Insects are ubiquitous. They live on land, in fresh water - where life is possible. You can not meet them only in the seas. Given this distribution, the question arises: "What is the role of insects in nature?"
Species features
The number of species of animals of this class on the planet significantly exceeds the number of other groups. To date, more than 625 thousand of their species are known. The most common are common beetles that have stiff front wings.
There is a division according to the nature of nutrition. Three groups are distinguished among them:
- Those that eat other insects (ladybugs, praying mantises).
- Those that eat the waste decomposition of plants and animals (dead-eaters, grave diggers).
- Eating plants (chafer , leaf beetles, raspberries).
It is worth noting that some types of ladybugs are specially bred in the laboratory. This is necessary in order to subsequently release them in greenhouses and gardens to destroy aphids.
Dead-eaters and grave diggers belong to the orderlies of nature. They prevent environmental pollution from the waste of decaying living organisms.
What is the use?
The role in the nature of insects can be both positive and negative. Speaking about the benefits, it should be noted that:
- pollination of plants is often impossible without insects;
- they participate in soil-forming processes;
- named living organisms support the circulation of substances in nature.
Plant pollination
The value of insects in nature is great. And their positive activity, first of all, consists in pollination of plants. These qualities are possessed by bumblebees, bees, butterflies, etc. It is known that some species of plants are not able to reproduce without pollination. For example, clover, which yielded good crops in New Zealand, however, could not produce seeds until bumblebees were brought into the country.
Soil-forming processes
Termites and ants are actively involved in loosening the soil. There are other insects that live in the earth, forming passages in it. By the way, without their activity, it becomes impossible to decompose fallen conifers. And this leads to the accumulation of peat-like layers, which makes the land infertile.
Squads of insects loosen the soil, enrich it with humus, provide ventilation. The destruction of animal excrement and corpses is also of great sanitary importance. After all, the substances released during the decomposition of organisms pollute the environment, including the soil.
Substance cycle
The role in the nature of insects is more ambitious than you might imagine. They take part in the cycle of substances in nature. Much would not be on the planet, if not for insects. Birds, for example, feed on them. Some of their species eat exclusively insects. Predatory animals, in turn, feed on birds. So the cycle of matter reaches a person.
Negative activity
If you study what role insects play in nature, it is worth noting that they bring not only benefits. The negative results of their activities are as follows:
- plant destruction;
- the spread of disease.
Plant destruction
There are cases when certain species of insects destroyed entire fields. Damage can affect different organs of plants. Sometimes not only leaves, fruits and trunks, but also the root system are destroyed.
Insects destroy plant tissue, make moves in it, which makes crops dry and die. As a result, entire crop plantations may be in danger of dying. Of particular danger is the mass reproduction of individual individuals. Cases of locust attacks on fields are known, as a result of which all plants encountered in its path were destroyed.
Pests include some species of butterflies and beetles, aphids, locusts and others. It is worth noting that this is the fault of man. He does not always adhere to the rules of crop rotation, he grows one crop for many years in a row at a certain place, which contributes to the reproduction of insects. Mankind is actively fighting pests through the use of chemicals that spray plants and soil.
Disease carriers
The role in the nature of insects is also associated with danger. So, some of their species are carriers of pathogens. These are mosquitoes, mosquitoes, bugs and others.
Endoparasites are often insects still in the larval stage. For example, they can settle in the body of cattle and cause serious harm to livestock. In addition, danger hangs over a person. Blood-sucking insects can infect pathogens, as well as parasitic worms. Routes of transmission - through food (fly), with bites (mosquito, tick).
Red Book
Given the importance of insects in nature, some of their endangered species are subject to protection.
To date, about 95 species that are on the verge of extinction are listed in the Red Book. Most of the rare insects are bugs (36 species). These include alpine barbel, ground beetles, damselflies and others.
In the Red Book there are 33 species of butterflies - Apollo, Lycaenidae, Dipper and others. 23 species of Hymenoptera are subject to protection. Among them, there are seemingly common insects - bees and bumblebees. The remaining two species comprise dragonflies.
Interesting insect breeding facts in different countries of the world
Many terrariums breed insects, including grasshoppers and locusts. This is their hobby, which not all ordinary people understand. In some countries, instead of cats and dogs, they prefer to contain large cockroaches. Maybe because they do not make a sound and do not interfere with households and neighbors. In addition, they are not picky in food, do not have wool and fluff.
In Australia, for example, praying mantis are home. By the way, some residents simply plant these insects on the curtains so that they catch flies.
In China, preference is given to growing crickets. This is not just a hobby, but a real entertainment. Between crickets conduct fights and fights. The Chinese themselves are watching this with great pleasure. Swimmers are also grown. They are contained in aquariums and are distinguished by a peculiar body structure.
As you can see, it is difficult to answer unequivocally what role insects play in nature. It can be positive and negative. Bees, bumblebees and other insects pollinate plants, taking part in their reproduction. Grave diggers and dead-eaters destroy hazardous waste generated after the decomposition of dead animals. Locusts and aphids destroy plants. Mosquitoes and bedbugs are carriers of diseases. As you can see, the importance of insects in nature is great and diverse.
In this case, it is also worth noting the aesthetic component. After all, even the most ardent opponent of all the representatives of the described class of animals will involuntarily begin to admire the beauty of butterflies.