Abstract
Insects comprise the majority of described living species (including single-celled organisms), and the vast majority of animal species. Throughout their 440 MY history, key innovations contributed to insects’ evolutionary success, including locomotion (e.g., flight), feeding morphology, their lifecycle (e.g., true metamorphosis), and social behavior. Misplaced negative perceptions towards insects does a disservice to their enormous economic and agricultural importance. Insects also have a huge ecological impact as members of nearly all biomes, at nearly all trophic levels. Unfortunately, many insect populations are in danger of collapse.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Third Edition |
| Subtitle of host publication | Volume 1-7 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Pages | V2-504-V2-516 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780128225622 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780323984348 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2024 |
Keywords
- Agriculture
- Animals
- Apocalypse
- Bees
- Bugs
- Conservation
- Diet
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Flight
- Hexapoda
- Insecta
- Phylogeny
- Pollination
- Terrestrial
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
- General Environmental Science