Feeding & Nutrition

Objectivesbronze orange bug

Nutrition concerns the chemicals which organisms require for growth, development, reproduction and all other life activities. At the end of this topic you should know:

Topic outline

Most insects have similar nutritional requirements since the basic chemical composition of their tissues and their metabolic processes are similar. While foods mostly contain the nutrients an insect requires these nutrients are often not supplied in the required balance. Nutrition is the outcome of ingestion, digestion, absorption, metabolism and excretion. Insects have an arsenal of mechanisms to match demand with supply which will be investigated; pre-ingestive, pre-absorptive, absorptive, post-absorptive (metabolic and differential excretion). Various behavioural, physiological and morphological adaptations will also be discussed. Insects do not forage randomly and have simple mechanisms that enable them to balance their nutritional needs. However, insects are often not able to meet their demand for nutrients and the consequences of feeding on suboptimal diets will be investigated. These topics will be covered in three minilectures (see links below), and reviewed in a study quiz (link at bottom of page)

 

Activities:

 

 

Mini-lecture:

Feeding

Prepared and Presented by F. Clissold

Minilecture video (.m4v)

Alternative format mp4 video file

Printable pdf file of minilecture

Audio only (.mp3)

 

Mini-lecture:

Alimentary Canal

Prepared and Presented by F. Clissold

Minilecture video (.m4v)

Alternative format mp4 video file

Printable pdf file of minilecture

Audio only (.mp3)

 

Mini-lecture:

Nutrition

Prepared and Presented by F. Clissold

Minilecture video (.m4v)

Alternative format (44MB) mp4 video file

Printable pdf file of minilecture

Audio only (.mp3)

 

 

Listen to the interview with Professor Stephen Simpson on the ABC's World Today program:

link to interview with Stephen Simpson"Obesity expert finds link between locusts and humans" with Professor Stephen Simpson from the Sydney University's Centre for Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.

 

Reading:

Ch 4, Chapman 1998;
Ch 9, Chapman & de Boer, 1995;
Ch 2, Chown & Nicolson, 2004;
Ch 3, Nation, 2008.

Further reading:

Behmer, S. T. 2009 Insect herbivore nutritient regulation. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 54, 165-187.

Raubenheimer, D. & Simpson, S. J. 2004 Unravelling the tangle of nutritional complexity. In Yearbook of the Wissenschaftskolly zu Berlin.

Raubenheimer, D., Simpson, S. J. & Mayntz, D. 2009 Nutrition, ecology and nutritional ecology: toward an integrated framework. Funct. Ecol. 23, 4-16.

Simpson, S. J. & Raubenheimer, D. 1996 Feeding behaviour, sensory physiology and nutrient feedback: a unifying model. Ent. Exp. Appl. 80, 55-64.

Simpson, S. J. & Raubenheimer, D. 2000 The hungry locust. Advances in the Study of Behavior 29, 1-44.

Simpson, S. J., Sibly, R. M., Lee, K. P., Behmer, S. T. & Raubenheimer, D. 2004 Optimal foraging when regulating intake of multiple nutrients. Anim. Behav. 68, 1299-1311.

 

link to study quizTest your knowledge with the Module Study Quiz.

The midterm exam will cover all the material up to this point.

link to excretionGo on to the next module: Excretion and Water Balance