10.4 Insect Ecology

POINT > Define ecology POINT > Describe the importance of insects in food chains POINT > Describe the role of insects as pollinators POINT > Explain methods we use to control insects

POINT > Define ecology Ecology is the study of how organisms relate to each other and the environment around them Ecologists want to know how an organism fits in the environment: How does it get energy? What other organisms eat it? Where does it live? How does it help or hurt other organisms? Ecologists are very interested in insects because there are so many of them

POINT > Describe the importance of insects in food chains Insects eat huge amounts of plants and other organisms Farmers lose ~ 20% of all food crops to insects

CHECK: What is ecology. What are some questions that ecologists ask CHECK: What is ecology? What are some questions that ecologists ask? Why are many ecologists very interested in insects? How much food do farmers lose to insects? What are the 3 body segments of an insect?

POINT > Describe the importance of insects in food chains Many other animals get energy from eating insects! Many fish, birds, amphibians and mammals get almost all of their energy from eating insects

POINT > Describe the importance of insects in food chains Some insects also are decomposers: they break down dead organisms Ex. Termites eat wood from dead trees. Most organisms can’t get energy from wood

CHECK: What are some animals that get energy from eating insects CHECK: What are some animals that get energy from eating insects? What are termites? Why are termites different from most animals?

POINT > Describe the importance of insects in food chains Insects are also important food for humans in some cultures

POINT > Describe the role of insects as pollinators Insects are the pollinators for most flowering plants

POINT > Describe the role of insects as pollinators The number of insect pollinators (especially bees) is going down Plants cannot survive without pollinators, so plant populations are also in danger

POINT > Explain methods we use to control insects Because insects eat so much of our food, we try to control them: Pesticides are chemicals that kill insects But pesticides also kill helpful insects (like bees) Pesticides drain into lakes and rivers and kill organisms there also

CHECK: What are pesticides. What are two problems with pesticides CHECK: What are pesticides? What are two problems with pesticides? Which group of mollusks includes squid and octopus? Are insects vertebrates or invertebrates?

POINT > Explain methods we use to control insects Because insects eat so much of our food, we try to control them: Biological controls use other organisms to fight insects Ex. a farmer can bring in an insect or other organism that will kill the problem insects

CHECK: What are “biological controls”?

HOMEWORK Read 350-357 S.A. Page 355 #1-3 GRAS 147-148 Complete Study Guide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG-LWyNcAs Insects and People Many cultures eat insects as a regular part of their diet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M3X0zM3cEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BABxr7f-kpI