Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region
Insects not only play a significant role in the ecological process of nature but since pre-historic times have also formed a part of the human diet. With a still growing population and skewed demographic structures across most societies of the world, their role as nutrient-rich food has been increas...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2020-11-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/10248.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827606845924048896 |
|---|---|
| author | Arup Kumar Hazarika Unmilan Kalita Subhash Khanna Tarali Kalita Sangeeta Choudhury |
| author_facet | Arup Kumar Hazarika Unmilan Kalita Subhash Khanna Tarali Kalita Sangeeta Choudhury |
| author_sort | Arup Kumar Hazarika |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Insects not only play a significant role in the ecological process of nature but since pre-historic times have also formed a part of the human diet. With a still growing population and skewed demographic structures across most societies of the world, their role as nutrient-rich food has been increasingly advocated by researchers and policymakers globally. In this study, we examine the edible insect diversity and entomophagy attitudes of ethnic people in Manas National Park, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, located in Assam (India). The study involved a field investigation through which the pattern of entomophagy and the attitude towards insect-eating was studied. Following this, we examined the edible insect diversity and abundance at different sampling points. A total of 22 species of edible insects belonging to fifteen families and eight orders were recorded from different habitat types. Out of these 22 species, Orthopterans showed a maximum number of eight species followed by Hymenoptera (four), Hemiptera (three), Lepidoptera (two), Blattodea (two) and one species each from Coleoptera, Odonata, and Mantodea. Dominance, diversity, and equitability indices were computed along with the relative abundance of the insects concerning four habitat types. Aspects of the economic significance of entomophagy were also observed during the field investigation. To manage insects in the interest of food security, more attention should be given to sustainable collecting and rearing methods emphasizing their economic, nutritional, and ecological advantages. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:46:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ae1c8df9dfb4976808e48b93c702842 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:46:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ae1c8df9dfb4976808e48b93c7028422023-12-03T10:35:23ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-11-018e1024810.7717/peerj.10248Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the regionArup Kumar Hazarika0Unmilan Kalita1Subhash Khanna2Tarali Kalita3Sangeeta Choudhury4Department of Zoology, Cotton University, Guwahati, IndiaDepartment of Economics, Cotton University, Guwahati, IndiaSwagat Super Speciality Surgical Hospital and Swagat Academy of Medical Sciences, Guwahati, IndiaDepartment of Zoology, Cotton University, Guwahati, IndiaDepartment of Zoology, Cotton University, Guwahati, IndiaInsects not only play a significant role in the ecological process of nature but since pre-historic times have also formed a part of the human diet. With a still growing population and skewed demographic structures across most societies of the world, their role as nutrient-rich food has been increasingly advocated by researchers and policymakers globally. In this study, we examine the edible insect diversity and entomophagy attitudes of ethnic people in Manas National Park, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, located in Assam (India). The study involved a field investigation through which the pattern of entomophagy and the attitude towards insect-eating was studied. Following this, we examined the edible insect diversity and abundance at different sampling points. A total of 22 species of edible insects belonging to fifteen families and eight orders were recorded from different habitat types. Out of these 22 species, Orthopterans showed a maximum number of eight species followed by Hymenoptera (four), Hemiptera (three), Lepidoptera (two), Blattodea (two) and one species each from Coleoptera, Odonata, and Mantodea. Dominance, diversity, and equitability indices were computed along with the relative abundance of the insects concerning four habitat types. Aspects of the economic significance of entomophagy were also observed during the field investigation. To manage insects in the interest of food security, more attention should be given to sustainable collecting and rearing methods emphasizing their economic, nutritional, and ecological advantages.https://peerj.com/articles/10248.pdfEntomologyEntomophagyEdible insectsEconomicsFood securityDiversity index |
| spellingShingle | Arup Kumar Hazarika Unmilan Kalita Subhash Khanna Tarali Kalita Sangeeta Choudhury Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region PeerJ Entomology Entomophagy Edible insects Economics Food security Diversity index |
| title | Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| title_full | Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| title_fullStr | Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| title_short | Diversity of edible insects in a Natural World Heritage Site of India: entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| title_sort | diversity of edible insects in a natural world heritage site of india entomophagy attitudes and implications for food security in the region |
| topic | Entomology Entomophagy Edible insects Economics Food security Diversity index |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/10248.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arupkumarhazarika diversityofedibleinsectsinanaturalworldheritagesiteofindiaentomophagyattitudesandimplicationsforfoodsecurityintheregion AT unmilankalita diversityofedibleinsectsinanaturalworldheritagesiteofindiaentomophagyattitudesandimplicationsforfoodsecurityintheregion AT subhashkhanna diversityofedibleinsectsinanaturalworldheritagesiteofindiaentomophagyattitudesandimplicationsforfoodsecurityintheregion AT taralikalita diversityofedibleinsectsinanaturalworldheritagesiteofindiaentomophagyattitudesandimplicationsforfoodsecurityintheregion AT sangeetachoudhury diversityofedibleinsectsinanaturalworldheritagesiteofindiaentomophagyattitudesandimplicationsforfoodsecurityintheregion |