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Transcript
Preparing for a Bug Safari-Insects and Plant interactions Plants and animals depend upon each other, this is called symbiosis. There are three main types of relationships, mutualism where both organisms benefit, commensalism where one organism benefits but doesn’t harm the other organism and parasitism where one organism benefits, but harms the other organism. During your bug safari, see if you can tell what kind of relationship is happening between the insect and plants or insect and another insect. Plant and animals interact in three common ways: food, pollination, and shelter. 1) Food: Many plants provide food for different insects for example; monarch caterpillars and milkweed, swallowtail butterflies and dill weed. Sometimes insects even provide food for plants! Consider Venus fly traps and pitcher plants. 2) Pollination: Pollination is important to us and many other animals; without it, we wouldn’t have any of our favorite fruits! Pollination occurs when pollen is taken from flower to flower; this may eventually lead to fruit and seed development. Often pollinators have a very specific relationship with their plants – some animals prefer certain shapes, colors, and smells of flowers, so we can guess what sort of animal pollinates a plant based on these characteristics. 3) Shelter: Plants provide homes for many different animals. Ants live in rotting wood, bark beetles live under living tree bark, and Goldenrod gall midges live in the stems of goldenrod. Shelter can also include camouflage for example praying mantis blend into their green environment. Insect body parts All insects have 6 legs, but they can have many different types of legs and mouths! Insect bodies have three parts; head, thorax and abdomen. The legs are connected to the thorax. Mouthpart Types • Siphoning or sucking – butterflies, moths and bees have these mouthparts to suck up liquids like a straw; “straw” part called proboscis, curls up when not in use then extends to drink nectar and water • Piercing and sucking – used by mosquitoes, aphids, leafhoppers; pierces skin or stem of plants, then sucks out blood or sap; piercing part called stylet • Sponging – used by flies; dribble saliva over solid food to break into smaller pieces, then use sponge to drink up smaller pieces • Chewing – used by caterpillars, beetles, bull ants, leafcutter ants, damselflies; have two mandibles (kind of like jaws) that can cut, tear, chew, or crush food Leg Types • Cursorial – most commonly thought of; long, thin segments made for running; makes hard to catch or step on o Cockroaches, ground and tiger beetles • Saltatorial –for jumping; enlarged and elongated muscles to move small distances quickly; usually found only on hind legs; “saltar”=jump in Spanish o Grasshoppers, fleas, crickets, katydids • Fossorial –for digging burrows; broad and flat, often with claws; usually forelegs; uncommon • • o Mole cricket, cicada nymphs Natatorial –for swimming (like “natatorium”); flat, broad, sometimes fringed with dense hairs to act like paddles o Aquatic beetles and bugs, ex: predaceous diving beetle Raptorial –for hunting; long, enlarged muscles; used to grab prey and then hold it while eating o Mantis, ambush bugs, giant water bugs Wing Types • Membranous – thin and usually transparent o Bees, termites • Halter – hind wings are extremely modified to only nibs, used for balance and direction o All true flies (Diptera) • Elytra – thick, hardened forewings without venation, used to protect hind wings and abdomen while at rest, not actually used for flight o Beetles • Tegmina – leathery forewings used for protection, also not useful for flight o Grasshoppers, cockroaches • Scaly – wings are covered with scales to create color (talk about purpose of color – camouflage, warning of bad taste, etc.), smooth wing, insulate o Butterflies, dragonflies Have fun observing insects in their natural environment, then gently capture to determine the leg, mouth and wings types that give you clues to their interactions in the ecosystem. Release them when you are done so they can continue their role in nature.