Insects and Society, by W. Wyatt Hoback, was written to engage non-major students in learning about the roles insects play in the environment and in human issues. The book exposes students to insect diversity and biology, how insects survive environmental and biological challenges, and how insects impact humans. Both positive interactions (ecosystem services, pollination, aesthetic values) and negative interactions (disease transmission and crop loss) are presented. The book is published in an online format that allows quizzes at the end of each chapter to be assigned to students prior to class.
W. Wyatt Hoback is an assistant professor of Entomology at Oklahoma State University after serving as a professor of Biology for 15 years at the University of Nebraska. His primary focus is teaching, and he instructs more than 700 non-major and major students per year about the interactions between insects and humans.
Chapter 1 The Science of Entomology
Chapter 2 Insects in the News
Chapter 3 Fears, Phobias, and Science
Chapter 4 Biological Classification of Arthropods
Chapter 5 Arthropods and Their Classes
Chapter 6 Orders of Insects
Chapter 7 Metamorphosis
Chapter 8 Arthropod Size
Chapter 9 External Structures
Chapter 10 Insect Wings
Chapter 11 Insect Internal Structures
Chapter 12 Types of Selection
Chapter 13 Sexual Selection
Chapter 14 Behavior and Learning
Chapter 15 Communication
Chapter 16 Thermoregulation and Overwintering
Chapter 17 Camouflage, Warning Coloration, and Mimicry
Chapter 18 Insect Parasites
Chapter 19 Disease Cycles, Bacteria, and Viruses
Chapter 20 Insect Vectors of Protista and Animals
Chapter 21 Insect Crop Pests and Chemical Control
Chapter 22 Integrated Pest Management
Chapter 23 Insect Societies and Termites
Chapter 24 Hymenoptera, Ants and Bees
Chapter 25 Colony Collapse Disorder
Chapter 26 Insects in Art
Chapter 27 Aquatic Insects and Water Quality Indicators
Chapter 28 Detritivores, Dung and Carrion
Chapter 29 Entomophagy
Chapter 30 Biomimicry: Insect-Inspired Inventions
Chapter 31 Conclusions and Future Prospects