Secrets of Success

A Teleplay for a One-Hour TV Documentary

The unsurpassed success of insects — the most numerous and diverse group of animals on the planet — is seen as the result of their wondrous defenses, adaptations, communication, and societies, all of which impact — and are impacted by — the lives of human beings, the single most successful species on Earth. This is, thus, “the age of instinct and intelligence”!

Outline

First Draft: January 12, 1989. Registered WGAw No. 399858.

Introduction: The Age of Insect & Human Beings

  • Introduction
  • The Success of Insects vs. The Success of People
    • Diversity
    • Numbers
    • Reproduction rates
    • Antiquity, or conversely ...
    • Distribution
    • Physical fitness
    • Technology
    • Social organizations
    • Rights and responsibilities
  • Learning About Ourselves by Learning About Insects

Insect Defenses: Surviving in the Environment

  • Introduction
  • Structural Defenses
    • Small size
    • Large size and armor
    • Shelters
    • Camouflage
    • Markings
    • Mimicry
  • Behavioral Defenses
    • Fight
      • Chemical
      • Physical
    • Fright: Playing possum
    • Flight

Insect Adaptations: Prospering in the Environment

  • Structural Adaptations
    • Wings
    • Other locomotion
    • Mouthparts
    • Summary
    • Example: Honey bee
      • Pollen- and nectar-gathering adaptations
      • Compound eyes / Honey comb
  • Functional/Behavioral Adaptations
    • Floral co-evolution
    • Complete metamorphosis

Insect Communication: Affecting/Sensing the Environment

  • Introduction
  • The Five Senses
    • Hearing
    • Seeing
    • Smelling
    • Touching
    • Tasting etc.: Dancing honey bees

Insect Societies: Creating an Environment

  • Introduction
  • Provisioned Nests
  • Progressive Provisioning
  • The Social Condition: Ex. Termites
  • Fascinating Feats of Ants
  • A Tool-Using Wasp

Conclusion: The State of Human/Insect Relations

  • Introduction to Entomology
  • Damages
    • Crop pests
    • Storage pests
    • Structural pests
    • Medical/Veterinary pests
    • Ecological damages by people
    • Insecticides
      • Uses
      • Hazards
      • Immune pest populations
  • Benefits
    • Beekeeping
    • Insect products
    • Genetic experiments
    • Soil-building
    • Insects as wildlife food
    • Weed-eating
    • Biological control
      • Predatory insects
      • Parasitic insects
      • Insectaries
  • Conclusion: The Age of Instinct And Intelligence

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