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Vocabulary in Context 1
Vocabulary in Context 2
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Now you can read the word definitions and scan for them in the text. Place the word you find in the box by the definition by clicking/touching the word, then clicking/touching the box.
The Biology of Coccinellids (Ladybirds)
Various larger species of Coccinellidae attack caterpillars and other beetle larvae. Several genera feed on various insects or their eggs; for example, Coleomegilla species are significant predators of the eggs and larvae of moths such as species of Spodoptera and the Plutellidae. Larvae and eggs of ladybirds, either their own or of other species, can also be important food resources when alternative prey are scarce. As a family, the Coccinellidae used to be regarded as purely carnivorous, but they are now known to be far more omnivorous than previously thought, both as a family and in individual species; examination of gut contents of them reveals residues of pollen and other plant materials. Besides the prey they favour, most predatory coccinellids include other items in their diets, including honeydew, pollen, plant sap, nectar, and
Apart from Coccinellidae that have a general diet of insects and occasional substances of botanical origin , many Coccinellidae do prefer certain prey types. This makes some of them particularly valuable as agents in biological control programs as they can be used to target certain pests that eat crops.
Certain species of coccinellids are thought to lay extra, infertile eggs with the fertile eggs, apparently to provide a backup food source for the larvae when they hatch. The ratio of infertile to fertile eggs increases with scarcity of food at the time of egg laying by the mother. This strategy helps to ensure the new generation have adequate food immediately after they hatch from eggs.
| 1. | An animal which is hunted by a predator. (paragraph 1) |
| 2. | The young form of an insect or beetle. (paragraph 2) |
| 3. | An adjective which means important. (paragraph 2) |
| 4. | A creature which eats both meat and plants. (paragraph 2) |
| 5. | A synonym for the verb ‘show’. (paragraph 2) |
| 6. | A four-word phrase meaning that something comes from a plant. (paragraph 3) |
| 7. | A three-word phrase meaning an alternative supply of nourishment. (paragraph 4) |
| 8. | A lack of something. (paragraph 4) |
Up next is Vocabulary in Context 4!
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