Insect Behavior and Ecology in Conservation: Preserving Functional Species Interactions

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Abstract
Conservationists are becoming increasingly aware of the value of insects and the need to include them in programs to preserve diversity. Most current endeavors emphasize individual species or specific taxa with little emphasis on preserving species interactions or processes. Insects exhibit spectacular and diverse behaviors and ecological interactions that should be preserved in their own right, and, more importantly, they provide essential processes for the long-term survival of populations and species assemblages in preserved landscapes. As habitats are increasingly fragmented and disturbed, vital insect-driven interactions may be disrupted, greatly diminishing the survival of the community. Research is needed to evaluate the effect of habitat change on insect interactions, in addition to the presence or absence of insects. The presence of a species does not indicate anything about its behavior; insect behavior is the key to participation in interactions, the lock binding communities together. Mutualisms such as pollination systems, and parasitisms such as bird-ectoparasite or parasitoid-herbivore systems, have been shown to be affected by fragmentation of habitats. Conservation management directed at ensuring the survival of functional flagship species interactions will preserve other codependent and coexisting species and interactions. Entomologists are the most competent at recognizing, understanding, and manipulating insect interactions and should apply this knowledge and these skills to the needs of conservation. Lessons from applied entomology, including integrated pest management, clearly show the importance of preserving interactions.

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