Two insect pieces
Two insect pieces

Author: Benjamin Britten

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 22

ISBN-13:

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These two pieces were written by Britten in 1935 for the oboist Sylvia Spencer, who had played in early performances of his Phantasy Quartet, Op. 2. The first performances of The Grasshopper and The Wasp did not take place until 1979, when they were performed by Janet Craxton and Margot Wright as part of a memorial concert for Sylvia Spencer at the Royal College Of Music, Manchester, England.

Insects: a Very Short Introduction
Insects: a Very Short Introduction

Author: Simon R. Leather

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 0198847041

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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.

Insect Evolution in an Amberiferous and Stone Alphabet
Insect Evolution in an Amberiferous and Stone Alphabet

Author: Dany Azar

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2013-07-18

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 9004210717

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Insects are the most diverse group of life on Earth and their history extends well into the Paleozoic, making them among the oldest of terrestrial animal lineages. They are critical to the well being of ecosystems from the equator to the poles, and are inexorably tied to the well being of our world. Whether beneficial or malignant, insects wield an overwhelming influence on our health, economy, and security. It is little wonder that insects so consistently appear in our cultures, religions, and mythologies. Given such realities, it is vital that we gain a better understanding and appreciation of Nature’s ‘inordinate fondness’. Indeed, there is considerable wisdom to be found in the study of these marvels of evolution, and what better way to understand their present and future than to peer back into their distant past. Here presented are some of the results of the 6th International Congress on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber (FossilX3) held in Byblos, Lebanon in April, 2013. In the tradition of previous congresses, researchers from around the world gathered to discuss the latest developments and to build new co-operative endeavours. Recognizing that the future of our science is one of interdisciplinary collaboration, these meetings steadily grow in importance, and proceedings such as this reveal the latest hypotheses and conclusions, while inspiring others toward newer and greater goals.

Insect-Plant Biology
Insect-Plant Biology

Author: Louis M. Schoonhoven

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2005-12-01

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 0191545821

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Half of all insect species are dependent on living plant tissues, consuming about 10% of plant annual production in natural habitats and an even greater percentage in agricultural systems, despite sophisticated control measures. Plants possess defences that are effective against almost all herbivorous insect species. Host-plant specialization, observed in over 80% of these animals, appears to be an effective adaptation to breach these defence systems. The mechanisms underlying plant defence to invading herbivores on the one side, and insect adaptations to utilize plants for nutrition, defence and shelter on the other, are the main subjects of this book. In the case of plants exposed to insect herbivores, they include the activation of defence systems in order to minimize damage, as well as the emission of chemical signals that may attract natural enemies of the invading herbivores and may be exploited by neighbouring plants that mount defences as well. For insects, they include complex bevioural adaptations and their underlying sensory systems (with their implications for learning and nutritional plasticity), as well as the endocrinological aspects of life cycle synchronization with host-plant phenology. Insect-Plant Biology discusses the operation of these mechanisms at the molecular and organismal levels and explicitly puts these in the context of both ecological interactions and evolutionary processes. In doing so, it uncovers the highly intricate antagonistic as well as mutualistic interactions that have evolved between plants and insects. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of our knowledge of insect-plant interactions to agricultural production. This multidisciplinary approach will appeal to students in biology, agricultural entomology, ecology, and indeed anyone interested in the principles underlying the relationships between the two largest groups of organisms on earth: plants and insects.