At the Size Limit - Effects of Miniaturization in Insects


Book Description

This book addresses microinsects, their structure and their differences from larger relatives. Moreover, it discusses structural changes that accompany extreme diminution in living organisms, evolutionary inventions that help insects to live in the microworld, and factors that limit the size of animals. It also takes a careful look at the potential benefits of the study of microinsects for solving biotechnological and fundamental scientific problems. Miniaturization is not only a trend in technology: it is also one of the trends in the evolution of life. Many of the problems modern engineers are still struggling with were solved by nature millions of years ago. The world of microscopic organisms, invisible to the naked eye, is all around us. Microinsects — the extremely diverse range of miniature insects less than a millimeter long — are one of the most intriguing components of this microworld. Having evolved to the size of unicellular organisms, the smallest insects managed not only to preserve their structural complexity, but also to evolve some novel features not found in larger insects.







Insect Development and Evolution


Book Description

Life scientists are increasingly drawn to the study of comparative evolutionary biology. Insect Development and Evolution is the first synthesis of knowledge of insect development within an evolutionary framework and the first to survey the genetic, molecular, and whole organism literature. Bruce S. Heming provides a detailed introduction to the embryonic and postembryonic development of insects. Topics include:* reproductive systems,* male and female gametogenesis,* sperm transfer and use,* fertilization,* sex determination,* parthenogenesis,* embryogenesis,* postembryogenesis,* hormones,* and the role of ontogeny in insect evolution.Summaries for each of these topics cover structural events; comparative aspects (inserted on a phylogeny of the insect orders); and hormonal, genetic, and molecular causal analyses.Insect Development and Evolution treats examples throughout the hexapods with frequent reference to the evolution and development of other invertebrates. It also compares insects to vertebrates and places insect development into context with fossil evidence and earth history. Heming's book will become an essential tool for students and teachers of entomology. It will also interest insect systematists and paleontologists, insect behavioral ecologists, insect pathologists, applied entomologists, developmental and invertebrate biologists, and all scientists who use Drosophila as a model organism.




Ant Colony Optimization


Book Description

An overview of the rapidly growing field of ant colony optimization that describes theoretical findings, the major algorithms, and current applications. The complex social behaviors of ants have been much studied by science, and computer scientists are now finding that these behavior patterns can provide models for solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. The attempt to develop algorithms inspired by one aspect of ant behavior, the ability to find what computer scientists would call shortest paths, has become the field of ant colony optimization (ACO), the most successful and widely recognized algorithmic technique based on ant behavior. This book presents an overview of this rapidly growing field, from its theoretical inception to practical applications, including descriptions of many available ACO algorithms and their uses. The book first describes the translation of observed ant behavior into working optimization algorithms. The ant colony metaheuristic is then introduced and viewed in the general context of combinatorial optimization. This is followed by a detailed description and guide to all major ACO algorithms and a report on current theoretical findings. The book surveys ACO applications now in use, including routing, assignment, scheduling, subset, machine learning, and bioinformatics problems. AntNet, an ACO algorithm designed for the network routing problem, is described in detail. The authors conclude by summarizing the progress in the field and outlining future research directions. Each chapter ends with bibliographic material, bullet points setting out important ideas covered in the chapter, and exercises. Ant Colony Optimization will be of interest to academic and industry researchers, graduate students, and practitioners who wish to learn how to implement ACO algorithms.




Arthropod Biology and Evolution


Book Description

More than two thirds of all living organisms described to date belong to the phylum Arthropoda. But their diversity, as measured in terms of species number, is also accompanied by an amazing disparity in terms of body form, developmental processes, and adaptations to every inhabitable place on Earth, from the deepest marine abysses to the earth surface and the air. The Arthropoda also include one of the most fashionable and extensively studied of all model organisms, the fruit-fly, whose name is not only linked forever to Mendelian and population genetics, but has more recently come back to centre stage as one of the most important and more extensively investigated models in developmental genetics. This approach has completely changed our appreciation of some of the most characteristic traits of arthropods as are the origin and evolution of segments, their regional and individual specialization, and the origin and evolution of the appendages. At approximately the same time as developmental genetics was eventually turning into the major agent in the birth of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), molecular phylogenetics was challenging the traditional views on arthropod phylogeny, including the relationships among the four major groups: insects, crustaceans, myriapods, and chelicerates. In the meantime, palaeontology was revealing an amazing number of extinct forms that on the one side have contributed to a radical revisitation of arthropod phylogeny, but on the other have provided evidence of a previously unexpected disparity of arthropod and arthropod-like forms that often challenge a clear-cut delimitation of the phylum.




Distinct Aerodynamics of Insect-Scale Flight


Book Description

Insect-scale flapping wing flight vehicles can conduct environmental monitoring, disaster assessment, mapping, positioning and security in complex and challenging surroundings. To develop bio-inspired flight vehicles, systematic probing based on the particular category of flight vehicles is needed. This Element addresses the aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, geometry, stability and dynamics of flexible flapping wings in the insect flight regime. The authors highlight distinct features and issues, contrast aerodynamic stability between rigid and flexible wings, present the implications of the wing-aspect ratio, and use canonical models and dragonflies to elucidate scientific insight as well as technical capabilities of bio-inspired design.




Radar Entomology


Book Description

Many of the world's most serious agricultural pests are highly migratory. Through the use of special-purpose radars we are provided with insights into their movement and how they learn about and navigate through their environment. This text examines the behaviour and regional variations of these species, as well as the altitude of migration, concentration of insects in layers and how they respond to large and small-scale wind systems. The book relates radar observation of insect movement to complementary and competing methodologies and surveys its capabilities and limitations. It also deals wi




The Management of Insects in Recreation and Tourism


Book Description

An insight into the booming industry of insect leisure and tourism, using case studies and examples from around the world.




Fundamentals of Microfabrication


Book Description

MEMS technology and applications have grown at a tremendous pace, while structural dimensions have grown smaller and smaller, reaching down even to the molecular level. With this movement have come new types of applications and rapid advances in the technologies and techniques needed to fabricate the increasingly miniature devices that are literally changing our world. A bestseller in its first edition, Fundamentals of Microfabrication, Second Edition reflects the many developments in methods, materials, and applications that have emerged recently. Renowned author Marc Madou has added exercise sets to each chapter, thus answering the need for a textbook in this field. Fundamentals of Microfabrication, Second Edition offers unique, in-depth coverage of the science of miniaturization, its methods, and materials. From the fundamentals of lithography through bonding and packaging to quantum structures and molecular engineering, it provides the background, tools, and directions you need to confidently choose fabrication methods and materials for a particular miniaturization problem. New in the Second Edition Revised chapters that reflect the many recent advances in the field Updated and enhanced discussions of topics including DNA arrays, microfluidics, micromolding techniques, and nanotechnology In-depth coverage of bio-MEMs, RF-MEMs, high-temperature, and optical MEMs. Many more links to the Web Problem sets in each chapter




The Insects


Book Description

This established, popular textbook provides a stimulating andcomprehensive introduction to the insects, the animals thatrepresent over half of the planet's biological diversity. In thisnew fourth edition, the authors introduce the key features ofinsect structure, function, behavior, ecology and classification,placed within the latest ideas on insect evolution. Much of thebook is organised around major biological themes - living on theground, in water, on plants, in colonies, and as predators,parasites/parasitoids and prey. A strong evolutionary theme ismaintained throughout. The ever-growing economic importance ofinsects is emphasized in new boxes on insect pests, and in chapterson medical and veterinary entomology, and pest management. Updated'taxoboxes' provide concise information on all aspects of each ofthe 27 major groupings (orders) of insects. Key Features: All chapters thoroughly updated with the latest results frominternational studies Accompanying website with downloadable illustrations and linksto video clips All chapters to include new text boxes of topical issues andstudies Major revision of systematic and taxonomy chapter Still beautifully illustrated with more new illustrations fromthe artist, Karina McInnes A companion resources site is available at ahref="http://www.wiley.com/go/gullan/insects"target="_blank"www.wiley.com/go/gullan/insects/a. This siteincludes: Copies of the figures from the book for downloading, along witha PDF of the captions. Colour versions of key figures from the book A list of useful web links for each chapter, selected by theauthor.