Form and Function

Abstract

The physiology and morphology of insects largely explain the immense adaptability of these organisms to forest ecosystems. This chapter presents an opportunity to review the basics of insect development, the morphology of the different stages and the organ systems that comprise them. The broad categories immature stages and developmental trajectories toward the adult are summarized. Important physiological systems involved in insect behavior such as sensory organs, the nervous system and locomotion are also reviewed. Concise reviews of digestion, immunity and reproduction provide the reader with a basic understanding of how insects interact with their hosts and pathogens and propagate. Together, these topics should convey the fundamental importance of insect form and function in forest entomology.