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EB

EB

ONLINE

Cham : Springer International Publishing : 2017

1 online zdroj

ISBN 978-3-319-58765-3 (e-kniha)

ISBN 978-3-319-58764-6 (print)

Fascinating Life Sciences, ISSN 2509-6745

Introduction -- 1. Insects as Beneficials -- 2. Insects as Pests -- 3. Insects Today and in the Future -- 4. Conclusion: Hated, Threatened and Worth Protecting -- List of Insects -- Glossary -- Notes -- Why Every Exchange Counts (Thanks).

Threatening pests or threatened beneficials? Biting midges are wonderful insects. The animals are so tiny and uniquely shaped that they are particularly good at pollinating the small and tight flowers of the cocoa tree. Without them, there would be much less chocolate. We associate other insects more with the damage that they cause. Mosquitoes and wasps bite us. Moth larvae damage textiles and contaminate foods. Ants undermine our paths and flies are just a pain.But what exactly is our relationship with insects? Are they more beneficial or harmful? What role do they play in the world? What are the effects of climate change: Will the number of insects continue to increase?This book discusses the beneficial and harmful effects of insects and explains their development and significance for biodiversiy. ..

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1 Introduction 1 // References 6 // 2 Insects as Benefěcials 9 // 2.1 Insects Pollinate Plants 9 // 2.1.1 Pollination 9 // 2.1.2 Plants and Their Pollinators 14 // 2.1.3 Flies, the Unknown Pollinators 15 // 2.1.4 The Value of Insect Pollination 16 // 2.2 Insects Accelerate Plant Growth 17 // 2.3 Insects Promote Biodiversity 18 // 2.4 Insects Connect the Food Chain 19 // 2.5 Insects as the Most Important Element of Nutrition 23 // 2.5.1 Insects as Food 23 // 2.5.2 Insects as Feed 24 // 2.6 Insects Help Considerably with Hygiene 25 // 2.7 Insects as Inexpensive Biocide Alternatives 27 // 2.8 Insects Support the Economy and Society 33 // References 37 // 3 Insects as Pests 41 // 3.1 Insects as a Danger to Humans 41 // 3.1.1 Virus-Transmitting Insects 43 // 3.1.2 Causes and Trends of Virus Transmission 44 // 3.1.3 Diseases that Are Caused by Mosquitoes 46 // 3.1.4 Diseases that Are Caused by Ticks 51 // 3.1.5 Other Dangers Caused by Insects 55 // 3.2 Insects as a Danger to Animals 57 // 3.2.1 Nagana 58 // 3.2.2 Bluetongue Disease 59 // ix // x Contents // 3.2.3 Schmallenberg Virus 60 // 3.2.4 Louping-111 60 // 3.3 Insects as a Danger to Plants 61 // 3.3.1 Agricultural Damage in Developing // and Threshold Nations 61 // 3.3.2 Agricultural Damage in Europe 66 // 3.3.3 Forest Damage 69 // References 70 // 4 Insects Today and in the Future 77 // 4.1 Anthropogenic Effects on Habitats 78 // 4.1.1 Climate Change 78 // 4.1.2 Urbanization and Traffic 86 // 4.1.3 Agriculture 86 // 4.1.4 Sulfur and Nitrogen Emissions 90 // 4.1.5 Forestry 91 // 4.2 Population Development 91 // 4.3 Outlook 94 // References 95 // 5 Conclusion: Hated, Threatened, and Worth Protecting 99 // Reference 100 // Glossary 101 // Why Insects Deserve more Respect 105 // Index 111