form and fucntion

… species of insects discovered and described but estimated up to … insect species on earth

>1 million, 10 million

all arthropods have…

Segmented bodies, Chitinous exoskeleton, Jointed appendages, Bilateral symmetry

what is part of the insect body plan?

head, thorax, abdomen, antennae, compound eye, mouth parts, fore leg, mid leg, hind leg, 2 pairs of wings, spiracle

what are 3 reasons for insect adaptations?

Find/eat food, Avoid predation/parasitism, Reproduce

what are the parts of the insects head?

compound eye, ocelli(simple eye), antennae, complex mouth part

what are the parts of the complex mouth part?

labrum, mandible, maxilla, labium

mandibles help with…

eating solid foods

Haustellate help with…

sucking up liquid

Insect mouthparts are highly modified for…

• Chewing/biting

• Lapping/sucking

• Sponging

• Piercing & Sucking

• Siphoning

what are mandibles used for?

biting/chewing, defense, burrowing

what insects have mandible?

grasshopper, may fly, army ants

what insects have lapping/sucking mouth parts?

bees

what insects have piercing/sucking mouthparts?

aphids, assassin bugs, mosquitos

why are mosquitos carries of diseases?

coming in to contact with tissues and internal fluid

what insects have sponging mouthparts?

blow and house flies

what are insects with siphoning mouth parts?

Butterflies and moths

what is the key part of siphoning mouth part?

galeae

Generalist species can…

feed on a wide variety of things and thrive in various environments

Specialist species eat…

a limited diet and occupy a much narrower niche

what are the three feeding guild?

grazers, seed predators, parasites

primary defenses…

Avoid interaction with predator

secondary defenses…

Scare predator off or escape

tertiary defenses…

fight after capture

examples of primary defensive behavior…

Crypsis, Mimesis, Aposematism

Crypsis is…

blending in with background, paired with still behaviour

what are two examples of crypsis?

peppered moth, orchid mantis

mimesis is…

you mimic something inedible

aposematism is…

show predators how unpalatable they are

what is one downside of aposematism?

there is a sacrifice for the prey so the predator can learn the signal

Cover your tracks E.g. concealing feeding damage, sneak by guard is a…

defensive behavior

Secondary defensive behavior is….

Escape mechanisms, startle behavior and evasive behavior

what are examples of tertiary defensive behavior?

Spines, bristles, hairs, armor, Chemical defences

Stink bugs have…

specialized exocrine glands that produce foul-smelling hydrocarbons

Blister beetles…

discharge cantharidin in their haemolymph from their leg

Bombardier beetles… produce

forceful discharges of boiling hot quinone and steam

Nasute termite soldiers have…

nossle-like projections through which they secrete immobilising cocktails

Saddleback caterpillars have…

hollow body hairs that contain a painful irritant

what are the chemical defenses?

Repellency, Induce cleaning, Adhesion, Cause pain/discomfort

what sensory systems do insects have?

vision, chemoreception, sound, hygoreceptors, mechanoreceptors

what do simple eyes detect?

light intensity, Photoperiod

what do compound eyes detect?

shape, movement, distance, color

what are examples of bee vision?

UV, Polarisation, Distance, Speed

bees can’t see…, but can see…

red, uv light

flowers have evolved to…

have marking in uv light to attract bees

Bees calculate…

distance from the speed of image movement across their eyes = “optic flow”

the waggle dance: how long=…, angle=…

how far food is, where the food is

insect olfaction

form of antennae tells…

how much the insect relies on it

Antennae are used to detect…

plant chemistry, animal chemistry, decaying material, pheromones

pheromones =

chemicals made to alter behavior

Pheromones used for…

Sex, Aggregation, Warning (alarm), Trail-marking (ants)

Electroantennogram measures…

the response of insect antennal receptor cells to smells

what are the types of insect movements?

walking, digging, flying, jumping, wriggling, swimming

what adaptations are there for walking?

Adaptations for adhesion / gripping surfaces

why is it important for insects to be highly maneuverable?

find resources, escape predators, colonize new habitats, territorial behavior

why do wings allow?

Flying insects are highly maneuverable, Visual signals (toxicity, attraction), Provide protection

flight patters…

To find food, mates, oviposition sites

what are dispersal flight patterns?

Colonising new resources, Responding to change

Why are insects so successful?

• Exoskeleton and tracheal system

• Evolution of flight

• specialised appendages

• Small size

• High reproductive capacity

• Metamorphosis

Ecosystem processes of insects…

Primary production consumers, Food sources for secondary consumers, Decomposers, Disease vectors, Population regulators, Pollinators