Dear Colleagues,

Of all the zoological classes, insects are the most numerous in species and the most varied in structure. Estimates of the number of species vary from 1 to 10 million, and 10¹⁸ individuals are estimated to be alive at any given moment. Insects are relatively ancient and have survived more or less unchanged in their basic winged form during the last 300 million years. Due to their adaptability in behavior, physiology, and biochemistry to changing environmental conditions, insects have successfully colonized habitats stretching from arid deserts to the Arctic and Antarctic and from freshwater brooks to hot springs and saline.

Knowledge of the physiology and biochemistry of insects developed extensively at the end of the 20th century. The reasons for this increased interest in insect physiology and biochemistry were that insects can be useful as model systems for experimental studies of principles, but also as economic models. Mechanisms of environmental adaptation in growth and development, energy metabolism, or respiration to temperature, oxygen tension, food supply or salt concentrations were the focus of interest. It was the time of “Physiological Ecology”.

About 30 years later, the omics era gives us the opportunity to gain deeper insight into the different aspects of insect physiology and environmental adaptation, for example, by silencing or overexpressing candidate genes of interest. A major challenge in current entomology is to integrate different levels of organization, from cellular mechanisms to functions in ecosystems. The rapid development of molecular techniques for studying physiological functions of genes will revolutionize entomology not only of so-called model organisms like Drosophila, but in general. When we understand how physiological processes are regulated and at what time, we will be able to manipulate them, thereby providing new attractive opportunities for practical applications, for example, in an ecologically friendly insect pest control.

We invite you to contribute original research articles and critical reviews on both basic and applied approaches in insect molecular biology. Articles on the molecular mechanisms of insect–plant interactions, and systems of insect communication in general, are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Klaus H. Hoffmann
Guest Editor

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• Insect development and reproduction
• Molecular endocrinology/neuropeptides
• Insect immunity
• Photoperiodism
• Cold hardiness
• Global climate change
• Insect aging
• Insect–plant interactions
• Molecular interactions of insects with microorganisms
• Chemical communication
• Biochemistry of insect venoms
• Insect genomics and proteomics
• Genetic engineering
• Molecular evolution/population genetics
• Insect biotechnology