MUCH has been talked about how climate change poses risk to ecosystems and individual species. But no one has analysed how global warming will affect the genetic diversity hidden within the species. DNA studies have revealed that traditional species contain a vast amount of “cryptic” diversity—such as different lineages or …
Staff at a bank in Uttar Pradesh has been blamed for allowing termites to eat their way through banknotes. The insects are believed to have chewed their way through notes worth some Rs 1 crore. “The branch management has been found guilty of laxity due to which the notes were …
Hugh Raffles is a rare anthropologist. He researches relations between people, animal and objects. In Insectopedia, he tries to understand how humans interact with insects. The book is as much about art, society, culture and philosophy, as it is about insects. “When insects enter our lives, they usually do it …
An admission upfront: I am not a scientist, nor an entomologist. So what am I doing reviewing a book on insects? The authors Rebecca Thomas and Geetha Iyer have taught biology at Rishi Valley School, and this book is an output of their passion for nature. Just like the authors, …
THE Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district of Maharashtra now has the largest concentration of giant wood spider, nephila pilipes, in the world. This population grew because of prolonged monsoon and a longer ban on grazing due to wet weather this year. Known for its rich forests, diverse fauna and …
Jharkhand has the reputation of being India’s biggest producer of lac, a scarlet-coloured resin secreted by an insect on trees. The state accounts for more than 50 per cent of the country’s lac produce. In 2004-05, Jharkhand produced 10,780 tonnes of lac. This season, from March to October, traders were …
FOOD is the key source of energy that is transferred from one organism to another in a food web. To study the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another, scientists from School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University (New Haven), zoomed into the eating habits of grasshoppers. …
How does artificial light affect insects? The strong illumination of artificial light attracts insects. We reviewed the epidemiological information on three insect-borne diseases, chagas, kala azar and malaria, and found artificial lighting changed the behaviour of insect vectors and thereby the modes of disease transmission. For example, the chagas parasite …
ALMOST all civilisations hold insects as an important element within their cultures. Scarab beetles were central religious artifacts within Egyptian culture. The Chinese viewed cicadas as a symbol of birth or immortality, the San of the Kalahari believe the praying mantis represents creation and patience, and the Greeks also created …
Acompetition motivated by a solemn idea—to highlight the extinction of animals and plants in the UK—ended with touches of poetry and artistic brilliance. In June, the British daily, The Guardian, announced a competition to name some lesser known and threatened insects, lichens and sea creatures that were till then known …
We still do not know 60-70% of the living insect species in India and almost all of these yet unnamed species probably occur only in our Protected Areas now. 'No permits to survey in' or 'unrestricted access to these areas given to qualified specialist scientists' means no knowledge about three …
AGRICULTURE experts from various countries gathered at St Petersburg in Russia on May 30-31 to strategize how to combat wheat rust diseases threatening the world’s food supply. Syria said 80 per cent of its wheat fields are infected by stripe rust. Three of the world’s top 10 wheat producing countries— …
Flowering plants and insects share a pollen-and-nectar history that goes back a long way. According to fossil records most of the insect groups originated before flowering plants appeared, which is some 140 to 190 million years ago. This would be during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods. Scientists at …
Edward O Wilson is one of the most important biological theorists of our times. An expert on social insects, discoverer of new species and passionate advocate of biodiversity, he is best known for his groundbreaking work on animal behaviour. Wilson has written what he knows best: a book where ants …
The wisdom that indigenous people have regarding bioprospecting is embedded in their belief system and their culture. Food insects play an important role in the new insect focus. Ants, bees, termites, caterpillars, water bugs, beetle larvae, flies, crickets, katydids, cicadas, and dragonfly nymphs are among a long list of edible …
Diversity and refuge function for indigenous fauna and flora in anthropogenically influenced habitats in tropical regions under global change on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
Various schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (henceforth WPA), dictate the level of legal protection given to species of Indian animals. Shortcomings of the schedules of the WPA with respect to insects have been pointed out, but no solutions have been suggested. Here the author has used butterflies of …
Mosquito continues to menace life in the city due to inadequate and irregular drives for what the Dhaka City Corporation blamed inadequate manpower and logistic support to monitor the field-level work. People are frequently falling victim to mosquito bites especially of Culex at homes, offices, business centers, bus stops, train …
An international collaboration to study insects in the Western Ghats mountains in southern India has been unable to get off the ground because of government concerns over biopiracy.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here has taken up a project for setting up a butterfly park-cum-garden with insect museum at Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur, 40 km from Chennai. The idea behind the project, sanctioned by the Department of Tourism and Culture, Tamil Nadu, was to generate …
