Lecture 1

Question 1

Invertebrate

Answer 1

-No back bone
-1.4 million (80%)

Question 2

Vertebrates

Answer 2

-Backbone
-62,000 (3%)

Question 3

Plants

Answer 3

-310,000 (17%)

Question 4

Irelands Invertebrates

Answer 4

-Almost 20,000 invertebrates
-11,500 insects
-8000 other invertebrates

Question 5

Arthropods

Answer 5

-Myriapods
-Trilobites
-Chelicerates
-Crustaceans
-Insects
(All have common ancestor)

Question 6

What percentage of insects in the world are ants

Answer 6

1%

Question 7

Biomass Number

Answer 7

-Biomass exceeds that of all humans that have ever existed (approx 90 billion)
- More insects in one square mile of empty field than there are people in the world
- New beetles are discovered at a rate of one an hour

Question 8

Irelands largest Insect population

Answer 8

Wasps, bees, ants (3,194

Question 9

What is an insect?

Answer 9

-3 body segments (head, thorax, abdomen)
-Generally 1-2 pairs of wings
-Expskeleton

Question 10

Insects as predators and parasites

Answer 10

-Keep ecosystems in balance
-Predators, parasites, parasitoids, pathogenic agents
-Feed on other insect groups
-Natural population regulation
-Insects, mites, spiders

Question 11

Corn Borer

Answer 11

• One of the largest pests of corn in USA
  -Larvae of moth
  -Lay their eggs on corn
  -Borer eggs, where the wasp larvae develop, killing the corn borers in the eggs

Question 12

Trichogramma

Answer 12

-Parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma
-Have been avalibale on the North American market since the 90’s
-Introducing Trichogramma ostriniae significantly reduced the corn borer population and the damage to the ears of corn
-Further, biological control with trichogramma was considerably more cost-effective than the application of chemical insecticides.
-The main effect was that the corn borer’s natural enemies were maintained, thus reducing secondary pest populations.

Question 13

Insects as decomposers

Answer 13

-Plant matter, dead animals, dung
-Insects very good at decomposing solid waste
-Enhances forage palatability
-Recycle nitrogen
-Reduce pest habitat

Question 14

How much solid waste does a cow produce every year?

Answer 14

900kg

Question 15

Dung Beetles

Answer 15

-Approx 35 species in Ireland
-Rollers, tunnellers, dwellers
-Family Scarabidae- over 5000 species

Question 16

Dung Beetles in Australia

Answer 16

• Cattle brought to continent in 1788
  -No native insect to process dung
  -Slowly decomposing dung, issues with pests

Question 17

When were dung beetles introduced in Australia?

Answer 17

• 1965-1985

Question 18

How many species of Dung Beetles in Australia

Answer 18

-43 species released
-23 now established

Question 19

What did Dung Beetles in Australia reduce?

Answer 19

-80% reduction in pestiferous bush fly
-Bush fly transmits disease to cattle

Question 20

How much can a dung beetle drag?

Answer 20

• One dung beetle can drag 1,141 times its weight

Question 21

Avermectin

Answer 21

-Treats internal parasites of cattle
-Ends up in dung
-Toxic to dung beetles
-Cow pat on rangeland in US untreated: 23 months
-Cow pat on rangeland in US treated with pesticide: 28 months

Question 22

Total losses averted by Dung Beetle

Answer 22

$380 million

Question 23

Insects as pollinators

Answer 23

-Plants= sessile
-Visit flowers to feed on nectar and pollen
-At same time, they help the plant to reproduce

Question 24

What percentage of leading food crops rely on animal pollination?

Answer 24

75%

Question 25

What percentage of the worlds flowering plants rely on animal pollination?

Answer 25

90%

Question 26

How much is pollination by insects responsible for?

Answer 26

- 1 in 3 bites of food -39 of 57 leading crops

Question 27

Is insect pollination needed by grains

Answer 27

- No -Use wind pollination

Question 28

What can insect pollination do?

Answer 28

-May improve the quality or quantity of fruit. -It can increase genetic diversity -Necessary for many crops not to produce the edible part but to produce seed for replanting afterwards (e.g. cabbage, lettuce etc)

Question 29

What does insect pollination improve?

Answer 29

-Quality and quantity -Seed production viability -Genetic diversity

Question 30

Who are pollinators?

Answer 30

-Honeybees (50%) -Wild insects (50%)

Question 31

What percentage of pollinators are honeybees?

Answer 31

-50%

Question 32

Pollination in Ireland

Answer 32

-Oilseed rape (€4 million pa) -Apples -Field beans -Peas -Berries -Clover =Total value €53 million pa

Question 33

Insects as food

Answer 33

Insects = based of food chain Food for other insects, birds, mammals Food for humans

Question 34

Value of insects as food

Answer 34

-Commercial fishing in the US: $225 million -Birdwatching: $19.8 billion, which is 61% of the $32.4 billion spent on bird observation annually in the United States

Question 35

Entomophagy

Answer 35

-Eating insects -Food source for humans in 80% of countries worldwide