ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Curiosity Stream Fighting Back Against 2020’s Massive Locust Swarms
Imagine a creature that can eat its own weight in food every day. That’s the locust for you—an incredible eating machine that forms some of the largest swarms in nature. Recently, these swarms have become a massive problem, especially in Kenya, where the worst invasion in over 70 years has occurred. Huge groups of desert locusts have invaded parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East, devouring everything in their path. Some people even describe it as a biblical event.
Desert locusts are found across 30 countries from Africa to Asia. They thrive in regions like the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East. When monsoons arrive, lush vegetation grows, attracting these hungry insects. They can cover an area as large as 30 million square kilometers, which is about the size of Europe or Canada. In recent years, the situation has worsened due to increased cyclones from the Indian Ocean, creating perfect conditions for locusts to breed.
The swarms have primarily affected East Africa and the India-Pakistan border, causing significant damage to crops. This is a huge problem for countries already vulnerable to drought and poverty. A swarm of locusts can devastate entire communities by consuming all available crops, leading to food shortages and economic hardship.
Controlling these swarms is a major challenge. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with partners like Penn State and Plant Village to develop tools like e-locust 3m, an app that helps track locusts in real-time. This data, combined with weather predictions from NASA and NOAA, helps prioritize control efforts. However, the main method of control—pesticides—poses risks to other wildlife, prompting the need for safer alternatives like bio-pesticides.
Scientists are fascinated by the desert locust, which has a genome twice the size of a human’s. Research centers like the Impala Research Center in Kenya and the Max Planck Institute in Germany are studying locust behavior and genetics. Using AI and virtual reality, they simulate swarms to understand how locusts interact and move. This research is crucial for predicting swarm behavior and improving control strategies.
As wet weather continues, locust swarms are expected to increase, potentially spreading to new regions. The situation is particularly concerning in Yemen due to ongoing conflicts and rains. A new generation of locusts is likely to emerge during the planting season, threatening food security. It’s essential for everyone to take this issue seriously and support efforts to manage the locust threat. Locusts have been around for millions of years, and finding ways to coexist with them is crucial for the future.
Use computer software or online tools to simulate a locust swarm. Analyze how environmental factors like wind and vegetation affect the movement and growth of the swarm. Present your findings to the class, highlighting the challenges in predicting and controlling locust movements.
Divide into two groups to research the pros and cons of using traditional pesticides versus bio-pesticides in controlling locust swarms. Hold a debate to discuss which method is more effective and environmentally friendly, considering the impact on other wildlife and ecosystems.
Work in teams to design a concept for a mobile app that could help track and report locust sightings in real-time. Consider features that would make the app user-friendly and effective for both farmers and researchers. Share your app design with the class.
Choose a country affected by locust swarms and conduct a case study on the impact on local communities. Focus on economic, social, and environmental aspects. Present your case study through a multimedia presentation, including interviews, photos, and data analysis.
Investigate the genetic makeup of desert locusts and compare it to human genetics. Create a visual representation of the locust genome and discuss how understanding their genetics can aid in developing control strategies. Share your insights with the class in a poster session.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided transcript:
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[Music] If you look at a locust, it is an eating machine. It’s a remarkable organism that forms some of the largest groups in nature. They eat their own weight in food, making them extremely voracious. The desert locust invasion is the worst we’ve seen in Kenya in over 70 years. Huge swarms of desert locusts have invaded the Horn of Africa and parts of India and the Middle East, devouring everything in their path. Some say it’s biblical.
There are over 30 mentions of locusts in the Bible. Thousands of years ago, people responded to locusts by lighting fires, banging pots and pans, and praying. Even now, we respond this way because it is terrifying to see millions, even billions, of insects descending from the sky. Desert locusts can be found in 30 countries from Africa to Asia. They are a very widespread species that occurs in the Sahel, parts of the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East, all the way into Asia.
When the monsoons come, vegetation grows lush, inviting an army of hungry locusts that could cover as much as 30 million square kilometers—times the area of Europe or Canada. Over the last two years, the current outbreak in East Africa and across Asia has been exacerbated by increased numbers of cyclones rolling in off the Indian Ocean. The swarms are so large they’ve even been detected on radar. The vegetation in northern Kenya has been at the highest level in 30 years, creating perfect breeding opportunities for the locusts. If this upsurge is not brought under control, it could become a plague, leading to the worst food crisis in the region’s history.
The swarms are mainly in East Africa and along both sides of the India-Pakistan border. They’ve been in southern Iran and southwestern Pakistan. These swarms have caused substantial damage in all affected countries, primarily to crops that are already planted. Other countries are also at risk, as they are some of the most vulnerable to drought and poverty. A swarm of this magnitude could wipe out entire communities.
The locusts seem to land in locations where there is an intersection of ideal conditions due to climate change and local conflict. The source of the current crisis originated in a conflict zone where it couldn’t be contained. A substantial number of swarms formed in Yemen due to the ongoing conflict, making them difficult to control or even detect. Desert locusts are the most destructive migratory species in the world. A single locust weighs about two grams and can eat its own weight in food every day. A swarm of 40 or 50 billion individuals can eat as much food in a single day as the entire country of Kenya.
The impact on food security and agricultural livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists can be significant. When locusts invade these areas, they can eat the majority, if not all, of the crops, leading to terrible consequences for families and communities. A locust plague can devastate 20 percent of the Earth’s land mass, affecting 10 percent of the global population and further destabilizing those in conflict zones.
Ironically, for the rest of the animal kingdom, a locust swarm is an edible dream come true. While we view a swarm of locusts as a problem, other creatures see it as an opportunity. Locusts are extremely nutritious, and when swarms come through, birds and other animals celebrate from a distance, recognizing it as a source of nutrition.
Control operations remain a huge challenge, as dozens of countries are desperately trying to prepare for and protect against the next wave. Local infestations are happening over a wide area, and every time control efforts are made in one region, another swarm emerges in a different region, making simultaneous control impossible.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) tracks locusts and weather conditions to provide early warnings to those affected by swarms. Partnering with Penn State and Plant Village, they are developing new tools like e-locust 3m to collect critical data in real-time. E-locust 3m is a simple app that allows individuals to record the presence of locusts in their environment, take a picture, and share that information in the cloud for researchers to use in predicting locust occurrences.
The wide reach of e-locust 3m has been incredibly valuable for affected communities and the research community. The more people contribute to the system, the better it becomes. With the ability to use cell phones and transmit data through social media, there are new opportunities for real-time forecasting and knowledge gathering.
FAO combines this data with weather prediction and tracking tools from NASA and NOAA to help fight the invasion. They use satellites to detect rainfall, green vegetation, and soil moisture in the desert to prioritize surveys and control operations. The main strategies for controlling locusts currently involve using pesticides delivered in various ways, with aerial spraying being the primary method.
However, using pesticides comes with a price. They are toxic and can have serious effects on other creatures, including bees and birds. There is a need to find better ways to apply and manage pesticides, including new, safer bio-pesticides. Bio-pesticides are fungi that specifically infect desert locusts without affecting other animals, making them safe for the environment and effective.
Fighting a plague during a global pandemic is a nightmare. The current COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the locust outbreak, has been devastating for many communities and farmers, making it harder to obtain chemicals and equipment. Movement restrictions have also complicated control efforts.
The locust crisis in the Horn of Africa this year coincided with floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing many individuals already on the edge of poverty over the brink. If we cannot control locust populations, there will be a huge impact on the forthcoming planting season. Unfortunately, due to other global issues, people may be forgetting the locust problem.
The desert locust fascinates and challenges the scientific community. It has been a source of interest for many decades, with biblical references providing valuable information. The Impala Research Center in Kenya has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Smithsonian Institute to study the ecology of this enigmatic creature. One remarkable aspect of the desert locust is its large genome, which is more than twice the size of the human genome. Researchers are working to sequence the genome of the desert locust to understand how its genetics and adaptations impact its biology.
At the Max Planck Institute in Germany, scientists use AI and virtual reality to simulate swarms. They can place locusts into a fully immersive virtual environment, allowing them to interact with virtual locusts in 3D spaces. This helps researchers understand the brain activity of individual locusts in the context of the swarm.
Understanding the collective behavior of a swarm is key to predicting where and when swarms will form in the field. Recent research has led to unexpected discoveries about how and why desert locusts swarm. While they appear to march in unison, they are actually competing with each other for resources, leading to cannibalistic behavior when times get tough.
As locusts aggregate together on essential resources, they change their biology and form swarms. The priority now is to stay one step ahead of the swarm. Accurate wind and weather prediction is crucial, as storms travel with the wind, moving about 150 kilometers a day. Understanding wind direction is critical for predicting locust movements.
If we could improve forecasting of cyclones months in advance, it would benefit all countries. FAO is even trying to utilize satellite technology from NOAA to track swarms. The community is using models designed to find contaminants in cities to track locust movements.
If the current trend of wet weather continues, swarms will increase and spread throughout the region, moving north to Sudan and Ethiopia, across the Indian Ocean to India and Pakistan. Breeding is already underway along both sides of the India-Pakistan border. While the situation has improved in Iran, Yemen remains a concern due to ongoing rains and lack of mitigation efforts, threatening to destabilize millions living in poverty and conflict zones.
A new generation of locusts is expected to emerge, coinciding with the planting season, posing challenges for food availability in the future. All produce is for local consumption, and it is essential for everyone to take this issue seriously and provide support wherever possible, as it is a significant problem. Past plagues have lasted many years, and this could also be a future scenario we must consider. Locusts are not going away; they have been around for millions of years, and we will need to figure out how to coexist with them.
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This version maintains the essential information while removing any unnecessary or potentially sensitive content.
Locusts – Locusts are a type of grasshopper that can form large groups and cause significant agricultural damage. – During the summer, the locusts devastated the fields, leaving farmers worried about their harvest.
Swarms – Swarms refer to large groups of insects, especially locusts, that move together and can cause extensive damage to crops. – The swarm of locusts moved rapidly across the region, consuming everything in its path.
Africa – Africa is a continent that often faces challenges related to locust invasions, which can threaten food security. – In recent years, Africa has experienced severe locust plagues that have affected millions of people.
Crops – Crops are cultivated plants or agricultural produce grown for food, fiber, or other uses. – The farmers were concerned about their crops after hearing reports of an approaching locust swarm.
Drought – Drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water that can severely affect agriculture. – The drought conditions made it difficult for the crops to survive, exacerbating the impact of the locust invasion.
Pesticides – Pesticides are chemical substances used to kill or control pests that can damage crops. – The use of pesticides was necessary to protect the crops from the locusts, but it also raised environmental concerns.
Bio-pesticides – Bio-pesticides are natural or biological agents used to control pests, often considered more environmentally friendly than chemical pesticides. – Researchers are developing bio-pesticides to manage locust populations without harming the ecosystem.
Genetics – Genetics is the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics in living organisms. – Advances in genetics have allowed scientists to develop crop varieties that are more resistant to pests and drought.
Food – Food refers to any nutritious substance that organisms consume to maintain life and growth. – The locust invasion threatened the region’s food supply, prompting urgent action from the government.
Weather – Weather describes the atmospheric conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, at a specific time and place. – Unpredictable weather patterns can influence the movement and breeding of locusts, complicating control efforts.
