Insects Are Everywhere!
Insects have been found almost everywhere in the world. Some insects live in water. Most insects live on land. Some have even been found in Antarctica and in some deserts. Insects have been known to eat many things. Some things that insects eat are plants, other insects, animals, and decomposing organic matter.
Insects
Insects Are Important To Human Life:
Insects are key to us and the earth. Without them, we wouldn't have any fruit or vegetables to eat. Insects pollinate the plants allowing fruit to grow. We also would not have any meat or milk products. Insects pollinate the plants that cows and chickens eat. Insects are an important food source. They are important for breaking down organic matter as well.
Nervous System Of Insects:
Insects have well developed nervous and sensory systems. Body parts, such as antennas and sensory hairs, allow them sense things that humans can't. Insects have a brain, but their brain isn't as developed as ours are. They also have a ventral nerve cord instead of a spinal cord. There are nerves branching out of the nerve cord.
Insects Can Fly!
Flight has allowed insects to be one of the most successful animals ever. Their jointed legs are also key to their success. They have wings and joint appendages, so they can escape from predators easily. Their wings have allowed them to fly away from things that eat them. They also have an easier time of looking for food.
An exoskeleton is very important to insects. It protects them and also prevents loss of body fluids. The exoskeleton can also leave insects very vulnerable. If any part of the exoskeleton is damaged; the arthropod will most likely die. Insects don't have bones like we have. If their exoskeleton is damaged, their organs will most likely be hurt without a skeleton inside the insect's body to protect them.
The Body of Insects:
An insect has a very unique shell covering it. It is called an exoskeleton. It is made of a certain type of carbohydrate, called chitin. It can be stiff and rubbery like a caterpillar or bumblebee. It can also be so hard and tough that it is almost not likely to be broken by a human hand alone. It is covered with a waxy substance that helps stop the loss of body fluids. The body of an insect is divided into sections. They can be as little as three, like an ant, or as much as one hundred, like a centipede.
How They Breathe:
An insect can breathe air but not the same way as we can. They breathe with a network of tubes. These tubes are called tracheal tubes. They connect the inside of the body with the air. Air will pass through the tubes by diffusion.
Where Do Insects Belong?
Insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Their superclass is Hexapoda. Their class is Insecta. There are one million species in two subclasses and twenty-eight orders. Insects have the biggest population out of any other class.
The Digestive System:
An insect's digestive system isn't that much different than a person's. Insects have a long digestive system with a lot of parts. The parts are mouth, foregut, crop, cecae, midgut, hindgut, rectum, and anus. Insects shoot spit or poison onto its prey to predigest. That is the insect digestive system.
Body Parts:
Insects have six legs and have segmented bodies. The body parts are head, thorax, and the abdomen. They also come in all sorts of colors. There are more insects on the planet than any other thing. Insects have an exoskeleton. It is a skeleton on the outside of the body. They go through a process called molting which is when they shed their exoskeleton and make a new larger one.
Waste System:
Insects have a different waste system. Insects waste contains nitrogen. The dead end sacs take out nitrogen's from blood in the body sinuses. They also group the wastes and add them to poop which moves through the gut. That is the insect waste system.
Courtesy of World Book
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