Insect Conservation

Abstract

This is a dissertation covering several topics on the conservation of insects. In Part I, Endangered Butterflies and Where to Find Them, I discuss the conservation, life-history and movement ecology of three genera of highly endangered, rarely studied butterflies: Teinopalpus aureus, the Golden Kaiser-i-Hind (Chapter 1), Bhutanitis thaidina and Bhutanitis lidderdalii, the Bhutan Glories (Chapter 2) and Troides aeacus, the Golden Birdwing (Chapter 3). In Part II, Scaling a Mountain, I investigate the ecology and evolution of "caterpillar fungus", the world's most expensive insect-fungal symbiont. I tackle this question across three different geographical scales, taking the perspective of behavioral ecology (Chapter 4), population genetics (Chapter 5) and biogeography (Chapter 6). In Part III, the Net, I discuss the public perception of insects and its conservation implications (Chapter 7).