INSECTS AND INSECT PHYSIOLOGY IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of Insecta and explains the evolution of insects, whose origin and uniformity of descent have bearings on their physiology. It discusses the extraordinary exploitation of the terrestrial environment by insect species, possible reasons for their dominance, and why they have not gone further along some avenues. The class Insecta is known with certainty in fossil form only from the upper Carboniferous onwards. In whatever environment they may have originated, the Insecta have achieved a remarkably successful conquest of the nonmarine parts of the globe. The contribution of physiological studies to the understanding of the biology and population dynamics of insects has been enormous. In future, methods will be found for establishing more insect species in culture for convenience of study.