ESPS Professor Peter Adler, Author of the 2004 Award-Winning Book The Black Flies (Simuliidae) of North America, Publishes a New Book, Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society
Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, edited by Robert G. Foottit and Peter H. Adler, brings together leading scientific experts to assess the impact insects have on humankind and the earth's fragile ecosystems. It examines why insect biodiversity matters and how the ongoing evolution and adaptation of insects in a rapidly changing world affect us all.
Insects make up about 60 percent of the known animal diversity globally, yet inadequate knowledge about insects is hindering the advance of science and society. This book explores the wide variety in type and number of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how knowledge of insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and also examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world.
The book concludes that a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects is the only way to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.
