THE DOMINANCE OF INSECTS
Most successful group of organisms on the planet
1. NUMBER OF SPECIES
• Every 2 out of 3 living things is an insect
• Entomologists described more than 900,000 kinds (species) insects
still five to seven times as many are yet to be discovered
❖ Plant Kingdom 400,000 species
❖ Animal Kingdom 250,000 species
2. NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
• Another way to look a the dominance of insects is to consider the
distribution and density of individual species of populations.
• Small size and high reproductive potential = population of epic
proportions
Contd…
• A single colony of Australian termites can swell to
several million individuals within an earthen mound
20-25 feet tall
• A swarm of migratory locusts may contain up to 10
billion individuals, cover an area of several thousand
hectares, and have a total biomass of over 30,000
metric tons
• Grape leafhoppers reach populations as dense as 30
million per hectare in some vineyards
Contd…
3. DISTRIBUTION
• A third way to assess the dominance of insects is to examine
their abundance and diversity in a wide range of ecological
habitats
• Insects are found in virtually every terrestrial and fresh water
environment on the face of the earth except the ocean depths
IMPACT OF INSECTS
Economic impact
• Agriculture food and fiber production
• Health of humans and animals
Insects as food
• Represent an important food source for a wide variety of animal species
• Many cultures have relied on insects
Ecological impact
• As consumers, scavengers, and decomposers, insects play a vital role in the biogeochemical
cycling of nutrients
• As parasites and predators of other organisms, insects are part of a natural system of checks
and balances that strengthens community stability and prevents explosive population growth
from overrunning natural resources.
• Pollinators of angiosperms (flowering plants and trees)
Reasons for Success
Exoskeleton – an insects supporting skeleton is located on the outside of the its body
• Gives shape and support to the body’s soft tissue
• Provides protection from attack or injury
• Minimizes the loss of body fluids in both arid and freshwater environments
• Assures mechanical advantage to muscles for strength and agility in movement
• Can resist both physical and chemical attack
• Covered with an impervious layer of wax that prevents desiccation
Chitin- a polysaccharide that binds with various protein molecules to from a body wall that may
be as flexible and elastic as rubber or as hard and rigid as some metals.
Reasons for Success
Marvels of Miniaturization
• most species are of insects are between 2 and 200 mmm (0.1 -1.0 inch) in length
• Small size is optimal for exoskeleton
• Minimal resources are needed for survival and reproduction
• Ideal for avoiding predation
Flight
• Insects are the only invertebrates that can fly
• Highly effective mode of escape from predators
• Efficient means of transportation, allows populations to expand to new habitats and
resources
• Efficient use of energy allows some insects to travel great distances or remain airborne for
long periods of time.
Reasons for Success
Reproductive Potential
• Reproductive success is one of the most significant measures of an organisms’ fitness
• Females often produce large numbers of eggs (high fecundity), most of the eggs hatch (high
fertility), and the life cycle is relatively short (as little as 2-4 wks)
• Since most insects die nfore they ever have the oppurtunity to reproduce, a high
reproductive potential is the species’ best chance for survival
• Females can store the male’s genetic compliment for months or years in the spermatheca, a
special region of the reproductive system
• An unbalanced sex ratio, where females outnumber males and males can supply sperm for a
large number of females
• Many species of insects (aphids, scales, thrips, and midges) can reproduce without males-
parthenogenesis
Reasons for Success
Metamorphosis
• most insects undergo significant developmental changes as they grow from immatures to
adults
• Incomplete metamorphosis changes occur gradually as the insect matures allowing
immatures and adults to line in similar habitats and feed on similar types of food.
• Complete metamorphosis a dramatic transformation in form and function between the
immature (larval) and adult stages of development
– Larva is primarily adapted for feeding and growth. It builds energy reserves that in some cases will sustain the insect
for the rest of its life
– An adult insect emerges and bears little to no resemblance to its larval form. Its primary function is dispersal and
reproduction
– In the class Insecta, only 9 out of 28 orders undergo CM, yet those 9 orders represent about 86% if all insects alive
today
Reasons for Success
Adaptability
• A combination of large and diverse populations, high reproductive potential, and relatively
short life cycles, has equipped most insects with the genetic resources to adapt quickly in the
face of a changing environment.
• Adaptation is an ongoing process. Populations must continually change as new resources
appear and old one disappear.
Insects record of achievement is impressive. They were among the first creatures to:
• Invade the arid expanses of dry land and exploit green plants as a source of food
• The first animals to use flight as an escape from predators
• First organisms to develop a complex social hierarchy with division of labor and cooperative
care of the young.