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Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species

Series: Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species

4.8

(10)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2022

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

The truth is, our planet belongs to the insects. In 24 captivating lectures beautifully illustrated with graphics, photos, and video footage, Professor Scott Solomon shares his passion for these extraordinary creatures. Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species will open your eyes to evolutionary accomplishments you had never even imagined.

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Episodes

1. Insects Living All around You!

32m

There's a good chance insects have made themselves at home in your home. From the carpet beetles in your living room, to the silverfish in your sock drawer, to the cockroaches in the basement, they're everywhere! What should you do about them? Learn why "nothing" might be both your safest and most effective answer.

2. Insect Bodies and Human History

32m

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.

3. Insect Life Cycles and Reproduction

32m

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.

4. Insect Behaviors and Communication

29m

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-and mimicking the insects wherever possible.

5. Why So Many Beetles?

30m

The beetles seem to have it all-from the incandescent beauty of the jewel beetles, to the unmatched speed of the tiger beetles, to the burning hot, noxious defense mechanism of the bombardiers. Explore why beetles are more diverse than any other group of insects, and one of the most successful groups of any organism alive today.

6. Pollinators We Cannot Live Without

31m

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.

7. Insect Herbivores

31m

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-and how some have developed their own specialized microbiome to help them do the job.

8. Insect Pests

32m

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.

9. Insect-Borne Disease

33m

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've failed. But there is hope on the horizon.

10. Plants That Partner with Insects

30m

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.

Extended Details

SeriesWhy Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Scott SolomonActor

Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species

Why Insects Matter: Earth's Most Essential Species

About

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Extended Details

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