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Insects: Dressed for Success

Discover the fascinating world of insect defense mechanisms, from morphological camouflage to chemical toxins and behavioral tactics. Explore how insects adapt to survive against predators and uncover the evolution of their protective strategies.

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Insects: Dressed for Success

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  1. Insects:Dressed for Success MTFrazier S.Camazine MTFrazier

  2. Insects are the smorgasbord of the animal world!

  3. Who Eats Insects?

  4. Who Eats Insects? • birds • fish • arthropods (insect and non-insect) • amphibians • mammals • reptiles • humans • even plants!

  5. Do insects take this lying down?

  6. Insects have an arsenalof defense mechanisms

  7. Insects have an arsenalof defense mechanisms • Morphological / Physical • Chemical • Behavioral

  8. Insects have an arsenalof defense mechanisms • Morphological / Physical • camouflage (crypsis) • mimicry • mechanical • Chemical • Behavioral

  9. Insects have an arsenalof defense mechanisms • Morphological / Physical • camouflage (crypsis) • mimicry • mechanical • Chemical • toxins • venoms • pheromones • Behavioral

  10. Insects have an arsenalof defense mechanisms • Morphological / Physical • camouflage (crypsis) • mimicry • mechanical • Chemical • toxins • venoms • pheromones • Behavioral • death feigning • “house” construction

  11. 1) Morphological: Camouflage Blend into their background by looking like their background MTFrazier

  12. Blend into their background by breaking up their body outline (disruptive coloration) MTFrazier

  13. …but it doesn’t work from every angle! MTFrazier

  14. Blend into their background by looking like some uneatable part of their background MTFrazier

  15. 1) Morphological:Mimicry Aposematism: warning coloration Monarch butterfly = toxic Viceroy butterfly = aposematically "dressed" because it doesn’t have the chemical toxins

  16. Looks like a bee, BUT this is actually a fly! Bee-mimic = No venom to back up aposematism

  17. Mimicry: • Batesian - the aposematic inedible model (monarch) has an edible mimic (viceroy)- the model suffers, aposematic signal is diluted

  18. Mimicry: • Müllerian - both the model and the mimic are distasteful - all benefit from co-existence because predators associate all aposematic color individuals as toxic

  19. 1) Morphological: Mechanical Scott Camazine

  20. Venoms 2) Chemical: S. Camazine S. Camazine Toxins: sequestered or produced S. Camazine Pheromones

  21. Chemically defended insects are typically very apparent to their predators: warning colors S. Camazine S. Camazine

  22. Where do insects get their toxins?

  23. 3) Behavioral: MTFrazier MTFrazier

  24. 3) Behavioral:DIY ‘House Building’ MTFrazier MTFrazier

  25. These defense mechanisms often work in combination: Toxins and venoms + aposematic coloration (or sometimes camouflage) Camouflage + behavior Mechanical + chemical

  26. In some cases toxins and venoms can be costly for insects to produce S. Camazine MTFrazier Aposematic coloration = primary defense Venoms and toxins = secondary defense

  27. MTFrazier Camouflage = primary defense Chemicals = secondary defense

  28. It’s not enough to look like a twig (or thorn, stick, etc.) You have to ‘act’ like one to survive! Camouflage + Behavior MTFrazier

  29. This caterpillar is even MORE ‘painful’ than it looks S. Camazine mechanical + chemical

  30. How did these defenses come about? Evolution Natural Selection By the process of

  31. Governing principles of Natural Selection • Populations of species have variability • Variation is maintained by sexual reproduction • Variations can be passed from one generation to the next • Individuals that have variations (traits) that make them better able to survive (adapted) in their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their variation (traits/genes) to the next generation

  32. Camouflage in caterpillars First Generation

  33. Second Generation

  34. ? Third Generation

  35. Other factors, in addition to natural selection, influence how species evolve over time: • Mutations • Genetic isolation

  36. ReviewInsect Defense Mechanisms: • Morphological / Physical • camouflage (crypsis) • mimicry • mechanical • Chemical • toxins • venoms • pheromones • Behavioral • death feigning • “house” construction

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