Insect Life Cycles

A brief introduction to insects, discussing their characteristics, habitat, life cycle, and predators.

Yhe life cycle of the firefly.

Many insects hatch from eggs and molt several times as they grow bigger. Others, such as butterflies, undergo a complete metamorphosis. A common science curriculum topic, insect life cycles may be confusing because of these differences. However, this book breaks down these cycles into easy-to-understand steps in both accessible language and colorful diagrams readers can turn to for review again and again. The most important vocabulary needed to talk about insect life cycles is further explained in fact boxes and an extended glossary.

This book was developed out of a symposium at the XVII International Congress of Entomology held in Hamburg, Germany, on August 21, 1984. This symposium was organized by Drs. William Bradshaw and Hugh Dingle, who subsequently asked us to edit the proceedings. The chapters represent, for the most part, papers that were read in Hamburg but have been expanded and updated. The goal of this volume is to provide a comprehensive view of current research on insect life cycles, including field and laboratory studies, broad comparisons among species or local populations, and intensive studies of single populations, as well as theoretical research. Of necessity, given the magnitude of research now being carried out on insects, some important research programs are not included, and therein lie the makings of future volumes. This volume is divided into three parts. The first part, Geographical Patterns in Insect Life Cycles, explores various applications of a comparative method that has been valuable in investigating the potential for variability in life history parameters and the relation of these parameters to important variables in the environment.

Recent studies have shown that genetic polymorphisms play an important role in structuring the seasonal life cycles of insects, complementing an earlier emphasis on the effects of environmental factors. This book presents current ideas and recent research on insect life--cycle polymorphism in a series of carefully prepared chapters by international experts, covering the full breadth of the subject in order to give an up-to-date view of how life cycles are controlled and how they evolve. By consolidating our view of insect life--cycle polymorphism in this way, the book provides a staging point for further enquiries. The volume will be of interest to a wide variety of entomologists and other biologists interested in the control and evolution of life cycles and in understanding the extraordinarily complex ecological strategies of insects and other organisms.

Insect life cycles related to the four seasons

No International Congress of Entomology would now be complete without a symposium on insect life-cycles. The latest Congress, held at Vancouver, BC (Canada), in July 1988, was no exception, with a symposium on the genetics, evolution, and coordination of insect life cycles organized by Bill Bradshaw and Valerie Brown. The present volume arose from papers contributed by most of the speakers at the symposium, together with papers from other invited authors. In editing the book, I have been assisted greatly by the other authors, particularly Bill Bradshaw, Val Brown and Fritz Taylor. All contributors agreed to referee two other chapters, a system that worked efficiently and effectively: I thank all authors for performing this task in the face of other demands on their time. I would also like to thank Philip Corbet, John Greenslade, Bryan Clarke, and Gillian Thompson of Springer for their help. Nottingham Francis Gilbert January 1990 Contents List of Contributors ....................................................... xiii SECTION I. Genetics of Life-Cycle Traits Introduction William E. Bradshaw ................................................. 3 1 Understanding the Evolution of Insect Life-Cycles: The Role of Genetic Analysis.

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: Vivid photographs and engaging text combine to explain how insects grow and change. This informative title introduces readers to complete and incomplete metamorphosis and encourages readers to compare and contrast these processes.

Discusses the different kinds of insects and spiders and their life cycles, habitats, diet, and homes.

Explains how insects grow, describing the various stages of their life cycle.