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Marine Insects Home Page
Seventy percent of the earth's surface is covered by oceans which makes it the largest habitat on the planet.
By far the most abundant and diverse organisms are the insects. Despite their overwhelming numbers and diversity, insects are virtually absent from the ocean habitat. There is a continuing debate among scientists to explain the reason for this absence. In this webpage, we challenge you to explore some of the most popular hypotheses as to why there are so few insect species that can survive exposure to seawater. In this web page, you will explore the hypotheses that attempt to explain the absence of insects from the ocean. You can then draw your own conclusions as to why there are so few insects in the ocean. We will begin by showing you the only insects which are truly pelagic. Then, if you dare, you can move closer to shore as you search for answers to this 200 million year old puzzle.

For background, you probably should look at insect associations with water. From there, you can consider the marine insects question in more depth (no pun intended).

  • Insects and Water - which insects live on, in, or by water
  • The Marine Insects Question - explore hypotheses about why insects haven't conquered the oceans as they have the land
  • Teaching Notes - how to use this web site for teaching about science, hypothesis formation and testing, and other stuff
  • What We Think - don't go here, until you've tested your brain on the marine insects question and considered all hypotheses

Begin your quest now...

How many insect species are exposed to ocean water?

 

Wyatt Hoback, Doug Golick, Lanna Cheng, and Leon Higley