Overview

A water strider darts across a pond, its feet dimpling the surface tension; a giant water bug dives below, carrying his mate's eggs on his back; hidden among plant roots on the silty bottom, a dragonfly larva stalks unwary minnows. Barely skimming the surface, in the air above the pond, swarm mayflies with diaphanous wings. Take this walk around the pond with Gilbert Waldbauer and discover the most amazingly diverse inhabitants of the freshwater world. In his hallmark companionable style, Waldbauer introduces us to the aquatic insects that have colonized ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers, especially those in North America. Along the way we learn about the diverse forms these arthropods take, as well as their remarkable modes of life-how they have radiated into every imaginable niche in the water environment, and how they cope with the challenges such an environment poses to respiration, vision, thermoregulation, and reproduction. We encounter the caddis fly larva building its protective case and camouflaging it with stream detritus; green darner dragonflies mating midair in an acrobatic wheel formation; ants that have adapted to the tiny water environment within a pitcher plant; and insects whose adaptations to the aquatic lifestyle are furnishing biomaterials engineers with ideas for future applications in industry and consumer goods. While learning about the evolution, natural history, and ecology of these insects, readers also discover more than a little about the scientists who study them.

Full Product Details

9780674027657

Table of Contents

Reviews

An entertaining yet highly accurate and informative account of the lives of aquatic insects. Familiar as they are, their lives take bizarre turns unknown to most laypeople... This book is sure to fascinate. - Annette Aiello, Library Journal In North America alone, there are more than 10,000 aquatic and semiaquatic insect species that live parts of their lives in fresh water. How did they evolve to survive both on land and in water? Waldbauer... attempts to explain the feat while providing a who's who of these remarkable insects, including mayflies, dragonflies, true bugs, beetles, and mosquitoes. - Science News While telling of the hidden lives of these insects, Waldbauer also reveals evolutionary and ecological details, moving the book beyond the 'gee whiz' level. Readers will be inspired to take a closer look at their favorite pond or stream. - Nancy Bent, Booklist

Author Information

Gilbert Waldbauer is Professor Emeritus of Entomology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available