What role do insects play in nature briefly. The role of insects in nature

The regulation of the functions of the organism of insects is carried out with the help of the nervous and humoral systems. Therefore, they are characterized by complex behavior. The importance of insects in nature and human life is often due to this very reason.

The central part of the nervous system - the brain, is well developed. Especially his front section. This is manifested in the presence of a system of instincts - innate programs of behavior. Insects are characterized by hunting, sexual, building and other types of instincts.

Humoral regulation of the body occurs with the help of biologically active substances - hormones. They are secreted by specialized glands into the blood. An example of their action can be the regulation of molting processes, the transition to a state of rest, communication with individuals of the opposite sex.

social insects

Social species have especially complex behavior. The value of insects in human life is to obtain honey, bee bread and other useful substances. You, of course, guessed that we are talking about bees. They live in large families, in which each performs its irreplaceable role. The fertile queen and males are responsible for reproductive function. But working individuals build honeycombs, and in their free time they collect pollen. At the same time, they transfer it to the stigmas of the pistils, providing conditions for the fertilization of flowering plants. It is thanks to these insects that the fruits and seeds of many plants appear. These hard workers and provide a positive value of insects in human life and nature.

Ant Workers

The importance of insects in nature and human life can also be considered on the example of other creatures - ants. In making their own dwellings, they collect a lot of building material. At the same time, the ants mix the soil, making it more porous and rich in organic matter and oxygen.

Large red species eat a large number of forest pests. However, their bites can be dangerous for humans. Formic acid, which is released during this, can cause itching, irritation, and allergic reactions.

Gluttonous Orthoptera

Representatives of the order Orthoptera are also of particular importance to insects in human life. These are grasshoppers, bears, locusts and other species. But many of them are not as safe as the famous children's song says. Locusts, which are herbivorous insects, are capable of destroying crops in the fields. This species is able to reproduce rapidly. Huge families flying in search of food look like real clouds. At the same time, they destroy all plants on their way.

But the enemy of vegetable gardens and orchards is the bear. With the help of powerful digging legs, she makes moves in the soil to search for edible underground parts of plants. This leads to their death. The activity of the bear sometimes takes on a significant scale, causing irreparable harm to the crop.

What are dangerous lice and fleas

The value of insects in human life and in nature is often negative. Lice are no exception. These wingless insects attach themselves to the hairs of the host's body with a movable claw, feeding on its blood. At the same time, lice can carry deadly diseases: relapsing fever and typhus.

To avoid infection with these dangerous insects, you need to follow the rules of personal hygiene: do not use other people's clothes, hats and combs, take water treatments, and periodically change underwear.

Amazing beetles

The value of insects in human life and nature is positive and not very, have a representative of the order Coleoptera. Many of them are predators. At the same time, they destroy many agricultural pests. For example, a ladybug eats aphids, and a beauty bug eats pest caterpillars. But, unfortunately, some species of beetles themselves cause great damage to agriculture. Weevil destroys sugar beet shoots. And the one who had to collect the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle from potatoes knows that this "handsome man" does not need a special introduction. But the most merciless insect is the ground beetle. She attacks the prey, even being full to the limit. In captivity, it is even sometimes fed with small pieces of meat.

But dung beetles, despite the unpleasant name, cleanse the environment of the excrement that they feed on. At the same time, they rightfully deserve the title of the most powerful beetles, because they are able to lift a load 90 times heavier than their own.

Diptera bites

A person who had to experience the bites of these arthropods must have long decided that the importance of insects in human life and nature is negative. When it comes to mosquitoes, it's hard to argue with that. Of course, their larvae serve as food for fish. But mosquito bites can cause serious allergic reactions. Some species are carriers of malaria and yellow fever. These diseases are often fatal.

The importance of insects in human life and in nature is also determined by the activity of flies. Do not think that they are just intrusive and harmless. On the surface of their body there are many eggs of helminths, viruses, pathogenic bacteria. However, by participating in the processing of dead organic matter, flies increase soil fertility.

It can be concluded that the value of insects in nature and human life is both negative and positive. But in the course of life, everyone will have to face them, because there are 250 million insects per person!

Entomology is the science of insects (from the Greek words entomon - insect, logos - science). Insects constitute the class Insecta, a type of arthropod (Arthropoda) animals. Insects are characterized by such features as the presence of one pair of antennae, the conduct of a terrestrial lifestyle and, as an adaptation to it, the tracheal respiratory system. According to these features, insects are distinguished into a separate subtype of tracheal-breathing (Tracheata). Often, insects are also classified as jawed, or mandibular (Mandibulata), which are characterized not only by the presence of antennae, but also by the transformation of the three pairs of oral limbs following the antennae into oral organs, of which the upper jaws, or mandibles, are especially strongly developed.

The class of insects is unusually diverse and exceeds the total number of species of other animals and plants in the number of species included in it. Currently, about 1 million species of insects have been identified, but in reality their number can reach up to 1.5 million. Each species has a unique combination of properties and characteristics, i.e. has only its own specificity. And insects have reached an infinite variety of morphological and biological traits, adaptive features, relationships with other organisms. Organic nature has embodied in the world of insects the largest number of life forms and the largest number of forms of participation in the cycle of substances.

Insects can be found everywhere: on plants and in the soil, in the air and water bodies, high in the mountains, in the zone of eternal snows and in hot deserts.

No less diverse is the role of insects in nature, in the economy of society, and in people's lives. Based on fossil remains, it was possible to establish that the most progressive groups of insects developed in parallel with higher flowering plants, which for many of them served as a source of food, moisture, and sometimes a shelter. In turn, insects pollinate up to 80% of plants. Often, due to the lack of pollinators, the yield of fruits and seeds of such valuable crops as apple, pear, buckwheat, sunflower, clover, and alfalfa is noticeably reduced. From insects, a person receives honey, wax, royal jelly, propolis (honey bees), silk and hemlock (mulberry, oak silkworms), shellac (lacquer worm), dye - carmine (cochineal worm).

A large group of insects is involved in soil formation. Together with mites and annelids, they destroy the litter and plant litter, loosen the soil with their moves, contribute to its better ventilation and enrichment with humus. The destruction of corpses and excrement of animals, carried out by representatives of another faunistic complex of insect species, is of great sanitary importance. So, due to the lack of insects that decompose manure, pastures in Australia began to die, and only the importation and acclimatization of dung beetles made it possible to improve the situation.

Along with the positive, the negative consequences of insect activity for humans are also very significant. Many insect species that feed on plants can reach high numbers and cause serious damage to crops and forest plantations.

There are many species whose diet is associated with humans and vertebrates. Many bloodsuckers not only disturb people with their bites, but also carry pathogens of dangerous diseases. So, lice transmit typhus and relapsing fever, fleas - plague, malarial mosquito - malaria, tsetse fly - sleeping sickness, etc. Farm animals suffer from gadflies and gadflies.

The role of insects is exceptionally large both in human life and in natural processes. Due to the fact that insects make up a significant proportion of the terrestrial fauna, they strongly influence the flora and fauna of the Earth. Insects are found in all areas of land, including deserts, high mountains and polar regions.

The existence of many insects is closely connected with the life of plants, as they consume living plants: roots, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds. During mass reproduction, insects destroy or damage plants over vast areas.

The role of insects in nature and human life is enormous

However, in addition to harm, insects are of great benefit to crop production as pollinators of flowering plants. In the course of evolution, a remarkable mutual adaptability has developed between many insect species and flowering plants (for example, plants have various adaptations for pollinating them with certain insect species, and in insects the length and shape of the proboscis strictly correspond to the structure of the flowers of the plants they pollinate).

Insects are destroyers of dead parts of plants. Many species of insects and their larvae, living in the ground, digging passages and loosening the ground, accelerate the formation of humus. Many vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) feed on insects at various stages of development.

In connection with human economic activity, it is important to preserve the species diversity of insects. The use of insecticides to control pests of agricultural and tree crops, plowing of land, due to which the number of some species of wild plants is sharply reduced, the existence of some species of insects has been threatened.

To protect endangered insects, special reserves are being created in our country, and many (about 20 species) are already listed in the Red Book. Among them are two types of praying mantises - predatory insects that feed on other insects, the mollusc beetle, the alpine barbel, the giant ktyr and several types of butterflies: the polyxena sailboat, Apollo, the dead head hawk moth, the proserpine hawk moth, the oak hawk moth, Saturnia-Aglia, Saturnia Minor, etc.

Biological pest control

To combat harmful insects, along with mechanical, chemical and agrotechnical methods, biological methods of control are increasingly being used, i.e. destruction of insects at all stages of development with the help of their natural enemies. Such insect enemies are frogs, toads, lizards, wild birds, shrews, hedgehogs, moles, bats, etc. Therefore, all these animals must be protected and, if possible, attracted to the fields, vegetable gardens, orchards. In recent years, poultry has also been increasingly used for pest control.

Pests and insects have many natural enemies. Of great importance in the destruction of pests belongs to riders and other insects. Ladybugs, for example, destroy aphids and other pests. Predatory beetles (ground beetles) hunt for gypsy moth caterpillars.

Previously, a lot of planned work was carried out to breed and use various types of insects to control plant pests.

In special laboratories, some types of ladybugs, riders, trichograms and other insects are bred in large numbers. They are released in those areas in which there is a massive appearance of pests. Biological pest control methods have a great future.

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 animal species of the named 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, which have rigid forewings.

There is also a division according to the nature of nutrition. Three groups are distinguished among them:

1. Those that eat other insects (ladybugs, mantises).
2. Those that eat the waste of decomposition of plants and animals (dead eaters, gravediggers).
3. Plant-eating (May beetle).

It is worth noting that some types of ladybugs are specially bred in the laboratory. This is necessary in order to later release them into greenhouses and gardens to destroy aphids.

Dead eaters and gravediggers are among the orderlies of nature. They prevent pollution of the environment by the waste products of decaying living organisms.

What's the use?

The role of insects in nature can be both positive and negative. Speaking about the benefits, it should be noted that:

• without insects, pollination of plants is often impossible;
• they participate in soil-forming processes;
• named living organisms support the cycle of substances in nature.

Pollination of plants

The value of insects in nature is great. And their positive activity, first of all, consists in such qualities as bumblebees, bees, butterflies, etc. It is known that some plant species are not able to reproduce without pollination. For example, clover, which in New Zealand gave good yields, nevertheless, could not produce seeds until bumblebees were brought into the country.

Soil formation processes

Termites and ants actively take part in loosening the soil. There are other insects that live in the ground, forming passages in it. By the way, without their activity, the decomposition of fallen coniferous plants becomes impossible. 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, and provide ventilation. Of no small importance is the destruction of excrement and carcasses of animals. After all, substances released during the decomposition of organisms pollute the environment, including the soil.

Circulation of substances

The role of insects in nature is larger than one can imagine. They take part in in nature. Much would not be on the planet if it were not for insects. Birds, for example, eat them. Some of their species eat only insects. Predatory animals, in turn, feed on birds. So the circulation of substances 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:

• destruction of plants;
• the spread of diseases.

plant destruction

There are cases when certain types of insects destroyed entire fields. Damage can affect different organs of plants. Sometimes not only leaves, fruits and trunks are destroyed, but also the root system.

Insects destroy plant tissue, make passages in it, which causes crops to dry out and die. As a result, entire plantations of the crop may be in danger of dying. Of particular danger is the mass reproduction of individual individuals. There are known cases of locust attacks on fields, as a result of which all plants encountered on 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 the person. He does not always adhere to the rules of crop rotation, growing one crop for many years in a row in a certain place, which contributes to the reproduction of insects. Mankind actively fights pests through the use of chemicals that are sprayed on plants and soil.

Disease vectors

The role of insects in nature is also associated with danger. So, some of their species are carriers of pathogens. These are mosquitoes, mosquitoes, bedbugs and others.

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 beetles (36 species). These include ground beetles, krasotely and others.

There are 33 species of butterflies in the Red Book - Apollo, pigeons, bears and others. 23 species of Hymenoptera are subject to protection. Among them there are seemingly common insects - bees and bumblebees. The remaining two species are dragonflies.

Interesting facts about insect breeding around the world

Many terrarium keepers 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 keep large cockroaches. Maybe because they do not make a sound and do not interfere with households and neighbors. In addition, they are picky in nutrition, do not have wool and fluff.

In Australia, for example, praying mantises are pets. By the way, some residents simply put these insects on the curtains so that they catch flies.

In China, preference is given to the cultivation of crickets. This is not just a hobby, but a real entertainment. Fights and fights are held between crickets. The Chinese themselves are watching this with great pleasure. Swimmers are also raised. They are kept in aquariums and have 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. Gravediggers 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 varied.

In this case, it is also worth noting the aesthetic component. Indeed, even the most ardent opponent of all representatives of the described class of animals will involuntarily begin to admire the beauty of butterflies.

The role and importance of insects in nature are enormous. The mere fact that the number of species of insects far outnumbers the species of any other group of animals, and that many forms are also capable of multiplying in myriad numbers, makes insects a powerful biological factor. As shown by special calculations, the results of which, of course, are approximate - for every person on earth there are about 250,000,000 different representatives of this class. Moreover, this is not an indifferent mass, but organisms actively participating in a wide variety of biological processes. Speaking about the positive or negative meaning of insects, it must be remembered that these assessments are often very subjective and reflect only our attitude to certain results of the life of insects. Sometimes the person himself, disturbing the balance in the historically established biological complexes, causes the mass reproduction of some kind of insect, leading to catastrophic consequences. In nature, there is not and cannot be absolutely harmful or absolutely beneficial species. And insect pests are just forms that cause direct or indirect damage to a person, and in some cases the "harmful" properties of a species turn out to be really harmful, while in others they bring great benefits to a person.

All of the above can be illustrated with a huge number of examples, but we will focus on only a few of them. The positive activity of insects in nature is primarily expressed in the pollination of flowers of various plants by them. In this sense, their significance is extremely great. For example, about 30% of European flowering plants are pollinated by insects.

Bumblebee on a flower

Some plants are completely unable to reproduce without special pollinators. Clover, which gave excellent yields in New Zealand, did not produce seeds at all until bumblebees, which were absent there, were brought to New Zealand - special clover pollinators. Hymenoptera play the main role among pollinators, and especially bees and bumblebees; Diptera are second in importance and third are butterflies.

The importance of insects in soil-forming processes is great, especially termites and ants. These insects, as well as the larvae of many insects living in the ground, loosen the soil with their moves, contribute to its better ventilation and moisture, and enrich it with humus. The latter is associated with the destruction of plant and animal remains that accumulate in abundance on the soil surface. Without the activity of insects, for example, the decomposition of the litter of coniferous plants is impossible, and where this does not occur, peat-like barren layers accumulate. The destruction of corpses and excrement of animals, carried out by representatives of a special faunistic complex, is of great sanitary importance. The role of insects is also huge as one of the most important links in the cycle of substances in nature. Many insects are part of various food chains. In almost every class of vertebrates one can find specialized entomophages, that is, forms that feed exclusively on insects. This phenomenon has been most developed in birds and mammals.

No less significant are the negative consequences of insect activity. So, many of them feed on living tissues of plants, causing significant harm. Damage caused by insects is sometimes very diverse and affects a wide variety of plant organs: the root system, stems and trunks, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. in the leaves are called mines). In other cases, on the contrary, the presence of insects leads to the formation of galls, which are ugly growths of some parts of the plant - leaf blade, buds, stems. With a massive attack of pests, both lead to a weakening of the plant organism, a decrease in its resistance to fungal and other diseases, a decrease in the production of fruits and seeds, and often to death.

It is in this area that the clash of interests between humans and insects most often occurs. Pests of agricultural crops and forest species cause enormous damage.

Sometimes the transfer is made by simple contact with insect transmitters, for example, when food is contaminated by them, etc. In this way, various diseases are spread house fly (Musca domestica ), crawling through all sorts of dirt, capturing bacteria, helminth eggs and transmitting them to humans. In total, about 70 species of various organisms are carried by flies, many of which are pathogens of dangerous diseases (cholera, diphtheria, etc.).

Talking about practical significance Insecta , we should especially dwell on the forms directly used by man. Among them there are species that, in essence, have become domesticated. directly benefit the person honey bee - Apis mellifera and silkworm - bombyx mori ; breeding them and obtaining products is the basis of two branches of the national economy - beekeeping and sericulture. In addition to bees and silkworms, some insects have a certain technical significance. They deliver medicinal substances (Spanish fly cantharidin), dyes (various types of worms, Coccinea, especially the Mexican cochineal, Coccus cacti , going to the manufacture of carmine), tannin (in ink nuts Cynipidae ), varnish and wax (some worms), etc.

Insects are becoming more and more important in the practice of agriculture and forestry in connection with the development and improvement of biological methods of pest and weed control. For this purpose, individual forms (Hymenoptera: ichneumons, wasps-hunters, some predatory and herbivorous beetles, etc.) are specially acclimatized in disadvantaged areas. An example of the successful application of such control measures is the importation into the CIS of the Aphelinus mail , which completely suppressed the reproduction of a dangerous pest of the root system of apple trees - blood aphids ( Eriosoma lanigerum ), which came to Europe from America. The mass reproduction of the citrus pest brought from Australia to America, and then to Europe - the grooved worm was stopped by a ladybug Rodolia . These beetles have been successfully acclimatized in various regions of the globe, including ours in the Caucasus. In recent years, artificial breeding of such insects under industrial conditions and their mass release in pest breeding areas have been widely practiced. To combat harmful insects, the genetic method is also widely used. The intensification of agriculture and forestry does not currently allow completely abandoning the use of insecticides. The future, however, clearly belongs to biological methods of pest control.

These examples, like many others like them, well illustrate the idea of ​​the French entomologist R. Chauvin: "Insects are harmful to a person only as long as he does not use them as helpers and refuses to use the power of his mind to solve the problems put forward by their existence."