Biology 2483A Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Pollination, Chemical Ecology
16 Oct 2011
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Insects are extremely beneficial: pollination (bees, decomposition (fly larva, food source in some countries. Problems with pesticides: kill beneficial insects as well. Insects become resistant so we have to create new pesticides, which need a lot of money and resources (200 million+: harmful to humans (could contaminate water supply) People noticed the harmful effects of pesticides and the result was integrated pest management: pesticides need to be monitored. Solutions to problem: biological control: get other species to out compete or prey on the harmful species / get fungi (microbes) to contaminate and kill the harmful species. Just grow different plants that species don"t like: transgenic plants: the plants contain compounds which are harmful to predators (eg. cotton contains a bacterium to kill pests) Communication between sexes (chemical ecology odour, taste, visual) Insects use odours for communication and its only for reproduction purposes.
