and Bugs People
Study Questions for Exam 1
1. Who wrote the Historia Animalium and what was in it?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Aristotle-the classification of insects based on winged/wingless, the number and types of wings the insect
posseses.
Who wrote the Historia Naturalis and what did it cover?
Pliny the elder- the authoritative source on Natural History. Covered everything that exists.
What was the original meaning of the word bug
A ghost or hobgoblin-something difficult to see and vaguely unpleasant.
Who was Carolous Linnaeus and what did he do of significance?
Published systema naturae created the binomial system known as the Linnaean system. Names composed
of genusspecies
What do Taxonomists do?
Classify things into KPCOFGS: KingdomPhylumClassOrderFamilyGenusSpecies.
What is the literal translation of the word arthropod?
jointed foot
What are the 2-3 major differences between insects and spiders?
1- Insects have 3 body parts, spiders have 2
2- Insects have wings, spiders do not
3- Insects have 3 pairs of legs, spiders have 4
What are diplopods and Chilopods?
Diplopods- millipedes
Chilopods-Centipedes
Differences b/w groups is not in how many legs they have, but how the legs are attached to the body.
Millipedes- 2 pairs of legs per segment
Centipedes-1 pair per segment
What is the dominant life form on Earth?
Insects: class insecta
What is the only group of arthropods with wings?
Insects
Chapter 2
Most of the problems insects face can be traced to what?
Surface area/volume ratio. : as insects get larger they have less surface area compared to their volume.
What is an epicuticle?
Layer of the exoskeleton that is responsible for weatherproofing. Probably most inmprtant layer.
What are tracheae? What is ecdysis?
Tracheae=respiratory system. A connection of tubes that connect to the outside through a series of
openings.
Ecdysis= the entire process of moulting.
What is the most energy intensive thing insects do?
Fly
What two solutions to wings that do not moult did insects evolve?
1. Incomplete metamorphosis (gradual metamorphosis)- wings develop throughout development, and
reach full size at final molt.
2. Complete metamorphosis- wings develop after pupae stage
What is metamorphosis? What does the word mean?
The process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form. Means change in form
What is a juvenile hormone?
An elixir of youth, the insect remains in a juvenile state
What is diapause and how does it help insects?
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
A distinct physiological state characterized by a cessation of development, a buildup of fat, and an
increased resistance to extreme conditions. (2) Helps the insect to survive unfavorable periods.
What are accessory glands in insects?
Colleterial glands in the female. Provides material that attaches the egg to a surface.
What is so unique about the insemination method used by bed bugs?
Female has no opening, so male must stab into her abdomen to insert semen.
What is thelytoky?
A form of reproduction where diploid females produce diploid female offspring without mating with a
male. Ex: aphids
What was pangenesis and why did Charles Darwin need to derive it?
Pangenesis: each cell in an adult sheds into the blood little copies of itself. These assemble in the
reproductive organs, and form sex cells. Upon fertilization, they convert back into body cells.
Darwin needed to derive it bc he had no theory of what caused genetic variation, and how it was
transmitted.
Who was Gregor Mendel, and what did he do of importance?
Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk and biologist whose work on heredity using pea plants, became the
basis of the modern theory of genetics. He determined how traits were passed form parent to offsring
Chapter 3
What was the original meaning of the word behavior?
The ability of an organisms to respond to enviro stimuli.
What is a proprioceptor?
A sensilla that monitors the position of various parts of the body with respect to each other, so walking,
eating, etc. can be coordinated.
Does a dragonfly with multifaceted eyes see 24 upright images of an object or one image with each
facet containing 1/24 of the total image?
Each facets gets 1/24 of the image. They see in shades like pixels.
How does a reflex differ from a kinesis?
Reflex: simplest form of behavior. Does not necessarily involve the brain. involuntary and nearly
instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus.
Kinesis: More sophisticated. Ex: writhing of an insect during light changes.
What Thigmotaxis does have to do with cockroach behavior?
Thigmotaxis: orientation to contact. Cockroaches like to press their bodies against as many surfaces as
possible.
What are the 2 approaches insects use to make sounds?
1. Body parts are stroked, slammed, or vibrated together
2. Body parts are stroked against a hard surface.
What is a Chinese kwo kwo?
A cricket
What did the ancient Chinese breed crickets to do?
To stage sporting events of cricket fighting
What is Japanese haiku and what insects does it involve?
A genre of literature/poetry. Involves fireflies.
What is the purpose of the stink club used by male heliconian Butterflies?
1. Block females genitals
2. Cause other males to avoid the female bc the stick stinks
What is a pheromone?
An intraspecific chemical that sends a message. Intraspecific= within one species
What is stridulation and what does the word literally mean?
The process of the wings vibrating to amplify the sound. Literal translation= to make a harsh sound
How does a female deathwatch beetle make sound? Why was it given the name deathwatch beetle?
14.
1.
2.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Strikes its head against its burrow in wood, making the tapping sound. It was given the name bc it was
thought to be bad luck to hear the tapping in your house.
Are the vast majority of pheromones produced by males or females?
Females
Chapter 9
About what percent of the general population has a true phobia about insects?
3% or less
What are the various types of bug phobias?
1. Entomophobia-insects.
2. Acarophobia-mites
3. Arachnophobia-spiders
3.
What is delusionary parasitosis? What kind of expertise do people with this seek out?
When a person is under the delusion that they are being attacked, internally or externally by insects or other
small parasites. (2) They seek out a pest control operator or an entomologist
4.
How does a delusion differ from an illusion?
Illusions result from actual environmental stimuli that are incorrectly interpreted.
Delusions are psychological
Chapter 8
What is coprophagy?
Insects that eat excrement
What role does the chemical 2-butanone play in dung feeding?
It is a long distance attractant to the beetles.
What does a dung beetle do with the dung?
1. Lays eggs in it
2. Buries it underground for food storage
4.
How did the ancient Egyptians view the Dung beetle?
Worshipped as deities, especially in connection with resurrection and reincarnation
5.
What did the Book of the Dead have to do with Scarab beetles?
Stone scarab beetles were often engraved with writings from the Book of the Dead
6.
What was the idea of fly peril in the first half of 20th C America?
That flies transmitted fecal disease, so the amount of effort being used for Mosquito extermination should
also be used for flies.
Chapter 5
What do the most successful insects on Earth eat?
Plants
What is a gall and how is it formed?
An area of abnormal plant growth produced in response to a foreign agent, including among other things,
plant feeding insects. FORMATION: occurs when a female lays her eggs inside the plant, and in response,
the plant tissues begin to grow abnormally.
What is an herbivore?
An organism that eats plants
In what part of the insect gut is most food processed?
The midgut is the site where most food processing takes place.
What is the main problem with plants as far as being nutritious to insects?
That they are relatively low in protein
How have butterflies defeated the problem of low sodium in plants?
They gather in mud puddles and eat the sodium from puddles, urine, and bird droppings.
What are the two principle natural plant chemicals that have been used for commercial pesticides?
Nicotine and pyrethrin (chrysanthemums)
What is an angiosperm?
Flowering plants-dominant form of plant life today
What was the Neolithic Period (Neolithic Revolution)?
The New Stone Age- the period where stone tools were invented for toiling and harvesting
10. What was the record for the most children had by a female woman?
11.
12.
13.
14.
69 children
If bug reproductive potential is so high, how come we are not ankle deep in bugs?
Because of the environments carrying capacity
What is unique about the migratory locust?
Migration occurs in massive swarms of up to 10 billion individuals.
How did father Bougeant explain bug outbreaks?
The death of any non human organism sets free its devil, which enters the egg or embryo of another animal,
to continue its bondage to the flesh
What did the Catholic church often do (late 15th C) to get rid of pest bugs?
They were excommunicated.