Caelifera

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Gryllidae
An Australian Brown Field Cricket
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Orthoptera
Suborder:	Ensifera
Superfamily:	Grylloidea
Family:	Gryllidae Bolívar, 1878
Subfamilies
see text

nature and spirituality

I enjoy chirping insects such as crickets, katydids and grasshoppers. I love a number of different animals. Some of these are the endangered polar bear, the highly threatened timber wolf, highly endangered tigers, elephants, the imperiled moutain and lowland gorilla, the also nearly extinct right whale along with all species of whales and marine mammals, the many birds of all continents. As a matter of fact, there isn't an animal in existence that I don't have a high respect for. There's only a few that I don't love, like most species of flies, tics and gnats. However, love them or not, I believe, deep in my heart, that they all have the God given right to exist. Wolves are my favorite.

In ecology, an ecosystem is a combination of all the living and non-living elements of an area. Ecosystems are the smallest level of organisation in nature that incorporates both living and nonliving factors. They can range in scale from a wide geographical area such as the Sahara Desert to something small as a puddle. The term microecosystem may be used to describe a very small (often closed) ecosystem.

In general terms an ecological system can be thought of as an assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a loose unit. That is, a dynamic and complex whole, interacting as an "ecological unit."

Reproduction

Grasshoppers mating

The grasshopper's reproductive system consists of the gonads, the ducts which carry sexual products to the exterior, and accessory glands. In males, the testes consist of a number of follicles which hold the spermatocytes as they mature and form packets of elongated spermatozoa. After they are liberated in bundles, these spermatozoa accumulate in the vesicula seminalis (vas deferens).

In females, each ovary consists of ovarioles. These converge upon the two oviducts, which unite to create a common oviduct which carries ripe eggs. Each of the ovarioles consists of a germarium (a mass of cells that form oocytes, nurse cells, and follicular cells) and a series of follicles. The nurse cells nourish the oocytes during early growth stages, and the follicular cells provide materials for the yolk and make the eggshell (chorion).

Six stages of development, from newly-hatched nymph to fully-winged adult. (Melanoplus sanguinipes)

During reproduction, the male grasshopper introduces sperm into the vagina through its aedeagus (reproductive organ), and inserts its spermatophore, a package containing the sperm, into the female's ovipositor. The sperm enters the eggs through fine canals called micropyles. The female then lays the fertilized egg pod, using her ovipositor and abdomen to insert the eggs about one to two inches underground, although they can also be laid in plant roots or even manure. The egg pod contains several dozens of tightly-packed eggs that look like thin rice grains. The eggs stay there through the winter, and hatch when the weather has warmed sufficiently. In temperate zones, many grasshoppers spend most of their life as eggs through the "cooler" months (up to 9 months) and the active states (young and adult grasshoppers) live only up to three months. The first nymph to hatch tunnels up through the ground, and the rest follow. Grasshoppers develop through stages progressively get larger in body and wing size. This development is referred to as hemimetabolous or incomplete development since the young are rather similar to the adult.

Distribution and conservation status

Golden toad (Bufo periglenes) - last seen in 1989

Frogs are found nearly worldwide, with some even occurring in Antarctica, but are not present on many oceanic islands. The greatest diversity of frogs occurs in the tropical areas of the world. This is because water is readily available, which suits frogs' requirements due to their skin. Some frogs inhabit arid areas such as deserts, where water may not be easily accessible, and rely on specific adaptations to survive. The Australian genus Cyclorana and the American genus Pternohyla will bury themselves underground, create a water-impervious cocoon and hibernate during dry periods. Once it rains, they emerge, find a temporary pond and breed. Egg and tadpole development is very fast in comparison to most other frogs so that breeding is complete before the pond dries up. Some frog species are adapted to cold, like the Wood Frog which lives in the Arctic Circle, the species buries itself in the ground during winter and much of its body freezes.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. It is the world's largest religion, with an estimated 2.1 billion adherents, or about one-third of the total world population.

It shares with Judaism the Hebrew Scriptures (called the Old Testament by Christians), and is sometimes called an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam.

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