Species Habitat BugQuest Project
The Quest - An Introduction
Scientists are increasingly concerned about the destruction of the rain forest and other habitats. A worldwide scientific project called SPECIES HABITAT has started which will seek to preserve all known species of plants and animals. You have been invited to help determine which insects will be collected and become part of this SPECIES HABITAT. Since these natural habitats are disappearing quickly, scientists need to collect the most important insects first. You will choose an insect to research to gather information in order to convince these scientists that your insect should be saved and collected, before it disappears. You will each have a role in this Bugquest: a scientist, an interviewer, and an artist.
Insects are the dominant group of animals on the earth today. They far surpass all other terrestrial animals in numbers, and they occur practically everywhere. Over 900,000 different kinds have been described -- three times as many as there are in the rest of the animal kingdom -- and some people believe the total number of species may approach 30 million! It is estimated that 70 to 80% of all animals are insects! Roughly 10,000 new species are described yearly. More than a thousand species may occur in a fair-sized backyard. There are about one-half ton of termites for every human on earth! In the Amazon River Basin, the biomass of ants outweighs that of vertebrate animals by a ratio of 4:1.
Many insects are extremely valuable to humans. Insects pollinate agricultural crops including many orchard fruits, nuts, clovers, vegetables and cotton. They produce honey, beeswax, shellac and silk. Insects are valuable members of the food web, by serving as food for many birds, fish and other animals and by keeping harmful animals and plants in check. In addition, insects are useful in medicine and scientific research. Today, insects are even used to identify and prosecute criminals.
Some insects are harmful to agricultural crops and livestock. Others harass our pets. And some transmit disease to humans.
Insects have lived on earth for about 350 million years, compared with less than 2 millions for humans. During this time they have evolved in many directions, become adapted to live in almost every type of habitat and developing many unusual and even amazing features.
What We Hope You Will LearnContent Objectives
1. Science: Identify body parts of an insect, its life cycle, its geographical distribution, its food, its unique characteristics, its survival techniques, its proliferation, its niche in the biome, its scientific classification
2. Technology: Use the Internet for online authentic research, writing effective questions, drawing with detail
3. Language Arts: Read informational articles to find answers, write an interview
4. Thinking Strategies: Synthesis of information into a new format
Assessment How will you know you have accomplished your goal?
Write an reportabout your insect which describes the answers to the questions:
What does this insect look like? ( Student drawing or illustration of insect)
How does it compare with other insects?
What is its life cycle?
Where can this insect be found - its geographical distribution?
What food does this insect need?
What are unique characteristics about this insect which make it
important to join the SPECIES HABITAT PROJECT?
Why is this insect able to survive ?
What is its proliferation, how many can be found in the world, how easy is reproduction?
How would you describe this insect's niche in the biome?
What is this insect's scientific classification?
What is this insect's impact on humans?
How Much Time Do WeHave?
Time Allotted for this project: Three one-hour sessions in the computer lab, and the time you spend on it at home.
Internet Websites for Research
Amazing Insects Project
Ask Jeeves
Cockroach World Yuckiest site on the web
All about insects and worms
Inquiring Worm Reporter for students' questions
Dr. Hoffman's Bug of the Month
Great images and information about a different bug each month as well as a collection of previous months
Entomology for Beginners
Basic information on the anatomy and metamorphosis of insects
Entomology at Colorado State
Images and links of insects
Entomology on the World Wide Web
Texas A&M University, lesson plans, information, images
Insect Drawings
University of Illinois, 50 to 60 year old original drawings as teaching aids for entomology
Insects Hotlist from the Smithsonian Museum
Images, teacher resources, background information and facts
Insects on the World Wide Web
Entomology from VA Tech
Joy of Cooking Bugs
The art of preparing insect meals
Mealworms Info from the University of Ohio
Scanning Electron Microscope
Insect images upclose
Virtual Insectary
Images of some common insects, including information on the foods they eat as well as their habitats
Worm Interviews -
Arachnology (spiders) Home Page
Scorpion Home Page
Insect Sounds
Insects and Spiders
Insect Biology and Ecology
Insects on the Web
Identifying Insects
Insects
Insect Classification Key