ENVS 3090 Midterm: Comprehensive Review

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Environmental Sciences
• Course: ENVS 3090
• Professor: Steve Marshall

Document Summary

Importance of insects and the ways they impact us: Describe the diversity of insects in regards to: (a) biomass, (b) species number, (c) morphological diversity, (d) behavioural diversity and (e) the four orders of insects that encompass the majority of diversity: Ecological impact of insects: contribute to nutrient cycling, pollination, reduce accumulated biomass, consume plants and animals. Economic impacts of insects: money goes into controlling crop pest species, pollinators help inject $ into economy. Medical impacts of insects (both positive and negative): lice love us, many things try to eat us. Eg. bot flies, screwworms, chigoe flea, mosquitoes, bed bugs. They also eat our food, and can cause allergic reactions: human disease vectors eg malaria, yellow fever, zika, etc. Nutritional impacts of insects: food for some. Forensic uses for insects: we can measure time since death when certain insects are present. Inspirations that insects have lended to human culture: scarab beetles, moths, butterflies etc.