Alien Worlds is a joy to read. It is packed with information that is presented in a relaxed, informal style. The reader could be sitting in a pub having a casual discussion with Steve over lunch. Entomological information is couched within Steve’s personal anecdotes that detail his excursions to film insects across the globe. These notes form a film maker’s diary detailing the places and people as well as the insects that he has filmed, and are laced with a wry humour. It is full of the most impressive photographs; there are very few double-page spreads without one.
The introduction traces the evolutionary history of insects and Steve’s personal history as he moves from a boyhood fascination with nature to a PhD in dragonfly behaviour.
In The Teaming Hordes, the diversity of insects is discussed. Starting with some of the extreme environments in which insects can be found, it then reveals how DNA analysis is exposing a hidden diversity among the groups we thought we understood. The chapter closes with a look at rarity and insect decline.
Origins finds Steve on the Pacific coast of America watching horseshoe crabs emerge from the surf. He reflects on the origins of the Arthropoda and their invasion of the land. From the Burgess Shales to the Rhine Chert in Scotland, he plots the rise of the insects and the evolution of metamorphosis and flight.
Hexapods explores the evolution of insect legs and the range of locomotory solutions they have developed, beginning with Steve’s first job at the BBC filming leaping fleas and moving through walking, running, jumping, swimming and finally prey capture.
First in Flight examines the evolution of wings and the diversity of ways they have been adapted for flight.
Wings over the World delves into migration, opening with a visit to a Monarch butterfly overwintering site in the Mexican mountains and then examining several other tropical moths and butterflies that undergo similar migrations. These are contrasted with the ever-shifting global populations of the Painted Lady and the even longer journeys they undertake. The mechanisms these insects employ to navigate vast distances are discussed. Impressive as these journeys are, the Lepidoptera are eclipsed by the Odonata, with Green Darners flying from Southern Canada to Mexico, while the Globe Skimmer travels from northern India to east Africa via the Maldives and Seychelles. The chapter ends with an acknowledgement that many insects migrate, but we know very little about their journeys.
Flower Power explores the many complex relationships between insects and flowering plants, but beginning with the curious interactions between insects and carnivorous plants. It then looks at coevolution, using as examples hawk moths and orchids, fig wasps and figs, and a range of plants that lure insects to pollinate with a false promise. It finishes with ants, acacia trees and the mysterious ‘Devil’s gardens’.
The Mating Game explores how insects find a mate. It examines how the sexes locate each other using signals generated with sound, light and chemicals.
The Next Generation examines parental care. It ranges across the many adaptations that insects have evolved to ensure their offspring have the best start in life.
The next chapter explores the advantages of Living Together. Initially examining locust swarms, it delves into some of the 300 species of caterpillar that live in groups, followed by aggregations of beetles and aphids, ending with a quick look at the Embioptera.
Queen and Country is an overview of the Hymenoptera, looking at sawflies, solitary parasitic wasps, hunting wasps and solitary bees.
Superorganism delves into the larger, more complex societies of ants and termites. It contrasts termite architecture with the less visible but no less complex nests of ants. It then explores the evolution of termite societies from semi social cockroaches, and the evolution of ant societies. The chapter finishes with a plea for greater appreciation of insects and the roles that they play in natural systems.
Each chapter is fully referenced, and the book has a comprehensive index.
Alien Worlds is a primer in entomology. Due to its laid-back approach, it is also a book that would entertain anyone with an interest in the natural world, and even the most seasoned entomologist will relate to and enjoy the many anecdotes that are a core element of the book. Alien Worlds is informative, entertaining and guaranteed to send the reader into their garden with camera in hand. The book accompanies the three-part series Planet Insect, which is available to stream on the Curiosity Channel.
