Insect ecology

thumb|Nectar of camellia thumb|Orange-yellow nectaries and greenish nectar in buckwheat flowers thumb|An Australian painted lady feeding on a flower's nectar thumb|Gymnadenia conopsea flowers with nectar-filled spur Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists, which in turn provide herbivore protection. Common nectar-consuming pollinators include mosquitoes, hoverflies, wasps, bees, butterflies and moth

monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, abbreviated with a lipid number of 18:1 cis-9

basic unit around which ants organize their lifecycle

thumb|This aardwolf skull exhibits greatly reduced molars and [[carnassials teeth as they are unnecessary for any large, insectivorous animal subsisting on soft insects such as termites. The dentition of a shrew is very different. The aardwolf uses its canine teeth in self-defence; accordingly, they have not been greatly reduced.]] thumb|A Asilidae|robber fly eating a [[hoverfly]] thumb|The giant anteater, a large insectivorous mammal

fermented pollen

Dimethylamine is an organic compound with the formula (CH3)2NH. This secondary amine is a colorless, flammable gas with an ammonia-like odor. Dimethylamine is commonly encountered commercially as a solution in water at concentrations up to around 40%. An estimated 271,000 tons were produced in 2005.

thumb|Bee pollinating a flower thumb|Soldier beetle covered with pollen

a flowering plant that produces nectar as part of its strategy

thumb|250px|A syrphid fly (Eristalinus taeniops) pollinating a [[common hawkweed]] thumb|250px|A Andrena|mining bee (Andrena lonicerae) pollinating a [[honeysuckle (Lonicera gracilipes).]]

thumb|300px|right|Trophallaxis in Asian-Australian weaver ant O. smaragdina, [[Thailand]] Trophallaxis () is the direct transfer of fluid and food (excreted, secreted or regurgitated) between individuals, typically through mouth-to-mouth (stomodeal) or anus-to-mouth (proctodeal) feeding. Along with nutrients, trophallaxis can involve the transfer of molecules such as proteins, hormones, organisms such as symbionts, and information to serve as a form of communication. Trophallaxis is used by some birds, gray wolves, vampire bats, and is most highly developed in eusocial insects such as ants, wa

thumb|Afzelia africana seeds bearing orange elaiosomes thumb|Trillium recurvatum seeds Elaiosomes ( élaion "oil" + sóma "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes that attract ants, which take the seed to their nest and feed the elaiosome to their larvae. After the larvae have consumed the elaiosome, the ants take the seed to their waste disposal area, which is rich in nutrients from the ant frass and dead bodies, where the seeds germinate. This type o

thumb|250px|Biosynthesis of bombykol starting from palmitoyl-CoA Bombykol is a pheromone released by the female silkworm moth to attract mates. It is also the sex pheromone in the wild silk moth (Bombyx mandarina). Discovered by Adolf Butenandt in 1959, it was the first pheromone to be characterized chemically.

ecological trend

fungus which acts as a parasite of insects

Afzelia africana seeds bearing [[elaiosomes|right|thumb]] thumb|right|alt=Chelidonium majus diaspores consisting of hard-coated seeds and attached elaiosomes.|Chelidonium majus diaspores consisting of hard-coated seeds and attached elaiosomes

mating flight of eusocial insects

type of insect trap that uses pheromones to lure insects

'''cis-3-Hexenal, also known as (Z)-3-hexenal and leaf aldehyde''', is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CH=CHCH2CHO. It is classified as an unsaturated aldehyde. It is a colorless liquid and an aroma compound with an intense odor of freshly cut grass and leaves.

A kairomone is a semiochemical released by an organism that mediates interspecific interactions in a way that benefits a different species at the expense of the emitter. Derived from the Greek καιρός, meaning "opportune moment", it serves as a form of "eavesdropping", enabling the receiver to gain an advantage, such as locating food or evading predators, even if it poses a risk to the emitter. Unlike allomones, which benefit the producer at the receiver's cost, or synomones, which are mutually beneficial, kairomones favor only the recipient. Primarily studied in entomology, kairomones can play

Autothysis (from the Greek roots autos- "self" and thysia "sacrifice") or suicidal altruism is the process where an animal destroys itself via an internal rupturing or explosion of an organ which ruptures the skin. The term was proposed by Ulrich Maschwitz and Eleonore Maschwitz in 1974 to describe the defensive mechanism of Colobopsis saundersi, a species of ant. It is caused by a contraction of muscles around a large gland that leads to the breaking of the gland wall. Some termites (such as the soldiers of Globitermes sulphureus) release a sticky secretion by rupturing a gland near the skin

flower traits that attract pollinators

study of how insects interact with the surrounding environment

thumb|Queen (marked) and workers of the Africanised honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata

chemical compound

thumb|Hyles gallii|Bedstraw hawk-moth caterpillar leaving the frass behind thumb|Typical sculpting of a frass pellet of a large caterpillar thumb|A thistle tortoise beetle larva carrying a mass of its own frass as a repugnatorial defence. thumb|thumbtime=87|This Lepidoptera larvae disposes of its frass that might attract predators or parasites.

insects associated with decomposing animal remains

non-taxonomic name for a beetle that eats wood

post-1991 phenomenon in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Alate (Latin ālātus, from āla (“wing”)) is an adjective and noun used in entomology and botany to refer to something that has wings or winglike structures.

'''trans-2-Hexenal' is an organic unsaturated aldehyde with a six-carbon chain. This clear, pale yellow liquid has a green, leafy, herbal fruit smell. It occurs naturally in a wide variety of plants, fruits, vegetables, and spices, and appears to be an important mediating and signalling chemical in plant-fungus and plant-insect interactions, such as the symbiosis between acacia ants and Acacias''.

Diversity among species of insects

detachable food body produced on the epidermis of certain plants