From the rain forests of Borneo to the tenements of Manhattan,
winged insects are a conspicuous and abundant feature of life on
earth. Here, Robert Dudley presents the first comprehensive
explanation of how insects fly. The author relates the biomechanics
of flight to insect ecology and evolution in a major new work of
synthesis.
The book begins with an overview of insect flight biomechanics.
Dudley explains insect morphology, wing motions, aerodynamics,
flight energetics, and flight metabolism within a modern
phylogenetic setting. Drawing on biomechanical principles, he
describes and evaluates flight behavior and the limits to flight
performance. The author then takes the next step by developing
evolutionary explanations of insect flight. He analyzes the origins
of flight in insects, the roles of natural and sexual selection in
determining how insects fly, and the relationship between flight
and insect size, pollination, predation, dispersal, and migration.
Dudley ranges widely--from basic aerodynamics to muscle physiology
and swarming behavior--but his focus is the explanation of
functional design from evolutionary and ecological
perspectives.
The importance of flight in the lives of insects has long been
recognized but never systematically evaluated. This book addresses
that shortcoming. Robert Dudley provides an introduction to insect
flight that will be welcomed by students and researchers in
biomechanics, entomology, evolution, ecology, and behavior.
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