Description
Insects are the creatures that make life on Earth possible by keeping ecosystems functioning: they pollinate plants (providing food and oxygen); they bury animal dung to improve the soil and prevent the spread of disease; and they decompose plant remains to return nutrients to the earth. There are many and a great variety of them. They are the only invertebrates that fly, and have a history that predates that of flowering plants, birds and mammals by millions of years. Insects are the only organisms that have influenced human evolution. Some aspects of their life history and behavior are simply astonishing.
In this book, we tell the stories of Southern African insects in over 800 pages, with approximately 3200 beautiful photographs illustrating the rich morphological diversity and biological characteristics of the insect species of the region. We highlight their importance as providers of ecosystem services and focus on the fascinating aspects of their history and behavior in ways that have not been done before.
