When I was in elementary school, my teacher asked us to write an essay about a species that’s likely to become extinct. At the time, I was convinced that the insect population was dying out and that I should write about that. However, my mother looked over my paper and told me to scrap the idea and to do proper research on a species that’s actually endangered.
Well, she wasn’t wrong at the time. But with new scientific research that’s been found, little did I know… there’s a possibility that I could be right.
Recently, scientists have said that in the past 27 years the insect population has been in rapid decline. Approximately 30% are at risk of becoming endangered and another 40% of insect species may become extinct within our lifetime. Many of the causes point to human behavior ranging from recreational activities to the use of pesticides.
As much as we think a world without insects would be some sort of heaven, a world without them would be more of the opposite. Think about it, where do we get natural honey and trust to keep our flowers pollinated? Bees! Who eats small pests that harm plants? Ladybugs! Without insects around, we’ll have a harder time maintaining our crops and gardens. It’s insects that are on the bottom levels of the food chain, and without them, the food chain will be thrown off balance. If they’re gone, some other animals within our animal kingdom won’t have food to eat, or at least not eat according to the usual diet they have. An easy example being birds, as birds prey on insects to feed their young. As much as insects can be a nuisance, they help make the world go round.
For the longest time, I found insects to be the most annoying species alive. But that changed as I had a garden of my own. I even kept some insects around as pets; keeping different insects such as caterpillars, katydids, ladybugs, and even a couple different beetles inside bug catchers that my sibling never used.
After observing the variety of insects and how they interact with plants I realized that if the insect population were to become extinct, we remove a part of nature.
If insects go extinct, that’s one less piece of nature that future generations will get to see. It’s one step closer to living in an artificial world. Think of it like the butterfly effect, one small change can drastically affect society as a whole.
Well, she wasn’t wrong at the time. But with new scientific research that’s been found, little did I know… there’s a possibility that I could be right.
Recently, scientists have said that in the past 27 years the insect population has been in rapid decline. Approximately 30% are at risk of becoming endangered and another 40% of insect species may become extinct within our lifetime. Many of the causes point to human behavior ranging from recreational activities to the use of pesticides.
As much as we think a world without insects would be some sort of heaven, a world without them would be more of the opposite. Think about it, where do we get natural honey and trust to keep our flowers pollinated? Bees! Who eats small pests that harm plants? Ladybugs! Without insects around, we’ll have a harder time maintaining our crops and gardens. It’s insects that are on the bottom levels of the food chain, and without them, the food chain will be thrown off balance. If they’re gone, some other animals within our animal kingdom won’t have food to eat, or at least not eat according to the usual diet they have. An easy example being birds, as birds prey on insects to feed their young. As much as insects can be a nuisance, they help make the world go round.
For the longest time, I found insects to be the most annoying species alive. But that changed as I had a garden of my own. I even kept some insects around as pets; keeping different insects such as caterpillars, katydids, ladybugs, and even a couple different beetles inside bug catchers that my sibling never used.
After observing the variety of insects and how they interact with plants I realized that if the insect population were to become extinct, we remove a part of nature.
If insects go extinct, that’s one less piece of nature that future generations will get to see. It’s one step closer to living in an artificial world. Think of it like the butterfly effect, one small change can drastically affect society as a whole.