Role of insects in environment with special reference to forensic science

Insects are the dominant group of animals on earth today. They occur practically everywhere and far outnumber all other terrestrial animals taken together. They create the biological foundation for all terrestrial ecosystems. They cycle nutrients, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, maintain soil structure and fertility, control populations of other organisms, provides food besides having great utility in the field of medicine and forensics. Forensic entomology is a science, which applies knowledge of insects (and other arthropods) to civil proceedings and criminal trials. The applications of Forensic Entomology are numerous, encompassing any situation that may involve an interaction between insects and other arthropods, and the law. Therefore, the utility of the field includes in the areas like; urban, stored product and medico legal. The principle underlying this science is to establish the time of death, known as postmortem interval (PMI) by knowing the life cycle of insect species and evaluating the insect succession waves present on the corpse at any given time viz a viz movement of the corpse, manner and cause of death and association of suspects at the death scene. The Forensic Entomology in India is in its infancy state and few workers are doing their research in this field. Despite the enormous usefulness, little work is done in our country as our court of justice didn’t include use of Forensic Entomology as a legal proceeding under Article 138 of Evidence Act of IPC. Therefore, in this article we will briefly discuss the role of insects in environment with special focus on their application in forensic science in India.