Insects dominate terrestrial ecosystems in terms of species, biomass, number of individuals, and importance of ecological roles. It is believed that 80% of all living animals are insects. People today, generally overlook insects due to their small size and so-called inconsequential existence. But in reality, insects play a vital role in the smooth functioning of our ecosystem. Their importance can be highlighted by giving only a single example; about 95% of pollination is done by insects. Thus, insects are indispensable for the survival of every form of life present on the Earth!
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| Granite Ghost Bradinopyga geminata |
Order
|
Common names within orders
|
Number of species
|
Number
of species reported from India
|
Colombola
|
Springtail
|
l
2,000
|
210
|
Odonata
|
Dragonflies and Damselflies
|
>5,500
|
463
|
Blattaria
|
Cockroaches
|
3,700
|
180
|
Mantodea
|
Mantids
|
>1,800
|
162
|
Isoptera
|
Termite
|
2,000
|
253
|
Orthoptera
|
Grasshoppers, crickets and locusts
|
25,000
|
1,750
|
Hemiptera
|
True bugs
|
82,000
|
6,500
|
Hymenoptera
|
Ants, bees, wasps
|
1,30,000
|
10,000
|
Coleoptera
|
Beetles
|
3,50,000
|
15,500
|
Diptera
|
True flies, mosquitoes
|
2,40,000
|
6,093
|
Lepidoptera
|
Butterfly and Moths
|
1,80,000
|
15,000
|
We generally consider them either ‘useful’ or ‘harmful’. But,insects provide useful services like pollination, honey, silk and lac. Numerous insects also work as ‘natural cleaners’ by feeding on dead and decaying animals and plant remains; thus playing a vital role in the circulation of energy and matter within the ecosystem. Hence, it can be said that every aspect of human life have been affected by insects. In fact, within their enormous world they even somehow manage to control their numbers so no one insect species ever dominates.
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| Oides sp. |
Though it may sound strange, but conservation of insects is a need of the hour. Our developmental activities are responsible for environmental degradation. Such activities are causing severe threat to biological diversity and insects are an essential part of the food chain. Thus, loss of insect species will result in the collapse of the entire ecosystem, ultimately causing extinction of most of the life forms from earth including human beings. Only time has answers to the questions which we find difficult to answer today, regarding insect evolution. Maybe good fossil evidences or molecular research will unravel the mystery of insect evolution.
