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1 - The scope of insect ecology

from Part I - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Peter W. Price
Affiliation:
Northern Arizona University
Robert F. Denno
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park
Micky D. Eubanks
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
Deborah L. Finke
Affiliation:
University of Missouri, Columbia
Ian Kaplan
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
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Summary

Everybody is conscious of insects, and even concerned about them. In fact, we each have an ecological relationship with their kind. We share our houses and gardens with them, our walks and picnics, and our adventures. So should we not understand them? Their richness in species and interactions, their beauty and behavioral intricacy, all enrich our lives if we understand who they are, and what they are doing. Therefore, the ecology of insects is for everybody.

Eisner (2003, p. 1), in his latest book, For Love of Insects, starts by writing that “This book is about the thrill of discovery.” And, Wilson (1994, p. 191), in his autobiographical, Naturalist, advised, “Love the organisms for themselves first, then strain for general explanations, and, with good fortune, discoveries will follow. If they don't, the love and the pleasure will have been enough.” Here is sound advice from two of the greatest practitioners of entomology and ecology, for discovery is thrilling, and the deeper the fascination one develops, the greater will be the discoveries that follow.

Type
Chapter
Information
Insect Ecology
Behavior, Populations and Communities
, pp. 3 - 24
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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References

Eisner, T. 2003 For Love of Insects Cambridge, MA Belnap Press of Harvard University Press
Foottit, R. G. Adler, P. H. 2009 Insect Biodiversity, Science and Society Oxford Blackwell
Grimaldi, D. Engel, M. S. 2005 Evolution of the Insects Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press
Labandeira, C. C. 2002 The history of associations between plants and animals Oxford Blackwell
Wilson, E. O. 1994 Naturalist New York Warner

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