Insects A Very Short Introduction

Author : Simon R. Leather
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198847041
Total Pages : 185 pages
Book Rating : 4.45/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Insects: a Very Short Introduction written by Simon R. Leather and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-03-03 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful group of animals. They are found on all continents, in caves, underground, inside other insects, in rivers, lakes, puddles, and in our houses. To date, over a million insect species have been named. In this Very Short Introduction, Simon Leather explores insects' evolution, behaviour, and development, highlighting their pivotal role in supporting ecosystems across the planet. He considers the threats of environmental change, including climate change, to insects globally and the potentially catastrophic impact of insect population declines.

Author : Simon Leather
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192586327
Total Pages : 185 pages
Book Rating : 4.22/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Insects: A Very Short Introduction written by Simon Leather and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-26 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To date, more than a million insect species have been described, with probably at least another 5-8 million species waiting in the wings for a name. Insects are a fascinatingly diverse and beautiful spectrum of animals. They range in size from the tiny parasitic wasp, measuring a mere 139μm, to the aptly named Titan beetle, which can reach lengths of up to 17cm. They can be found on all continents of the world, from the Sahara Desert to the frozen wastes of Antarctica; in caves, under the ground, inside plants, other insects and vertebrates, in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, in puddles, in the watery interiors of pitcher plants; and in our houses. While no insects live beneath the waves, the intrepid sea skaters skim the surface of some of the world's oceans. This Very Short Introduction explores the extraordinary world of insects. It analyses insect evolution, taxonomy and development, and describes their behaviour, their life styles, and the interactions they have with other insects and other animals. As Simon Leather shows, insects are the bedrock on which human civilisation rests; without them we would almost certainly not exist. Although they can be seen as pests of our crops plants, they are also invaluable for pollinating our flowering plants and are an invaluable link in all land ecosystems. As they face challenges from climate change and pesticides it has never been more important to understand these oft-dismissed creatures. Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author : Maurice J. Tauber
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0195036352
Total Pages : 430 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Seasonal Adaptations of Insects written by Maurice J. Tauber and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1986 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This balanced comprehensive account traces the alterations in body form undergone by insects as they adapt to seasonal change, exploring both theoretical aspects and practical issues. Topics explored include natural history, genetics, evolution, and management of insect adaptations.

Author : James Bryan Whitfield
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780190853167
Total Pages : 784 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Daly and Doyen's Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity written by James Bryan Whitfield and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written for students who have completed an introductory course in biology, the fourth edition of Daly and Doyen's Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity presents the ideal balance of basic biological principles and in-depth treatment of insect classification, including keys for identifying more than four hundred families. In this fourth edition, James B. Whitfield, of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, continues as lead author, bringing a wealth of expertise on molecular analysis relating to development and systematics.

Author : Jeffrey Lockwood
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199374937
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Infested Mind written by Jeffrey Lockwood and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-25 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The human reaction to insects is neither purely biological nor simply cultural. And no one reacts to insects with indifference. Insects frighten, disgust and fascinate us. Jeff Lockwood explores this phenomenon through evolutionary science, human history, and contemporary psychology, as well as a debilitating bout with entomophobia in his work as an entomologist. Exploring the nature of anxiety and phobia, Lockwood explores the lively debate about how much of our fear of insects can be attributed to ancestral predisposition for our own survival and how much is learned through individual experiences. Drawing on vivid case studies, Lockwood explains how insects have come to infest our minds in sometimes devastating ways and supersede even the most rational understanding of the benefits these creatures provide. No one can claim to be ambivalent in the face of wasps, cockroaches or maggots but our collective entomophobia is wreaking havoc on the natural world as we soak our food, homes and gardens in powerful insecticides. Lockwood dissects our common reactions, distinguishing between disgust and fear, and invites readers to consider their own emotional and physiological reactions to insects in a new framework that he's derived from cutting-edge biological, psychological, and social science.

Author : Norman Johnson
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780357671276
Total Pages : 880 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Borror and Delong's Introduction to the Study of Insects written by Norman Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-14 with total page 880 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understand the insect world with BORROR AND DELONG�S INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INSECTS! Combining current insect identification, insect biology, and insect evolution, this biology text provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the study of insects. Numerous figures, bullets, easily understood diagrams, and numbered lists throughout the text help you grasp the material.

Author : Angela E. Douglas
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192643843
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.41/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Microbiomes: A Very Short Introduction written by Angela E. Douglas and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-11-10 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The term 'microbiomes' encapsulates an important scientific breakthrough of recent years. This is the realization that humans, other animals, and plants harbour communities of microorganisms which are mostly beneficial but can occasionally cause or exacerbate disease. Our quickly developing understanding of microbiomes is being translated into novel microbial therapies for human disease and is contributing to sustainable practices in agriculture and food production. On the flipside, there is a growing concern that some claims for microbiomes, especially in relation to human health, far exceed the scientific data. This Very Short Introduction is an essential guide to the fast-moving discipline of microbiome science. It accessibly distills the key facts about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health and wellbeing depend on them, and provides readers with the fundamental knowledge they need to judge the reliability of claims about microbiome-based applications. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author : Gilbert Waldbauer
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674454897
Total Pages : 310 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Insects Through the Seasons written by Gilbert Waldbauer and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tells the success story of insects, discussing how the nearly one million known species have managed to survive and thrive in the varying climates and conditions of the earth, focusing on the cecropia moth as a basis for comparison.

Author : Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1982112875
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Buzz, Sting, Bite written by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2019-07-02 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An enthusiastic, witty, and informative introduction to the world of insects and why we—and the planet we inhabit—could not survive without them. Insects comprise roughly half of the animal kingdom. They live everywhere—deep inside caves, 18,000 feet high in the Himalayas, inside computers, in Yellowstone’s hot springs, and in the ears and nostrils of much larger creatures. There are insects that have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises, and tongues under their feet. Most of us think life would be better without bugs. In fact, life would be impossible without them. Most of us know that we would not have honey without honeybees, but without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. No cocoa, no chocolate. The ink that was used to write the Declaration of Independence was derived from galls on oak trees, which are induced by a small wasp. The fruit fly was essential to medical and biological research experiments that resulted in six Nobel prizes. Blowfly larva can clean difficult wounds; flour beetle larva can digest plastic; several species of insects have been essential to the development of antibiotics. Insects turn dead plants and animals into soil. They pollinate flowers, including crops that we depend on. They provide food for other animals, such as birds and bats. They control organisms that are harmful to humans. Life as we know it depends on these small creatures. With ecologist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson as our capable, entertaining guide into the insect world, we’ll learn that there is more variety among insects than we can even imagine and the more you learn about insects, the more fascinating they become. Buzz, Sting, Bite is an essential introduction to the little creatures that make the world go round.

Author : T. S. Kemp
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0191079588
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.80/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Mammals: A Very Short Introduction written by T. S. Kemp and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-21 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a modest beginning in the form of a little shrew-like, nocturnal, insect eating ancestor that lived 200 million years ago, mammals evolved into the huge variety of different kinds of animals we see today. Many species are still small, and follow the lifestyle of the ancestor, but others have adapted to become large grazers and browsers, like the antelopes, cattle, rhinos, and elephants, or the lions, hyaenas, and wolves that prey upon them. Yet others evolved to be specialist termite eaters able to dig into the hardest mounds, or tunnel creating burrowers, and a few took to the skies as gliders and the bats. Many live partly in the water, such as otters, beavers, and hippos, while whales and dugongs remain permanently in the seas, incapable of ever emerging onto land. In this Very Short Introduction T. S. Kemp explains how it is a tenfold increase in metabolic rate - endothermy or "warm-bloodedness" - that lies behind the high levels of activity, and the relatively huge brain associated with complex, adaptable behaviour that epitomizes mammals. He describes the remarkable fossil record, revealing how and when the mammals gained their characteristics, and the tortuous course of their subsequent evolution, during which many bizarre forms such as sabre-toothed cats, and 30-tonne, 6-m high browsers arose and disappeared. Describing the wonderful adaptations that mammals evolved to suit their varied modes of life, he also looks at those of the mainly arboreal primates that culminated ultimately in Homo sapiens. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.