – Silk, wax, honey Get rid of Dead Trees, Dead Animals and Poop Some are even considered a delicacy! Negative Effects Termites destroy wood, Moths destroy wool! Termite Damage! Moth Damage! Painful Stings! Velvet Ants are though to have the most painful sting of any insect! Wasp Stinger Fire Ants The Infamous Boll Weevil Eradication programs are still in place Benefit! Enterprise made it good with peanuts instead! Disease Mosquitoes – Yellow Fever, Malaria, Heartworm, Dengue Fever, Filariasis Bloodsucking Conenose (kissing bug) – Chagas’ Disease TseTse Fly – African Sleeping Sickness Body Lice – Typhus What is history’s worst disease carrying insect? No, not that Flea You know, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers! Yes, the flea that caused the Bubonic Plague The Black Death occurred from 1347-1352 and reduced the world’s population from 450 million to around 350 million Even though insects can cause damage, if we didn’t have them, the world wouldn’t be able to function like it should VS. Okay, Maybe not to that extreme… But insects are certainly cool! Let’s watch the movie now