Body size and the behavioral ecology of insects: linking individuals to ecological communities

摘要: The role of body size as a key feature determining the biology and ecology individual animals, thus structure dynamics populations, communities, ecosystems, has long been acknowledged. Body provides functional link between individual-level processes such physiology behavior, with higher-level ecological strength outcome trophic interactions, which regulate flow energy nutrients within across ecosystems. Early work on in animals focused vertebrates, especially mammals. More recent focus invertebrates, insects particular, that spans levels organization from to greatly expanded improved our understanding ecology. Progress come theoretical advances, production new, high-resolution empirical data sets, enhanced computation analytical techniques. Recent findings suggest many allometric concepts principles developed over last century also apply insects. But these studies emphasize while plays crucial insect ecology, it is not entire story, fuller must an approach integrates both non-size effects. In this review we discuss core size-based (allometric) together potential connect biological mechanisms individuals We identify knowledge gaps, particularly related constraints movement can impact species interactions (and interactions) organisms communities Addressing gaps should facilitate important basic applied benefits.