Lecture 2

Question 1

What are negative impacts of insect/human interaction?

Answer 1

1) Eat our crops
2) Attack livestock/pets
3) Attack homes
4) Feed on clothing
5) Spread pathogens and cause disease
6) Sting/bite/kill

Question 2

What are the positive impacts?

Answer 2

1) Creation of products (honey, wax, silk, dye, venom)
2) Pollinate plants (crops & flowers)
3) Food for vertebrates
4) Biological control (good eats bad)
5) Natural food chains (nutrient recycling & plant propagation)
6) Models for biological study
7) Medical Use (maggot therapy, anti-venom, allergy therapy)
8) Inspire pop-culture
9) UCR history

Question 3

How many insects per person?

Answer 3

200 million insects per person. Adds up to 10 quintillion.

Question 4

Top agriculture states in US? What’s the value in all states in the US?

Answer 4

California, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota.

54.4 billion for california alone and this is around 12.5%. Total agriculture worth of the US is 435 billion.

Question 5

Locust Plague 2020

Answer 5

Hundreds of millions of locust travel 90 miles a day and one swarm can be 150 million locusts (250 football fields) big. Average swarm can destroy enough food for 2500 people. This happens in Africa and Asia and is blamed on climate change.

Question 6

Livestock

Answer 6

Fleas(Siphonaptera) feed on the blood from the livestock and pets.

Question 7

Homes

Answer 7

Termites (Blattodea) attack wooden houses. 
Also cockroaches (Blattodea) also invade homes.

Question 8

Feed on clothes

Answer 8

Moths would feed on these clothes.

Question 9

Black death

Answer 9

Fleas transmit pathogen causing plague. The Oriental Rat Flea was the real cause of Black death. 75-200 million people died from this disease.

Question 10

Plague and Pathogens

Answer 10

Bubonic Plague, Septicemic plague, and Pneumonic Plague. Black fly vectors a pathogen that causes river blindness. Mosquitos vector also transmit pathogens(most deadly.)

Question 11

Mosquitos

Answer 11

• Cause malaria(by female mosquitos), Elephantiasis(high in the Americas), West Nile Virus(In the US), Filariasis, Dengue(pain and sports), and Zika Virus(deformation).
• A lot of problems in the tropics

Question 12

Sting/Bite/Kill us

Answer 12

-Fire ant stings

Question 13

Products produced by insects

Answer 13

Honey, wax, silk, dye, venom

Question 14

Plant Propagation

Answer 14

Pollination- critical for production of fruits and vegetables. Honey bees, bumble bees, and native bees. Moths, butterflies, flies, cockroaches, and beetles all are plant pollinators. Flower shape color and odor are adapted to attract these pollinators.

Question 15

Food for vertebrates

Answer 15

They are a part of the food chain and without them, the ecosystem would be in trouble.
We eat 1.5 pounds of insects a year.
Ex of human insect food: Mexican caviar, Thai caviar, markets in Asia(japan, china, Bangkok), Red palm weevil, sweets containing insects. Used in livestock/pet feed and is healthy.

Question 16

Biological Control

Answer 16

Good bugs eat bad bugs. Ladybug eat aphids.

Question 17

Other benefits of ecosystem

Answer 17

Detritivores: recycle plant/animal material (tung beetle, termites).
Cockroaches are garbage collectors, recycle dead plants, dead animals, poop, and are CRITICAL to balance the environment.
OVERALL NUTRIENT RECYCLING.

Question 18

Important to food chains

Answer 18

1)Nutrient recycling
2)Plant Propagation
3)Maintain plant community
4)Maintain animal community
5)Involved in overall animal structure
MANY ARE KEYSTONE SPECIES

Question 19

Insects are models

Answer 19

Useful as models in biological studies in genetics, evolution, sociobiology, and ecology.

Question 20

Medical Use of Insects

Answer 20

Maggot therapy-maggots can clean/eat any dead tissue
Anti-venom
Allergy therapy

Question 21

Pop-culture inspiration

Answer 21

Art, music, science are all inspired by insects. Movies, stamps, and songs.

Question 22

Insect and UCR’s foundation

Answer 22

In 1882, an insect called cottony cushion scale attacked citrus plants.
In 1888, the Vedalia beetle from Australia imported to Riverside. Discovered to be natural enemy of c.c.s
From 1888-1890, the vedalia beetle was used to kill c.c.s
In 1890, the problem was entirely solved, citrus saved
In 1907, the Citrus Experiment Station was founded in Riverside
In 1918, dedicated new building which became UCR in 1953.
In 1954, UCR was officially established at Citrus Experiment Station.