Protecting the Scotts Stick Insect

 

Section  1: The Organism

 

I chose the Scotts stick insect (Caracusius Scotti) as my organism, it is a long insect with spines and multiple sets of legs. I found information about the Scotts stick insect from the IUCN red list. It is found in the island group of Seychelles. This island group contains many dense forests that are home to lots of interesting organisms. The Scotts stick insect is a primary consumer, eating lots of vegetation. From birds to other insects, various secondary consumers eat the Scotts stick insect. The Scotts stick insect has developed a set of spines that protrude from its body to help it blend into vegetation as well as defend itself. While much is unknown about population numbers for the Scotts stick insect, what is known is the Scotts stick insects’ numbers are dwindling. Much like many other insects, they have fallen victim to several changing effects of climate change. Its lifecycle is much like other members of the stick insects “Phasmids” family.  The insect starts out as an egg that then progresses to a nymph stage. It then goes from a nymph to an adult stick insect.

 

Stick insect |  Wikimedia Commons

Gerlach, J. 2012. Carausius scotti. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T199567A2603274. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T199567A2603274.en. Downloaded on 07 November 2021.

 

Section 2 : Habitat

The Scotts Stick insect lives in a very interesting habitat. They are found exclusively at the Seychelles islands, and live in a very wet subtropical/tropical forest region. According to the Illinois Natural History Survey they spend most of their time adventuring around the many different trees in the area. Along the way they consume plant material and other small insects. While they are spending their lives in the trees and on the floor of the forest, their exterior helps them blend into the fallen brush and branches. This habitat offers much diversity in plant life and this is a very important aid in the success as well as the general quality of life for the stick insect. The Scotts stick insect lives in the subtropical biome. This biome is well known for vast amounts of plant life and humidity for most of the year. Generally the soil that exists in the subtropical region is  poor in quality. This region is generally found close to the equator and takes up a lot of places in the world. There is usually average to lots of rainfall in these regions. It will get cold in the winter months in these areas. Some primary producers are fruit trees and algae, some primary consumers are parrots and macaws. Some top of the food web consumers include panthers, lions, and cheetahs.

 

Subtropical semi-evergreen seasonal forest (2013)- Adbar

Biome map 01.svg (2012)- Terpsichores

The green forest is very beautiful (2009)- Photography Rencong

Section 3:  The Major Threat

The major threat facing the Scotts stick insect is annual and perennial farming. These human actions of farming on the Seychelles islands are causing the Scotts stick insects environment to be destroyed. The act of farming not only harms the Scotts stick Insect, but also harms many other insects in the area. The abiotic components like the land are being destroyed, dirt is dug and pushed around and this interrupts the processes of the biotic components. Things like clearing forests to make room for farming also cause issues with the biotic components of the subtropical region. These altering actions stop many insects in the subtropical region from having food or shelter. This struggle that the insects in the subtropical forests face is very similar to the struggle of insects in grasslands. Farming is a massive problem in grasslands all over the world. As stated in what-when-how, Insect repellants and pesticides stop insects from having access to food and clearing of areas stops insects from having adequate space to live. This threat of insect extinction is a massive threat to the grassland’s biome as many secondary consumers rely on insects to survive. This insect extinction is something that impacts both biomes, and both biomes will have to endure this extinction over time. 

Subtropical Agriculture(?)- Unknown

 

 

Section 4: Solutions

The role of a particular person in Keene can have in stopping, or aiding this annual and perennial farming problem is huge. According to buylocalfood.org, the average person consumes more food from outside imported places than they consume food that is locally produced. Most of the time, unless otherwise stated, this imported food is suspect to these prior stated unhealthy farming habits. A big change that everyone in Keene could make would be to support local farms that use sustainable forms of farming. Farms that allow for food to be safe to consume for humans, while also not resulting In the forced death of millions of species of insects. People can purchase food from local farm stands or go to purchase food at a local co-op .  Any way of finding ways to produce food at home sustainably is also a very good solution. Plenty of everyday vegetables can be grown in soil found in Keene, and the cost would be much less than purchasing vegetables at a grocery store. Overall while it may seem impossible to impact change in large scale farming operations, progress must start somewhere if we want to see a difference. The change can be easier than we may initially think.

 

Findlay-farmers-market.jpg | Wikimedia Commons