Ever imagined how the world looks like if you were a thousand times smaller? Let us explore how life is for the tiny critters that also call planet Earth their home – insects.
Overview of Insect Biodiversity
Insects are the world’s most diverse and largest group of animals. Probably more than one million species have been described, and scientists estimate the total species richness at a range of three million to 80 million species. There are five major orders known for their great species richness: beetles (Coleoptera); ants, bees and wasps (Hymenoptera); butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera); flies, mosquitoes and gnats (Diptera); and the true bugs (Hemiptera).
Where do insects live among us?
As you would expect from an enormous group of animals, insects can be found living in nearly every type of environment. Insects inhabit the land, freshwater, soil, during part or all of their lives! Some are even found out in the open ocean!
Insects feeding at a glance
They are also variable in their feeding habits and bear interesting features that make them highly adapted to specific diets. Herbivores such as grasshoppers have chewing, grazing mouthparts; carnivorous insects such as praying mantises may use their raptorial claws to capture prey; butterflies and moths can suck nectar using their long proboscis.
Entomology: the study of insects
The sheer diversity of this class of organisms continues to awe and leave us curious. Entomology, the study of insects, is an exciting and important field. However, in such a massive taxon, many species and their ecological roles have yet to be understood.
To find novel species, molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding are sometimes used to examine specimens. This method could reveal the hidden genetic diversity among insect species that look alike.
Entomologists dedicate their lives to studying specific orders of insects. But beyond academic research, applied entomology crosses disciplines and benefits commercial research as well.
Farming insects
Ecology or economics, the lives of insects are intricately linked with ours.
Insect farming startup, Insectta, is a Singaporean company that grows black soldier flies indoors. These black soldier larvae are fed with food scraps, and their excretion waste is processed into organic fertilisers for gardening. Live larvae are also sold as nutritional food options for pet fishes and birds.
Around the globe, interest in entomophagy – eating insects – is also booming as startups are developing new innovations to farm insects for food. Due to their short generation time, high fecundity, ease of indoor rearing and high nutritional content, certain insects like grasshoppers and crickets are being explored as an alternative protein source that could be more sustainable in the long run.
The main challenge, as you might expect, would be the stigma most consumers have towards insects. Entomophagy entrepreneur Anne Carlson, however, found that insect-based dog food appeals to millennial consumers who have a heightened awareness of their environmental footprint, and are willing to opt for nature-based and high-nutrition pet food options.
Conserving insects
While several insect species may be heavily farmed as ‘gateway bugs’ for innovative bug cuisines, other insects demand more attention in their conservation value. Certain insects are regarded as “keystone species” because the loss of their vital ecological roles could amount to the collapse of the wider ecosystem. For example, termites play an important role in determining the tropical soil structure and health, which in turn affects vegetation and hence the rest of the food web. In aquatic environments, insect larvae can break down wood and leaves, releasing nutrients into the water.
Threats that affect other organisms also impact insect biodiversity. This primarily includes climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, and invasive species. This makes insect conservation an important task. Local bee conservationist Mr Xavier constantly educates people about the significance of bees to our environment. Living in a City in Nature, it is not uncommon to spot beehives nestled within our buildings. Instead of pest extermination, contact human bee removal services such as Nutrinest to keep both you and the bees safe!
Getting started: Resources and Opportunities
If you are pumped to delve deeper into the world of insects, here are some tips to help you get started, even with COVID-19 restrictions.
iNaturalist.org is a platform for users to learn more about any organism in the wild. You may upload photos of insects and allow other users from this helpful online community to identify them for you. The app also has an AI-driven species identification feature that utilises the vast biodiversity database of species photos uploaded by users all over the world. However, note that the world of insects is complex and diverse, so sometimes you might not get to species-level identification!
Another helpful online resource is the Biodiversity of Singapore insect database. This site is hosted by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and serves to answer the colloquial question of “Singapore got biodiversity meh?”.
You may also participate in insect watch activities:
• Nature Society Singapore Butterfly & Insect Group
Check them out – you’ll bee surprised at what you find!
Glossary:
Fecundity: the ability to produce an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertility.
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