Insect Biodiversity E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 2219

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Volume One of the thoroughly revised and updated guide to the study of biodiversity in insects

The second edition of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society brings together in one comprehensive text contributions from leading scientific experts to assess the influence insects have on humankind and the earth’s fragile ecosystems. Revised and updated, this new edition includes information on the number of substantial changes to entomology and the study of biodiversity. It includes current research on insect groups, classification, regional diversity, and a wide range of concepts and developing methodologies. The authors examine why insect biodiversity matters and how the rapid evolution of insects is affecting us all. 

This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and also examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text:

• Explores the rapidly increasing influence on systematics of genomics and next-generation sequencing
• Includes developments in the use of DNA barcoding in insect systematics and in the broader study of insect biodiversity, including the detection of cryptic species
• Discusses the advances in information science that influence the increased capability to gather, manipulate, and analyze biodiversity information
• Comprises scholarly contributions from leading scientists in the field

Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society highlights the rapid growth of insect biodiversity research and includes an expanded treatment of the topic that addresses the major insect groups, the zoogeographic regions of biodiversity, and the scope of systematics approaches for handling biodiversity data.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

List of Contributors

Foreword, Second Edition

Preface, First Edition

Preface, Second Edition

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction

References

Chapter 2: The Importance of Insects

2.1 Diversity

2.2 Ecological Role

2.3 Effects on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Human Health

2.4 Insects and Advances in Science

2.5 Insects and the Public

References

Part I: Insect Biodiversity: Regional Examples

Chapter 3: Insect Biodiversity in the Nearctic Region

3.1 Influence of Insect Biodiversity on Society in the Nearctic Region

3.2 Insect Conservation

3.3 Species Diversity and the State of Knowledge

3.4 Variations in Biodiversity

3.5 Conclusions and Needs

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 4: Amazonian Rainforests and Their Richness and Abundance of Terrestrial Arthropods on the Edge of Extinction: Abiotic–Biotic Players in the Critical Zone

4.1 The Climatic Setting and Critical Zone Establishment

4.2 Characterization of Typical Lowland Rainforest Composition in the Western Basin

4.3 Sampling Arthropod Biodiversity in Amazonian Forests

4.4 Richness of Various Lineages and Guilds

4.5 General Patterns

4.6 Morphospecies Richness to Biodiversity

4.7 Beetles: Life Attributes Have Led to Contemporary Hyperdiversity

4.8 Summary and Guide to Future Research, or “Taking a Small Step into the Biodiversity Vortex”

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 5: Insect Biodiversity in the Afrotropical Region

5.1 What Do We Know about Afrotropical Insects?

5.2 An Information-Management Program

5.3 The Role of Insects in Ecosystem Processes and as Indicators of Environmental Quality – Dung Beetles as a Case Study

5.4 Africa-Wide Pests and Training Appropriate Taxonomists – Fruit Flies as a Case Study

5.5 Sentinel Groups

5.6 Conclusions

References

Chapter 6: Biodiversity of Australasian Insects

6.1 Australasia – The Locale

6.2 Some Highlights of Australasian Insect Biodiversity

6.3 Drowning by Numbers? How Many Insect Species are in Australasia?

6.4 Australasian Insect Biodiversity – Overview and Special Elements

6.5 Threatening Processes to Australasian Insect Biodiversity

6.6 Australasian Biodiversity Conservation

6.7 Conclusion

References

Chapter 7: Insect Biodiversity in the Palearctic Region

7.1 Preface: Societal Importance of Biodiversity in the Palearctic Region

7.2 Introduction

7.3 Geographic Position, Climate, and Zonality

7.4 General Features of Palearctic Insect Biodiversity

7.5 Biodiversity of Some Insect Groups in the Palearctic

7.6 Biodiversity of Insect Herbivores

7.7 Boundaries and Insect Biodiversity

7.8 Local Biodiversity

7.9 Insect Biodiversity and Habitats

7.10 Insect Biodiversity and the Mountains

7.11 Temporal Changes in Insect Biodiversity

7.12 Insect Diversity in Major Biogeographical Divisions of the Palearctic

Acknowledgments

References

Part II: Insect Biodiversity: Taxon Examples

Chapter 8: Biodiversity of Aquatic Insects

8.1 Overview of Taxa

8.2 Species Numbers

8.3 Societal Benefits and Risks

8.4 Biodiversity Concerns for Aquatic Insects

References

Chapter 9: Biodiversity of Diptera

9.1 Overview of Taxa

9.2 Societal Importance

9.3 Diptera of Forensic, Medicolegal, and Medical Importance

9.4 Diptera as Model Organisms and Research Tools

9.5 Diptera in Conservation

9.6 Diptera as Part of Our Cultural Legacy

References

Chapter 10: Biodiversity of Heteroptera

10.1 Overview of the Heteroptera

10.2 The Importance of Heteropteran Biodiversity

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 11: Biodiversity of Coleoptera

11.1 Overview of Extant Taxa

11.2 Overview of Fossil Taxa

11.3 Societal Benefits and Risks

11.4 Threatened Beetles

11.5 Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 12: Biodiversity of Hymenoptera

12.1 Evolution and Higher Classification

12.2 Numbers of Species and Individuals

12.3 Morphological and Biological Diversity

12.4 Importance to Humans

12.5 Ecological Importance

12.6 Conservation

12.7 Fossils

12.8 Collecting, Preservation, and Study Techniques

12.9 Taxonomic Diversity

12.10 Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 13: Diversity and Significance of Lepidoptera: A Phylogenetic Perspective

13.1 Relevance of Lepidoptera: Science

13.2 Relevance of Lepidoptera: Society

13.3 Diversity and Diversification: A Clarification of Numbers and Challenges

13.4 State of Lepidopteran Systematics and Phylogenetics

13.5 General Overview

13.6 Needs and Challenges for Advancing Lepidopteran Studies

Acknowledgments

References

Part III: Insect Biodiversity: Tools and Approaches

Chapter 14: The Science of Insect Taxonomy: Prospects and Needs

14.1 The What and Why of Taxonomy

14.2 Insect Taxonomy: Missions and “Big Questions”

14.3 Insect Taxonomy's Grand Challenge Questions

14.4 Transforming Insect Taxonomy

14.5 Insect Taxonomy: Needs and Priorities

14.6 Accelerating Descriptive Taxonomy

14.7 Beware Sirens of Expediency

14.8 Conclusions

References

Chapter 15: Insect Species – Concepts and Practice

15.1 Early Species Concepts – Linnaeus

15.2 Biological Species Concepts

15.3 Phylogenetic Species Concepts

15.4 Species Concepts and Speciation – a Digression?

15.5 Insect Species – Practical Problems

15.6 Conclusions

References

Chapter 16: Molecular Dimensions of Insect Taxonomy in the Genomics Era

16.1 Opportunities in Insect Taxonomy

16.2 Genomic Methods

16.3 General Challenges and Considerations

16.4 Conclusions

References

Chapter 17: DNA Barcodes and Insect Biodiversity

17.1 Species Concepts and Recognition

17.2 DNA Barcoding Methodology

17.3 Basal Hexapod Orders

17.4 Archaeognatha (Bristletails) and Zygentoma (Silverfish)

17.5 Odonata (Dragonflies)

17.6 Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)

17.7 Orthoptera (Grasshoppers)

17.8 Phasmatodea (Walking Sticks), Embioptera (Webspinners), Grylloblattodea (Icecrawlers), and Mantophasmatodea (Gladiators)

17.9 Plecoptera (Stoneflies) and Dermaptera (Earwigs)

17.10 Mantodea (Mantids)

17.11 Blattodea (Cockroaches) and Isoptera (Termites)

17.12 Psocoptera (Booklice) and Phthiraptera (Lice)

17.13 Thysanoptera (Thrips) and Hemiptera (True Bugs)

17.14 Hymenoptera (Wasps)

17.15 Strepsiptera (Twisted-wing Parasites)

17.16 Coleoptera (Beetles)

17.17 Neuroptera (Lacewings), Megaloptera (Dobsonflies), and Raphidioptera (Snakeflies)

17.18 Trichoptera (Caddisflies)

17.19 Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

17.20 Diptera (Flies)

17.21 Siphonaptera (Fleas) and Mecoptera (Scorpionflies)

17.22 Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 18: Insect Biodiversity Informatics

18.1 Biodiversity Data

18.2 Technical Infrastructure

18.3 Standards

18.4 Current Status and Impediments to Progress

18.5 Prospects

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 19: Parasitoid Biodiversity and Insect Pest Management

19.1 What Is a Parasitoid?

19.2 Biodiversity and Success of Insect Parasitoids

19.3 Systematics, Parasitoids, and Pest Management

19.4 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 20: The Taxonomy of Crop Pests: The Aphids

20.1 Historical Background

20.2 Economic Importance and Early Taxonomy

20.3 Early Aphid Studies – A North American Example

20.4 Recognizing Aphid Species

20.5 The Focus Becomes Finer

20.6 Adventive Aphid Species

20.7 Conclusions

References

Chapter 21: Adventive (Non-Native) Insects and the Consequences for Science and Society of Species that Become Invasive

21.1 Terminology

21.2 Distributional Status: Native or Adventive?

21.3 Global Transport: Pathways and Vectors

21.4 Early History of Adventive Insects in North America

21.5 Numbers, Taxonomic Composition, and Geographic Origins of Adventive Insects

21.6 Impact of Adventive Insects

21.7 Economic Considerations: Agriculture, Forestry, and Horticulture

21.8 Implications for Animal and Human Health

21.9 Ecological Impacts

21.10 Biological Control

21.11 Biological Invasions and Global Climate Change

21.12 Systematics, Biodiversity, and Adventive Species

21.13 Concluding Thoughts

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 22: Biodiversity of Blood-sucking Flies: Implications for Humanity

22.1 Numbers and Estimates

22.2 Overview of Blood-sucking Flies and Diseases

22.3 Rationale for Biodiversity Studies of Blood-sucking Flies

22.4 Biodiversity Exploration

22.5 Societal Consequences of Disregarding Biodiversity

22.6 Present and Future Concerns

22.7 Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 23: Reconciling Ethical and Scientific Issues for Insect Conservation

23.1 Valuing Nature

23.2 Insects and Ecosystems

23.3 Two Challenges

23.4 Synthesizing Deeper Values and Practical Issues

23.5 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 24: Taxonomy and Management of Insect Biodiversity

24.1 Insect Biodiversity

24.2 Biodiversity Loss and Humanity

24.3 Biodiversity and Taxonomy

24.4 Biodiversity Inventory and Ecology

24.5 Backyard Biodiversity and Sustainability

24.6 Taxonomic Bottlenecks in Managing Insect Biodiversity

24.7 Advancing the Science of Insect Biodiversity

References

Chapter 25: Insect Biodiversity – Millions and Millions

Acknowledgments

References

Index of Arthropod Taxa Arranged by Order and Family.

Index of Arthropod Taxa Arranged Alphabetically.

Index of non‐Arthropod taxa arranged alphabetically.

Subject Index

End User License Agreement

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Guide

Table of Contents

Preface

Begin Reading

Part I

List of Tables

Chapter 1: Introduction

Table 1.1 World totals of described, living species in the 29 orders of the class Insecta, tallied May 2016.

Chapter 3: Insect Biodiversity in the Nearctic Region

Table 3.1 Census of Nearctic insects.

Chapter 4: Amazonian Rainforests and Their Richness and Abundance of Terrestrial Arthropods on the Edge of Extinction: Abiotic–Biotic Players in the Critical Zone

Table 4.1 Selected major taxonomic monographs and books published since 1960 for Neotropical insect groups.

Table 4.2 Recent studies on the relationships between insect diversity, host specialization, and tropical forest communities.

Table 4.3 Arthropod abundances in the Piraña (Onkone Gare) 1994–96 canopy samples.

Table 4.4 Beetle guilds.

Chapter 5: Insect Biodiversity in the Afrotropical Region

Table 5.1 Major entomological collections in the Afrotropical region (based on Miller and Rogo 2001).

Table 5.2 Some major entomological collections of Afrotropical insects outside Africa (based on Miller and Rogo 2001).

Chapter 7: Insect Biodiversity in the Palearctic Region

Table 7.1 Ten higher plant families harboring the greatest numbers of weevil species in the subfamily Ceutorhynchinae in the Palearctic and Nearctic regions, and most important in human diet in temperate regions.

Table 7.2 Biodiversity of major insect groups in the Palearctic Region; more details are available in the chapter by Konstantinov et al. (2009).

Table 7.3 Distribution of Curculionoidea across six types of desert plant communities in Trans-Altai Gobi, Mongolia.

Table 7.4 Host plants of

Bruchela

(Coleoptera: Anthribidae: Urodontinae) in European Russia, Caucasus, and neighboring territories of northeastern Turkey, and weevils (Curculionidae) of the subfamilies Ceutorhynchinae and Baridinae associated with them (modified from Korotyaev 2012).

Table 7.5 Trees, bushes, and semishrubs most preferred as host plants by Lepidoptera in St Petersburg, Russia (modified from Lvovsky 1994).

Table 7.6 Distribution of Tenebrionidae across six types of desert plant community in Trans-Altai Gobi, Mongolia.

Table 7.7 Number of species of Coleoptera in the Trans-Altai Gobi and Central Sahara.

Chapter 8: Biodiversity of Aquatic Insects

Table 8.1 Major orders (and Diptera families) of aquatic insects, with estimates of the known number of species.

Chapter 9: Biodiversity of Diptera

Table 9.1 Families of Diptera and numbers of described species in the world. Family classification and species richness, based on Pape et al. (2011).

Chapter 10: Biodiversity of Heteroptera

Table 10.1 Summary of the known number of heteropteran genera and species by family and infraorder for the Australian*, Nearctic†, and Palearctic‡ regions and the world§. Taxa are arranged phylogenetically by infraorder and alphabetically by family, with the superfamily noted in parentheses for each.

Chapter 11: Biodiversity of Coleoptera

Table 11.1 Extant families of Coleoptera, with the estimated number of described extant world genera and species.

Table 11.2 Coleoptera families represented by extinct taxa only, with number of described genera and species (from Ślipiński et al. 2011).

Table 11.3 Pest Coleoptera species of high economic concern, based on current CABI, USDA-APHIS, Japan-MAFF, NAPIS, CFIA, and EPPO (A1 and A2) lists.

Table 11.4 Estimated number of Coleoptera species for North America and Canada, with the associated number of DNA-barcoding BINs and the calculated percent regional barcoding coverage.

Table 11.5 Number of Coleoptera species on the IUCN (2015) Red List of Threatened Species, by family.

Chapter 12: Biodiversity of Hymenoptera

Table 12.1 Numbers of described species of extant Hymenoptera, listed by superfamily and family.

Table 12.2 Numbers of described species of extinct Hymenoptera (many in families that are still extant), listed by superfamily and family.

Chapter 13: Diversity and Significance of Lepidoptera: A Phylogenetic Perspective

Table 13.1 Classification of the Lepidoptera.

Chapter 17: DNA Barcodes and Insect Biodiversity

Table 17.1 DNA barcodes and insect biodiversity.

Chapter 19: Parasitoid Biodiversity and Insect Pest Management

Table 19.1 Described and estimated species of parasitoids

Chapter 21: Adventive (Non-Native) Insects and the Consequences for Science and Society of Species that Become Invasive

Table 21.1 Some key terms as used in this chapter.

Table 21.2 Vectors and examples of insects moved by transport-related conveyances.

Table 21.3 Vectors and examples of insects that are moved in agriculture and horticulture.

Table 21.4 Vectors and examples of insects that are moved in association with forestry and forest products.

Table 21.5 The adventive insect fauna of selected geographic areas.

Table 21.6 Some economic losses from invasive insects.

Chapter 22: Biodiversity of Blood-sucking Flies: Implications for Humanity

Table 22.1 World biodiversity of extant, described hematophagous flies that take blood from vertebrates, followed by the number of fly-borne diseases. Family classification follows that of Pape et al. (2011).

Table 22.2 Hematophagous fly-borne diseases of humans and domestic animals of the world; dipteran families and diseases within each family are listed alphabetically.

Insect Biodiversity

Science and Society

Volume I

Edited by

Robert G. Foottit

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Peter H. Adler

Clemson University

Clemson

South Carolina

USA

This edition first published 2017 © 2017 John Wiley & Sons

First edition published 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for.

ISBN: 9781118945537

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: A sampling of beetle diversity in the Palearctic Region.

List of Contributors

Peter H. Adler

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Clemson University

Clemson

South Carolina

USA

May Berenbaum

Department of Entomology

University of Illinois

Urbana

Illinois

USA

Patrice Bouchard

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Adam J. Brunke

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Michael F. Claridge

School of Biosciences

Cardiff University

Cardiff

Wales

UK

Gregory W. Courtney

Department of Entomology

Iowa State University

Ames

Iowa

USA

Peter S. Cranston

Evolution, Ecology and Genetics

Research School of Biology

The Australian National University

Canberra

Australia

Hugh V. Danks

Biological Survey of Canada

Canadian Museum of Nature

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Hume Douglas

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Julian Dupuis

Department of Biological Sciences

University of Alberta

Edmonton

Alberta

Canada

Terry L. Erwin

Department of Entomology

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

Robin M. Floyd

Wellcome Trust/MRC Stem Cell Institute

University of Cambridge

Cambridge

UK

and

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

Biodiversity Institute of Ontario

University of Guelph

Guelph

Ontario

Canada

Robert G. Foottit

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Christy J. Geraci

Department of Entomology

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

Matthew L. Gimmel

Invertebrate Zoology

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Santa Barbara

California

USA

Paul Z. Goldstein

Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Plant Science Institute

Agriculture Research Service

US Department of Agriculture

c/o Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

Paul D. N. Hebert

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics

Biodiversity Institute of Ontario

University of Guelph

Guelph

Ontario

Canada

Thomas J. Henry

Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Plant Science Institute

Agriculture Research Service

US Department of Agriculture

c/o Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

John Heraty

Department of Entomology

University of California

Riverside

California

USA

E. Richard Hoebeke

Georgia Museum of Natural History and Department of Entomology

University of Georgia

Athens

Georgia

USA

John T. Huber

Natural Resources Canada

Canadian Forestry Service

c/o Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Norman F. Johnson

Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology and Department of Entomology

Ohio State University

Columbus

Ohio

USA

Kojun Kanda

Department of Biological Sciences

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff

Arizona

USA

Ke Chung Kim

Frost Entomological Museum

Department of Entomology

Pennsylvania State University

University Park

Pennsylvania

USA

Alexander S. Konstantinov

Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Plant Science Institute

Agriculture Research Service

US Department of Agriculture

c/o Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

Boris A. Korotyaev

Zoological Institute

Russian Academy of Sciences

St Petersburg

Russia

Mervyn W. Mansell

Department of Zoology and Entomology

University of Pretoria

Pretoria

South Africa

Gary L. Miller

Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Plant Science Institute

Agricultural Research Service

US Department of Agriculture

Beltsville

Maryland

USA

Kelly B. Miller

Department of Biology

University of New Mexico

Albuquerque

New Mexico

USA

John C. Morse

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Clemson University

Clemson

South Carolina

USA

Thomas Pape

Natural History Museum of Denmark

University of Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Denmark

Amanda Roe

Natural Resources Canada

Canadian Forest Service

Great Lakes Forestry Centre

Sault Ste. Marie

Ontario

Canada

Michael J. Samways

Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology

Stellenbosch University

Matieland

South Africa

Clarke H. Scholtz

Department of Zoology and Entomology

University of Pretoria

Pretoria

South Africa

Geoffrey G. E. Scudder

Department of Zoology

University of British Columbia

Vancouver

British Columbia

Canada

Bradley J. Sinclair

Canadian National Collection of Insects and Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Ottawa Plant Laboratory – Entomology

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Kong-Wah Sing

State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution

Kunming Institute of Zoology

Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming

P. R. China

and

Institute of Biological Sciences

University of Malaya

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Jeffrey H. Skevington

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Andrew B. T. Smith

Research Division

Canadian Museum of Nature

Ottawa

Ontario

Canada

Felix Sperling

Department of Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences Centre

University of Alberta

Edmonton

Alberta

Canada

Mark G. Volkovitsh

Zoological Institute

Russian Academy of Sciences

St Petersburg

Russia

Alfred G. Wheeler, Jr

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Clemson University

Clemson

South Carolina

USA

Quentin D. Wheeler

College of Environmental Science and Forestry

State University of New York

Syracuse

New York

USA

John-James Wilson

International College Beijing

China Agricultural University

Beijing

P. R. China

and

Institute of Biological Sciences

University of Malaya

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Laura S. Zamorano

Department of Entomology

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Washington DC

USA

Foreword, Second Edition

Insects are the most exuberant manifestation of Earth’s many and varied life forms. Their rather simple unifying body plan has become modified and adapted to produce an enormous variety of species, and insects exploit virtually all terrestrial and freshwater environments on the planet, as well as many brackish waters. However, as a paradox debated extensively a few decades ago, they are largely absent from the seas and oceans. Features such as wings and the complete metamorphosis of many species have been cited frequently as fostering this massive diversity. The “success” of the insects can be measured by many parameters: their long-term persistence and stability of their basic patterns, the variety of higher groups (with almost 30 orders commonly recognized) and, as emphasized in this book, the wealth of species and similar entities. Each of these species has its individual biological peculiarities, ecological role, distribution, and interactions within the local community. And each may differ in habit and appearance, both from its close relatives and across its range, to reflect local influences and conditions. Every species is thus a mosaic of physical variety and genetic constitution that can lead to taxonomic and ecological ambiguity in interpreting its integrity and the ways in which it may evolve and persist.

Entomologists will continue to debate the number of insect “species” that exist and the levels of past and likely future extinctions that edit any such estimate. The difficulties in gaining consensus have two main axes – first, lack of understanding of how these entities may be recognized and categorized and, second, that many insect groups remain substantially undercollected and are poorly known. The first of these themes dominates much of this book – gaining agreement over “what is a species” is difficult and sometimes contentious. Many taxonomists hold strong and individualistic views, molded by years of study, of the limits of species and the validity of infraspecific categories such as subspecies and races that in practice can function as “evolutionarily significant units” in their insect group. One widespread trend, often not appreciated fully, is that widespread generalist insect species may not persist as such as their environment changes – loss of resources and fragmentation of previously extensive biotopes may cause populations to become isolated, and restricted to a limited subset of resources, such as particular host plants, on which they must then depend and specialize. Such situations may beget speciation, perhaps especially among phytophagous insects that display many examples of such localized but obligatory isolation. Populations involved commonly show haplotype differences and biological idiosyncrasies related to their local conditions, but otherwise are not easily separable. Generalist “species” may commonly comprise complexes of cryptic species masquerading as a single entity. Conventional “typological” taxonomists may tend to mirror the more conservative “generalist” approach, whereas other constituents (such as many butterfly collectors) may opt to recognize numerous isolated populations displaying small phenotypic variations as distinct (specific or subspecific) taxa. Individual specialists in any large insect group are likely to occupy different positions along the gradient of “lumpers” to “splitters” in how they treat such variety, and may defend their stance energetically.

Biologists and philosophers alike continue to debate the merits of the numerous species concepts, drawing on the reality quoted by one recent commentator that “there are n+1 definitions of ‘species’ in a room of n biologists,” with the most common inference that “a species is whatever a taxonomist says it is.” All recognized categories, however, are dynamic. Any given figure for insect diversity (as numbers of species) is a working hypothesis, as is each of the contributing species – so that complete and enduring enumeration is perhaps impossible to achieve.

Documenting and cataloging insect biodiversity as a major component of Earth’s life is a natural quest of human inquiry, but is not an end in itself and, importantly, is not synonymous with conserving insects or a necessary prerequisite to assuring their well-being. Despite many ambiguities in projecting the actual numbers of insect species, no one would query that there are a lot, and that the various ecological processes that sustain ecosystems depend heavily on insect activity. Indeed, “ecological services” such as pollination, recycling of materials, and the economically important activities of predators and parasitoids are signaled increasingly as part of the rationale for insect conservation because these values can be appreciated easily through direct economic impacts. All these themes are dealt with in this book, centered on questions related to our ignorance of fundamental matters of “how many are there?” and “how important are they?”, to which the broad answers of “millions” and “massive” may incorporate considerable uncertainty; this uncertainty, however, is reduced by many of the chapters here.