Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods

Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods Hexapods are a group of arthropods that include more than one million described, species, most of which are insects, but a handful of which belong to the lesser-known group Entognatha. In terms of the sheer number of species, no other family of animals comes close to the hexapods; these six-legged arthropods are, in fact, over twice as diverse as all other vertebrate and invertebrate animals combined. Most hexapods are terrestrial animals, but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some species live in aquatic freshwater habitats such as lakes, wetlands, and rivers, while others inhabit coastal marine waters. Hexapods Avoid Sub-Tidal Marine Areas The only habitats that hexapods avoid are sub-tidal marine areas, such as oceans and shallow seas. The success of hexapods in colonizing land can be attributed to their body plan (especially the strong cuticles covering their bodies that provide protection from predators, infection and water loss), as well as their flying skills. Another successful attribute of hexapods is their  holometabolous development, a mouthful of a term which means that juvenile and adult hexapods of the same species are very different in their ecological requirements, immature hexapods using different resources (including food sources and habitat features) than the adults of the same species. Hexapods Are Vital But Also Pose Many Threats Hexapods are vital to the communities in which they live; for example, early two-thirds of all flowering plant species rely on hexapods for pollination. Yet hexapods also pose many threats. These small arthropods can inflict vast crop damage and are known to spread numerous debilitating and fatal diseases in humans and other animals. The body of a hexapod is made up of three sections, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The head has a pair of compound  eyes, a pair of antennae, and numerous mouthparts (such as mandibles, labrum, maxilla, and labium). The Three Segments of Thorax The thorax consists of three segments, the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. Each segment of the thorax has a pair of legs, making for six legs in all (the forelegs, the middle legs, and the hind legs). Most adult insects also possess two pairs of wings; the forewings are located on the mesothorax and the hind-wings are attached to the metathorax. Wingless Hexapods Although most adult hexapods have wings, some species are wingless throughout their life cycles or lose their wings after a certain period before adulthood. For example, parasitic insect orders such as lice and fleas no longer have wings (although their ancestors of millions of years ago did have wings). Other groups, such as the Entognatha and Zygentoma, are more primitive than classic insects; not even the ancestors of these animals had wings. Many hexapods have evolved alongside plants in a process known as coevolution. Pollination is one example of a coevolutionary adaptation between plants and pollinators in which both parties benefit. Classification Hexapods are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Invertebrates Arthropods Hexapods Hexapods are divided into the following basic groups: Insects (Insecta) - There are more than one million species of insects that have been identified, and scientists estimate that there may be many millions more species yet to be named. Insects have three pairs of legs, two pairs of wings and compound eyes.Springtails and their relatives (Entognatha) - The mouthparts of springtails, such as the two-pronged bristletails and the proturans (or coneheads), can be retracted within their heads. All entognaths lack wings. Edited on February 10, 2017, by Bob Strauss

Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods

Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods Hexapods are a group of arthropods that include more than one million described, species, most of which are insects, but a handful of which belong to the lesser-known group Entognatha. In terms of the sheer number of species, no other family of animals comes close to the hexapods; these six-legged arthropods are, in fact, over twice as diverse as all other vertebrate and invertebrate animals combined. Most hexapods are terrestrial animals, but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some species live in aquatic freshwater habitats such as lakes, wetlands, and rivers, while others inhabit coastal marine waters. Hexapods Avoid Sub-Tidal Marine Areas The only habitats that hexapods avoid are sub-tidal marine areas, such as oceans and shallow seas. The success of hexapods in colonizing land can be attributed to their body plan (especially the strong cuticles covering their bodies that provide protection from predators, infection and water loss), as well as their flying skills. Another successful attribute of hexapods is their  holometabolous development, a mouthful of a term which means that juvenile and adult hexapods of the same species are very different in their ecological requirements, immature hexapods using different resources (including food sources and habitat features) than the adults of the same species. Hexapods Are Vital But Also Pose Many Threats Hexapods are vital to the communities in which they live; for example, early two-thirds of all flowering plant species rely on hexapods for pollination. Yet hexapods also pose many threats. These small arthropods can inflict vast crop damage and are known to spread numerous debilitating and fatal diseases in humans and other animals. The body of a hexapod is made up of three sections, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The head has a pair of compound  eyes, a pair of antennae, and numerous mouthparts (such as mandibles, labrum, maxilla, and labium). The Three Segments of Thorax The thorax consists of three segments, the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. Each segment of the thorax has a pair of legs, making for six legs in all (the forelegs, the middle legs, and the hind legs). Most adult insects also possess two pairs of wings; the forewings are located on the mesothorax and the hind-wings are attached to the metathorax. Wingless Hexapods Although most adult hexapods have wings, some species are wingless throughout their life cycles or lose their wings after a certain period before adulthood. For example, parasitic insect orders such as lice and fleas no longer have wings (although their ancestors of millions of years ago did have wings). Other groups, such as the Entognatha and Zygentoma, are more primitive than classic insects; not even the ancestors of these animals had wings. Many hexapods have evolved alongside plants in a process known as coevolution. Pollination is one example of a coevolutionary adaptation between plants and pollinators in which both parties benefit. Classification Hexapods are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Invertebrates Arthropods Hexapods Hexapods are divided into the following basic groups: Insects (Insecta) - There are more than one million species of insects that have been identified, and scientists estimate that there may be many millions more species yet to be named. Insects have three pairs of legs, two pairs of wings and compound eyes.Springtails and their relatives (Entognatha) - The mouthparts of springtails, such as the two-pronged bristletails and the proturans (or coneheads), can be retracted within their heads. All entognaths lack wings. Edited on February 10, 2017, by Bob Strauss

Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods

Hexapods Are a Diverse Group of Six-Legged Arthropods Hexapods are a group of arthropods that include more than one million described, species, most of which are insects, but a handful of which belong to the lesser-known group Entognatha. In terms of the sheer number of species, no other family of animals comes close to the hexapods; these six-legged arthropods are, in fact, over twice as diverse as all other vertebrate and invertebrate animals combined. Most hexapods are terrestrial animals, but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some species live in aquatic freshwater habitats such as lakes, wetlands, and rivers, while others inhabit coastal marine waters. Hexapods Avoid Sub-Tidal Marine Areas The only habitats that hexapods avoid are sub-tidal marine areas, such as oceans and shallow seas. The success of hexapods in colonizing land can be attributed to their body plan (especially the strong cuticles covering their bodies that provide protection from predators, infection and water loss), as well as their flying skills. Another successful attribute of hexapods is their  holometabolous development, a mouthful of a term which means that juvenile and adult hexapods of the same species are very different in their ecological requirements, immature hexapods using different resources (including food sources and habitat features) than the adults of the same species. Hexapods Are Vital But Also Pose Many Threats Hexapods are vital to the communities in which they live; for example, early two-thirds of all flowering plant species rely on hexapods for pollination. Yet hexapods also pose many threats. These small arthropods can inflict vast crop damage and are known to spread numerous debilitating and fatal diseases in humans and other animals. The body of a hexapod is made up of three sections, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The head has a pair of compound  eyes, a pair of antennae, and numerous mouthparts (such as mandibles, labrum, maxilla, and labium). The Three Segments of Thorax The thorax consists of three segments, the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax. Each segment of the thorax has a pair of legs, making for six legs in all (the forelegs, the middle legs, and the hind legs). Most adult insects also possess two pairs of wings; the forewings are located on the mesothorax and the hind-wings are attached to the metathorax. Wingless Hexapods Although most adult hexapods have wings, some species are wingless throughout their life cycles or lose their wings after a certain period before adulthood. For example, parasitic insect orders such as lice and fleas no longer have wings (although their ancestors of millions of years ago did have wings). Other groups, such as the Entognatha and Zygentoma, are more primitive than classic insects; not even the ancestors of these animals had wings. Many hexapods have evolved alongside plants in a process known as coevolution. Pollination is one example of a coevolutionary adaptation between plants and pollinators in which both parties benefit. Classification Hexapods are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Invertebrates Arthropods Hexapods Hexapods are divided into the following basic groups: Insects (Insecta) - There are more than one million species of insects that have been identified, and scientists estimate that there may be many millions more species yet to be named. Insects have three pairs of legs, two pairs of wings and compound eyes.Springtails and their relatives (Entognatha) - The mouthparts of springtails, such as the two-pronged bristletails and the proturans (or coneheads), can be retracted within their heads. All entognaths lack wings. Edited on February 10, 2017, by Bob Strauss

Name Change for ISIS

Name Change for ISIS Name Change for ISIS Name Change for ISIS By Maeve Maddox English speakers have yet to agree on a word, phrase or acronym to label the terrorist group making news for such atrocities as beheading noncombatants and butchering unarmed prisoners. A few years ago, American journalists started referring to the group that was calling itself â€Å"Al-Dawla Al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham† as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), but this acronym has proved to be a poor choice; it suggests that the group’s focus is limited to Iraq and Syria. The term al-Sham does not stand for Syria. The English translation of al-Sham is â€Å"the Levant.† Levant came into English from French in the 15th century with the meaning â€Å"East,† (from French lever, â€Å"to rise.†) The region referred to was in the East. The sun rises in the east, ergo, levant (rising), present participle of lever. The Levant is â€Å"the eastern part of the Mediterranean, with its islands and the countries adjoining.† According to one interpretation, the Levant is made up of Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and part of southern Turkey. Others claim that the Levant refers only to Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The Associated Press has rejected the continued use of ISIS, preferring ISIL (L for Levant) as a more accurate interpretation of al-Sham. John Daniszewski, AP vice president and senior managing editor for international news, says, â€Å"We believe this is the most accurate translation of the group’s name and reflects its aspirations to rule over a broad swath of the Middle East.† Since June 2014, when the terrorist group named a â€Å"caliph† and dropped both Iraq and Levant from its name, ISIL has become less than accurate as a reflection of the group’s aspirations. Referring to themselves as â€Å"the Islamic State† reflects their self-image as a reincarnation of the medieval caliphate founded in the 7th century. The Umayyad caliphate (661-750) conquered lands from Arabia to Spain; their advance into Western Europe in 732 was turned back by Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours. The words caliph and caliphate derive from Arabic khilafa, â€Å"succession.† A caliph is seen as the successor of Muhammad. A caliphate is a sovereign state ruled by a caliph under Islamic law (sharia). The office of caliph combines the functions of king and priest. British journalists seem to have decided on the initials IS as a short way of referring to the group without limiting its perceived goals to any particular region of the world. They use the term â€Å"Islamic State† for the first reference in an article and the capitalized initials IS in subsequent references. It seems to me that either ISIL or IS is preferable to ISIS. As a student of mythology and comparative religion, I cringe every time I hear the murderous terrorists referred to by an acronym that sounds like the name of the benign mother goddess Isis. And I sympathize with women like Isis Martinez of Miami who sees people â€Å"recoil in disgust† when she introduces herself these days. Postscript: I just heard an American reporter on NPR refer to the group as IS. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. Had20 Words Meaning "Being or Existing in the Past"Sentence Adverbs