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24. Sharing Planet Earth with Insects
March 16, 2023
What can we learn from this amazing group of animals? Biologists and engineers believe we can learn quite a bit
23. The Disappearing Insects
March 16, 2023
You might already have heard in the popular press about this disturbing trend: researchers have noticed that many insect populations are declining both in number and diversity. Although many animals have been affected by climate change and habitat loss, discover the human activities that have a disproportionate impact on insects
22. Collecting Insects
March 16, 2023
Learn everything you need to know about starting an insect collection and making your own observations about your local environment. Discover how to start a collection of preserved insects using materials you probably already have at home. From nets to aspirators to pitfall traps, you
21. Insects in Art, Literature, and Film
March 16, 2023
Throughout our history, we have experienced iration for insects and their unique abilities, as well as fear and disgust. Explore how those conflicting emotions have been reflected in our arts, from Aesop
20. Fruit Flies and Other Research Insects
March 16, 2023
Although we tend to think of rats and mice as lab animals, insects
19. Insects as Farmers
March 16, 2023
Although we thought we invented agriculture, insects were using agriculture more than 50 million years before our arrival. Explore the world of the leafcutter ants; they can cut the leaves but not digest them. Instead, they feed the leaves to their fungus garden and eat the fungus, which provides them with a complete source of nutrients.
18. Insect Songs and Sounds
March 16, 2023
Most insects use sound to call for help and to attract a mate. With a variety of ways to produce sound, insects also have a variety of ways to hear. Consider the significance of sound for crickets, katydids, and cicadas, as well as the expansive and complex
17. Insects Adapted to Aquatic Life
March 16, 2023
Few terrestrial organisms can be as comfortable in the water as insects. Look at the unique respiratory physiology and fascinating adaptations that make it possible for them to maintain oxygenation underwater, as well as the adaptations that allow water striders to take advantage of water
16. Insects That Fly
March 16, 2023
Forty million years ago
15. Insect Recyclers
March 16, 2023
Insects play a crucial role as decomposers of dead organic matter, recycling the chemicals and making them available for other organisms. Explore the feats of one of homeowners
14. Insects as Parasites and Parasitoids
March 16, 2023
While some insects are herbivores and others are predators, a third group gets their energy and nutrients as parasites and parasitoids. Grisly though it might sound to us, you
12. Insects as Food for People
March 16, 2023
You might never have eaten beetle larvae, locusts, ants, or termites, but chances are your ancestors did
11. Insects as Food for Animals and Plants
March 16, 2023
So many animals rely on insects for food that most ecosystems would collapse without them. Birds alone consume almost 500 million metric tons of insects every year. Explore the relationship between insectivorous animals and their prey, as well as the 600 species of plants that also get in on the game. Of course, as you
10. Plants That Partner with Insects
March 16, 2023
Explore the many fascinating pairings in the coevolutionary dance between plants and insects. Step by step over millions of years, both insects and plants have developed ways to meet their own needs while increasing their value to their partners. No insects have done this better than the ants.
9. Insect-Borne Disease
March 16, 2023
One of the most profound ways insects have affected people throughout history is by transmitting disease. The worst offender? Definitely the mosquito. Mosquitos can transmit yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika virus, and more. Discover the many methods we have used to try to cure this problem, and the many ways in which we
8. Insect Pests
March 16, 2023
While the vast majority of insects pose no threat to humans, there are a few that compete with us for food, destroy our construction materials, and threaten both our natural and cultivated environments. Learn about the best and latest tools we can employ to control those insects, and why developing an understanding of the insect lifecycle is almost always a better investment than pesticides.
7. Insect Herbivores
March 16, 2023
Insects are the most significant herbivores worldwide. Along with the rise of the forests about 300 million years ago, insects evolved the ability to feed on and digest plants. Discover the diversity of strategies these animals have developed to feed on the many parts of plants
6. Pollinators We Cannot Live Without
March 16, 2023
Insect pollinators contribute about $195 billion to the global economy, pollinating approximately 80% of the most important crops worldwide. Explore the complexities of these insects, the many types of pollination they perform, and the coevolutionary dance that continues today between these animals and their plants.
5. Why So Many Beetles?
March 16, 2023
The beetles seem to have it all
4. Insect Behaviors and Communication
March 16, 2023
Reveal what honeybees are really communicating with their waggle dance and why specific dances are used in specific circumstances. From waggle dances to pheromones, insects have developed unique efficiencies in their communication and actions, both at the individual and group level. Scientists have been taking notice
3. Insect Life Cycles and Reproduction
March 16, 2023
Insects have contributed to the human economy since the beginning of our civilization. Consider the humble silkworm moth creating its cocoon from one continuous thread of silk. Discover how this caterpillar creates one of the strongest and most durable materials in nature, and explore the fascinating lifecycle and migration journey of the beautiful monarch butterfly.
2. Insect Bodies and Human History
March 16, 2023
Discover the properties of insects that distinguish them from mammals and all other animals. They all have exoskeletons for strength and protection, six legs to propel their movements, compound eyes, antennae, and even more attributes in common with one another. But within this framework, their astonishing variability has allowed them to live in almost every ecological niche on the planet.
1. Insects Living All around You!
March 16, 2023
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Description
Where to Watch Why Insects Matter: Earth’s Most Essential Species
Why Insects Matter: Earth’s Most Essential Species is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Why Insects Matter: Earth’s Most Essential Species on demand at Amazon Prime and Amazon.
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Premiere DateMarch 16, 2023
Free Trial on Amazon Prime
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