The role in nature of insects, their practical significance for humans

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 spread, the question arises: "What is the role in nature of insects?"

Species Features

The number of species of animals 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 front wings.

There is also a division according to the nature of the food. Among them there are three groups:

1. Those that eat other insects (ladybugs, mantises).
2. Those that eat the waste of decomposition of plants and animals (dead people, gravediggers).
3. Feed on plants (May beetle, leaf-eaters, crunchy).

It should be noted that some types of ladybirds are specially bred in the laboratory. This is necessary to subsequently release them into greenhouses and gardens to destroy aphids.

Dead men and grave-diggers belong to the orderlies of nature. They prevent pollution of the environment by waste products of decaying living organisms.

What is the use?

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

• Without insects it is often impossible to pollute plants ;
• They participate in soil-forming processes;
• Named living organisms support the circulation of substances in nature.

Pollination of plants

The importance of insects in nature is great. And their positive activity, first of all, consists in pollination of plants. Such qualities are possessed by bumblebees, bees, butterflies, etc. It is known that some species of plants are not able to reproduce without pollination. For example, a clover that yielded good crops in New Zealand, however, could not produce seeds until bumblebees were brought into the country.

Soil-forming processes

Termites and ants are actively involved in loosening the soil. There are other insects that live in the earth, forming in it the moves. By the way, without their activity it becomes impossible to decompose the fallen coniferous plants. And this leads to the accumulation of peat-like layers, making the land infertile.

Detachments of insects loosen the soil, enrich it with humus, provide ventilation. An important sanitary importance is also the destruction of excrement and corpses of animals. After all, substances released during the decomposition of organisms, pollute the environment, including soil.

Cycle of substances

The role in nature of insects is more extensive than one can imagine. They take part in the cycle of substances in nature. Much would not have been on the planet, if not for insects. Birds, for example, feed on them. Some of their species are consumed exclusively by insects. Predatory animals, in turn, feed on birds. So the cycle of substances reaches a person.

Negative activity

If we study the role of insects in nature, it is worth noting that they bring not only benefits. Negative results of their activities are as follows:

• Destruction of plants;
• Spread of diseases.

Destruction of plants

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

The insects destroy the plant tissue, they turn the traces in it, causing the crops to dry and perish. As a result, whole plantations of the crop may be threatened with death. A particular danger is the mass reproduction of individual individuals. There have been cases of locust attacks on fields, which resulted in the destruction of all plants that met on its way.

Pests include some species of butterflies and beetles, aphids, locusts and others. It is worth noting that this is the fault of man. He does not always adhere to the rules of crop rotation, he has been cultivating many cultures for a long time in a certain place, which promotes the reproduction of insects. Mankind is actively fighting pests by using chemicals that are sprayed on plants and soil.

Disease Carriers

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

Endoparasites are often insects still in the larval stage. For example, they can settle in the body of cattle and cause serious damage to livestock. In addition, the danger looms over the person. Blood-sucking insects are able to infect with pathogenic microbes, as well as parasitic worms. Ways of transmission - through food (fly), with bites (mosquito, mite).

Red Book

Given the importance of insects in nature, some of their endangered species are subject to protection.

To date, the Red Book lists about 95 species that are on the verge of extinction. Most of the rare insects are beetles (36 species). These include barbel alpine, beetles, beauties and others.

In the Red Book 33 species of butterflies - Apollo, pigeon, bear, and others. 23 types 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 in different countries of the world

Many terrarium growers are engaged in breeding 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 sound a sound and do not interfere with the household and neighbors. In addition, they are not fastidious in nutrition, they do not have hair and down.

In Australia, for example, moths are pets. By the way, some residents just put these insects on the curtains, so they catch the flies.

In China, preference is given to growing crickets. This is not just a hobby, but a real entertainment. Between the crickets are fights and fights. The Chinese themselves are very pleased to watch this. They also raise waterworms. They are contained in aquariums and differ in their 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 people destroy hazardous wastes 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, we should also note the aesthetic component. After all, the beauty of butterflies will involuntarily start to admire even the most ardent opponent of all representatives of the described class of animals.