Entomology is an independent science with basic roots in biology. It is the study of insects and their relatives (mites and ticks), and their biology, ecology, and population suppression in relation to their environment and to other organisms such as humans.
Insects and their relatives comprise more than three-fourths of the species in the animal kingdom. They affect the lives of everyone and are our greatest competitors for food. Insects are responsible for the spread of many diseases of humans, animals, and plants.
However, most insects and their relatives are either beneficial or are not harmful to plants, animals, or humans. These include pollinators as well as predators of harmful insects. Many insects are used in physiological , ecological, medical, veterinary, biodiversity, and genetic research. Insects and their relatives are very important in forest, range, crop, and aquatic ecological processes.
The department is equipped with laboratories, insect cultures, an insect museum, scientific equipment, greenhouses, and research farms and has research plots in all regions of Wyoming. Opportunities exist for all students to participate in ongoing research. Faculty research includes biocontrol of weeds, systematics, crop protection, grasshopper biology and control, aquatic insects, and insect ecology in Yellowstone National Park. These projects include both laboratory and field research.
This minor is intended for students who have an interest in insects as organisms, including their basic biology, ecology and evolution. As insects dominate biological diversity, they are essential to most ecological systems, and have unique physiological systems. Students majoring in zoology, botany, molecular biology, biology or similar fields will find the study of these organisms a rewarding and valuable (if not essential) element of the life sciences.
In terms of biological diversity, at least 75 percent of all species are insects, with over 800,000 known species and another 10-50 million yet to be described. Many industries now recognize that insects may be the world's richest, untapped natural resource, with billions of dollars of unexploited goods and services. Accessing these resources requires trained entomologists. Such training demands an academic setting, such as the University of Wyoming, where collections are maintained, productive faculty are involved in quality research and teaching, the latest methodologies are available and taught, the necessary scientific literature is readily accessible and a curriculum allows the student to pursue this field.
Click on the course Number or Title for a recent syllabus, if available.
Required:
ENTO 1000 (Fall or Spring) or ENTO 1001 - Insect Biology (3 credits) or Insect Biology with Lab (4 credits)
Select 9-10 credits from:
ENTO 4300 - Applied Insect Ecology (3 credits)
ENTO 4678 - Aquatic Entomology (3 credits)
ENTO 4682 - Insect Anatomy/Physiology (5 credits)
ENTO 4684 - Classification of Insects (4 credits)
ENTO 4686 - Problems in Entomology (1-3 credits)
ENTO 4687 - Insect Evolution (3 credits)
ENTO 4884 - Insect Behavior (3 credits)
HP 4152 - Seminar: Cloud Forest Ecology in Ecuador (3 credits)
