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Taxonomy
Insecta
EOL Text
Dominating the biological spectrum with nearly a million known species, members of Insecta may represent as much as 90% of multicellular life on Earth. Though the incredible diversity of insects overwhelms any attempt at inclusive summarization, adult members of this class can be identified by the following characteristics: three pairs of legs; a segmented body including a head, thorax, and abdomen; and one pair of antennae. Most insects also have compound eyes, a trait exclusive to the phylum Arthropoda to which the class Insecta belongs. Additionally, insects are the only known invertebrates capable of flight, and many species are equipped with one or two pairs of wings. A dizzying array of adaptations, from social behaviors and complex communication to metamorphic cycles and camouflaging mimicry, allow insects to inhabit nearly all environments and persist as one of the most integral aspects of their various ecosystems.
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 November, 2011. "Insect". Retrieved 16 November, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Insect&oldid=460845384
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Wings combine support and material economy: winged insects
The wings of insects combine structural support and material economy because they are flat, braced surfaces.
"Insect wings provide yet another example of braced, flat surfaces--cylindrical cantilever beams (veins) support a thin membrane. A pound of fruit-fly wings laid end to end would stretch about 500 miles, a very low mass per unit length--a steel wire to go so far would have about the same diameter as a red blood cell. Yet in each second of flight the tip of a wing moves several meters and reverses direction four hundred times. Other paddles and fins are fairly flat as well, as are some feathers, the book gills of horseshoe crabs, and a scattering of other stiff structures. In all these cases, though, flatness suits functions other than support. From a mechanical viewpoint the flatness of these systems, however impressive, is perhaps best regarded as a necessary evil--and their designs incorporate features that offset their intrinsically low flexural stiffness." (Vogel 2003:439)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
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In this episode, we travel to Costa Rica to experience firsthand the astonishing variety of insect life in this tiny Central American nation—20,000 different kinds of butterflies and moths alone!
José Montero and Manuel Zumbado, both of the
Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute, INBio, explain how this crossroads between North and South America became a hotspot for evolutionary innovation, producing such spectacular specimens as Thysania agrippina, a moth so large that it’s often mistaken for….well, you’ll have to listen to find out!
Listen to the podcast on the Learning + Education section of EOL.
- One Species at a Time is brought to you by the Encyclopedia of Life, hosted by Ari Daniel Shapiro and produced by Atlantic Public Media.
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Pigment cells absorb incidental light: insects
The ommatidia in the compound eyes of insects absorbs incidental light to prevent it from reaching the lens via "scattering pigment."
"Each ommatidium…consists of several basic parts. There is a layer of transparent cuticle on the outside, which allows light into a lens beneath it. This is usually surrounded by cells containing 'scattering pigment' which absorbs scattered or incidental light rays, so that the only light entering the ommatidium is directly parallel to its axis. This beam of light is directed by the lens down the narrow visual centre or rhabdom where it reacts with pigment, stimulating the nerve cells that surround the rhabdom. The nerve cells pass the message to the optical centre in the insect's 'brain' where it is interpreted…The ommatidia of different insects are varied. They may even be of different sizes within a single compound eye. The scattering pigment reduces the total amount of light entering the eye, so insects active by day may find themselves blind at dusk when the light is lower and more diffused. Nocturnal insects, however, often have the ability to withdraw the scattering pigment from their eyes at night in order to absorb every scrap of available light and to allow light from many of the lens facets to focus on a single light-sensitive rhabdom, thus increasing the effective aperture of the lens system. Many moths go even further, possessing (like cats and some other animals) a kind of mirror - the tapetum - at the back of the eye: this reflects light back through the retinal cells, so every beam of light is used twice over." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:122-123)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/f5f4217c5caa2f1967550a3d026d4952 |
Crystals of metal salts improve cutting ability: herbivorous insects
The mandibles of many herbivorous insects have exceptional cutting abilities due to the presence of zinc or managese salts.
"Many invertebrates use crystals of metal salts to harden their cutting, rasping, and grinding equipment…The mandibles of herbivorous insects contain zinc or manganese salts (Vincent 1990)." (Vogel 2003:333)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.
- Vincent, JFV. 1990. Structural biomaterials. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/9aee02b13e1fd7758c745e2e6ad3fb06 |
Hairs sense environmental cues: insects
Socketed hairs of insects detect environmental stimuli through vibration.
"Most insects have socketed hairs (sensory setae) scattered over much of the body which vibrate in response to sounds and may also be sensitive to touch, humidity and light. Nocturnal insects, such as cockroaches, are particularly sensitive to sounds via their setae and have been known to shy away from vibrations issued at 3000 cycles per second--way beyond human hearing capabilities. The setae may also play other roles. Locusts use those on the head, between the antennae, to judge the direction and humidity of the breeze, and climb some eminence for this purpose. Subsequently, they may use the information thus gained to fly to areas of low pressure where rain is likely to induce lusher feeding pasture." (Wootton 1984:48)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Wootton, A. 1984. Insects of the World. Blandford. 224 p.
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Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
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Organs sense environmental cues: insects
Insects interpret sensory input from antennae using Johnston's organs.
"Some insects' antennae do in fact act as sound-wave receivers. Those of male midges and mosquitoes are quite as feather-like as moths' but are geared to respond to the sound of the females' wing beats, the whine of other males' flight, as well as that of other species, being ignored. While the antennae receive the sounds, interpretation of the latter is made by special structures at their base called Johnston's organs. These organs are found on most adult winged insects, as well as in aquatic insects and larvae, although they may have varying sensory roles, such as assessing air velocity, water current and, notably in subterranean insects, the effects of gravity." (Wootton 1984:46-47)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Wootton, A. 1984. Insects of the World. Blandford. 224 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/94cd09b7bb8f25e09d51eac0b7571ff4 |
Multiple legs allow sudden stops: insects
Insects can stop dead without falling over because three legs are always on the ground while moving.
"Extra legs do not help an animal to move faster. The millipede is slow for all its legs - in fact, if it hurries it is liable to trip over its own feet! Insects have six legs and tend to have three of them on land at any given moment while moving; they can therefore stop dead without falling over." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:46)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/6df897aeaf7cf2a4ccd6d5dc3aee5a40 |
Ocelli sense length of daylight: insects
The ocelli of insects sense day length via a small lens and pigmented retinal cells.
"Each ocellus usually consists of a small lens backed up by several pigmented retinal cells, which can determine the quality and source of light and usually perceive something moving nearby. Ocelli usually look like small dark dots, and are often grouped in a triangle on the back of an insect's head. They enable the insect to judge the length of daylight, for example, by which it may regulate its whole life cycle. Spiders' eyes form extremely good images and have, for their size, excellent resolution." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:122)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/61cb267828b94ccb67a1ceeedc8651e6 |
Eyes see in various wavelengths: birds
Eyes of some birds, insects, and fish see better than humans because they can detect ultraviolet and/or infrared light.
"The eyes of some birds, insects, and fish respond to ultraviolet wavelengths. Other animals have a spectral response that includes red or near-infrared. This response is helpful in penetrating cloudy or murky conditions." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Wolpert, HD. February 2002. Photonic systems in nature can offer technical insights to designers of optical systems and detectors. Spie's Oemagazine. 26-29.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/55e528812ff0cab4a9cbe2c4ab62dce0 |