Question

1. Some insects exhibit many different ways of gaining a slight advantage over other insects. Select one of the many behaviors that you believe provide the greatest benefit to the insect. Defend answer.

2. Discuss why it is critical for a forensic entomologist and those involved in crop production understand insect metamorphosis? Give examples.

Don't know much about insects...

Answer 1

1. Insects show a wide range of behavior that get them advantages over other insects. Some of are discussed below:

· Camouflage: Insects use coloring, texture and markings to blend into their environments. They often use camouflage to hide from their predators.

· Mimicry: Insects those use mimicry are imposters. They mimic the characteristics of unappetizing animals. A monarch butterfly is toxic and unappetizing to birds. Viceroy butterflies safeguard themselves from birds that prey upon them by looking a lot like monarch butterflies.

· Social Behavior: There's strength in numbers. Social insects gain several advantages over their solitary cousins. Social insects work together to find food and other resources and to communicate their findings to others in the community. They can mount a vigorous defense of their home and resources when under attack.

2.         Social insects also can outcompete other insects, and even larger animals, for territory and food. They can quickly construct a shelter, and expand it as needed, and they can divide chores in a manner that ensures everything gets done expeditiously.

            In agricultural systems, it is important to be able to recognize the entire life stages of insects to be able to make appropriate management decisions. Basically after hatching from eggs the larvae eats voraciously and can damage the entire crop in the field. Adult stage is mostly the reproductive stage and in this stage mating occurs. Besides this sometimes insecticides are prescribed for a particular life stage of insect. That is why it’s necessary for a farmer to know about the insect metamorphosis.

            For Forensic Entomologists it’s very crucial to know about the meta- morphosis because a wrong conclusion can change the entire course of investigation. Carrion insects are attracted to a dead body. Larvae of many carrion fly species feed upon necrotic wounds.

            In almost all cases, a sample of the collected insects are killed and preserved prior to being used to estimate the PMI, while others within the sample or similar sample may be reared to the adult stage for identification. The moment of preservation is the point in time from which one calculates backward to the time of death, and it is of critical importance to document this time for the evidentiary record. The circumstances of every death investigation are unique, and there is no single best algorithm for PMI estimation. Both the conditions at the scene and the quality of the data available to the entomologist vary widely.