Why do bugs cluster above water? - Luke M. Jacobus episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 15, 2026 · 7 MIN

Why do bugs cluster above water? - Luke M. Jacobus

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Trace the life cycle of mayflies, and explore why these swarming insects are a sign of healthy aquatic ecosystems.--For most of the world’s 4,000 mayfly species, adulthood lasts roughly one day. And for some species, it’s only a matter of minutes. This isn’t because they’re all eaten up by predators. Rather, this abridged adulthood is a natural part of their life cycle. So, what role do these bugs play in their ecosystems? Luke M. Jacobus explores the stunningly short life span of the winged insects.Lesson by Luke M. Jacobus, directed by Denys Spolitak.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-you-re-an-adult-mayfly-you-ll-probably-die-before-the-end-of-this-video-luke-jacobusDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/if-you-re-an-adult-mayfly-you-ll-probably-die-before-the-end-of-this-video-luke-jacobus/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://vimeo.com/denysspolitak----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, isolwi, Kate Sem, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang and Bethany Connor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Why do bugs cluster above water? - Luke M. Jacobus

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