Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] (The piezoelectric devices might themselves be biologically derived.[^BY Lee, et al., [[http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v7/n6/full/nnano.2012.69.html | "Virus-based piezoelectric energy generation"]], Nature Nanotechnology 7, 351–356 (2012) doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.69^]) Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, could form a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] shield against [[orbital debris]] strikes.[^Powerful artificial muscles based on silk, and driven by humidity cycles, have also been proposed, see e.g., [[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/13/1990 | "Spider silk as a novel high performance biomimetic muscle driven by humidity]], Ingi Agnarsson1, Ali Dhinojwala, Vasav Sahni and Todd A. Blackledge, ''The Journal of Experimental Biology'', 2009. The temperature gradient between an ice-composite pressure vessel and a solar-thermal dish used for power generation and general industrial heat might provide an excellent basis for a supply of dry and wet air.^],[^Silk might be further strengthened using silkworms engineered to produce spider silk, see e.g., [[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/02/1109420109 | "Silkworms transformed with chimeric silkworm/spider silk genes spin composite silk fibers with improved mechanical properties"]], Florence Teulé, et al., PNAS, Nov 28, 2011 doi:10.1073/pnas.1109420109^] "Cyborg insects" have been controlled by direct muscle stimulation and optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects. This may limit the appeal of early exovivaria -- most insects are not what's been called "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna | charismatic megafauna]]", i.e., animals that naturally evoke wonder, admiration and respect.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic | Bioplastics]] (possibly electroactive, yielding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroactive_polymers | biomimetic muscles]] for [[telebots]] and power-generation components),[^[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin | Chitin]] is a source of polymers that have been considered for use in Mars rover electroactive bioplastics, see e.g., [[http://afrsweb.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec05/plastic1205.htm?pf=1 | "Electroactive Bioplastics Flex Their Industrial Muscle"]], USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2005^],[^Electroactive polymers are under active investigation as components in Stirling engines, see e.g., [[http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/11/sbir/phase1/SBIR-11-1-S3.03-8593.html?solicitationId=SBIR_11_P1 | "Electroactive Polymers for Free Piston Stirling Engine Power Generation"]], [[http://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/asg/Workshop/Abstracts/Mattes.shtml | Benjamin Mattes]] (PI), Jan 9, 2012, [[http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2011/phase1/awards/2011firm.html | NASA SBIR/SSTR 2011 Phase 1 Awards List]], Proposal No. 11-1 S3.03-8593^]  dyes (e.g., [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine | carmine]] and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] (The piezoelectric devices might themselves be biologically derived.[^BY Lee, et al., [[http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v7/n6/full/nnano.2012.69.html | "Virus-based piezoelectric energy generation"]], Nature Nanotechnology 7, 351–356 (2012) doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.69^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, could form a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] shield against [[orbital debris]] strikes.[^Powerful artificial muscles based on silk, and driven by humidity cycles, have also been proposed, see e.g., [[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/13/1990 | "Spider silk as a novel high performance biomimetic muscle driven by humidity]], Ingi Agnarsson1, Ali Dhinojwala, Vasav Sahni and Todd A. Blackledge, ''The Journal of Experimental Biology'', 2009. The temperature gradient between an ice-composite pressure vessel and a solar-thermal dish used for power generation and general industrial heat might provide an excellent basis for a supply of dry and wet air.^],[^Silk might be further strengthened using silkworms engineered to produce spider silk, see e.g., [[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/02/1109420109 | "Silkworms transformed with chimeric silkworm/spider silk genes spin composite silk fibers with improved mechanical properties"]], Florence Teulé, et al., PNAS, Nov 28, 2011 doi:10.1073/pnas.1109420109^] "Cyborg insects" have been controlled by direct muscle stimulation and optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, could form a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] shield against [[orbital debris]] strikes.[^Powerful artificial muscles based on silk, and driven by humidity cycles, have also been proposed, see e.g., [[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/13/1990 | "Spider silk as a novel high performance biomimetic muscle driven by humidity]], Ingi Agnarsson1, Ali Dhinojwala, Vasav Sahni and Todd A. Blackledge, ''The Journal of Experimental Biology'', 2009. The temperature gradient between an ice-composite pressure vessel and a solar-thermal dish used for power generation and general industrial heat might provide an excellent basis for a supply of dry and wet air.^],[^Silk might be further strengthened using silkworms engineered to produce spider silk, see e.g., [[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/02/1109420109 | "Silkworms transformed with chimeric silkworm/spider silk genes spin composite silk fibers with improved mechanical properties"]], Florence Teulé, et al., PNAS, Nov 28, 2011 doi:10.1073/pnas.1109420109^] "Cyborg insects" have been controlled by direct muscle stimulation and optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects. This may limit the appeal of early exovivaria -- they are not what's been called "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna | charismatic megafauna]]", i.e., the kinds of animals that naturally evoke admiration. On a more practical level, insects can be a problem in trying to balance artificial closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | "Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20"]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects. This may limit the appeal of early exovivaria -- they are not what's been called "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charismatic_megafauna | charismatic megafauna]]", i.e., the kinds of animals that naturally evoke admiration. On a more practical level, Insects can be a problem in trying to balance artificial closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | "Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20"]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance artificial closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | "Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20"]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance artificial closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | "Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20"]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^] If properly controlled, however, insect production of CO'_2_' can be a good thing: plants might otherwise be starved of it, as their photosynthesis turns CO'_2_' into oxygen. Insects wouldn't be a new solution to this problem: Victorian Era [[vivaria]] survived in part because of the (serendipitous[^David Hershey, [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4450151 | "Doctor Ward's Accidental Terrarium"]]. ''The American Biology Teacher'' Vol. 58, No. 5 (May, 1996), pp. 276-281.^]) discovery that plants in closed atmospheres transported over long distances needed the CO'_2_' produced by the insects inside the containers.

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance artificial closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | "Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20"]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^] If properly controlled, however, insect production of CO'_2_' can be a good thing: plants might otherwise be starved of it, as their photosynthesis turns CO'_2_' into oxygen. Insects wouldn't be a new solution to this problem: Victorian Era [[vivaria]] survived because of the (serendipitous[^David Hershey, [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4450151 | "Doctor Ward's Accidental Terrarium"]]. ''The American Biology Teacher'' Vol. 58, No. 5 (May, 1996), pp. 276-281.^]) discovery that plants in closed atmospheres transported over long distances could survive in part because of the CO'_2_' produced by the insects inside the containers.

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed: ants and cockroaches proliferated and overproduced CO'_2_'.[^[[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42690193/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/human-terrarium-biosphere-looking-good/#.T0DwqocaMYQ | Human terrarium, Biosphere 2, looking good at 20]], Science on MSBNC, 4/26/2011^] If properly controlled, however, insect production of CO'_2_' can be a good thing: plants might otherwise run out of it, as their photosynthesis turns CO'_2_' into oxygen.

However, apart from recycling oxygen into CO'_2_' for plant growth,[^The value of which was first learned serendipitously with Victorian Era [[vivaria]]^] insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and with any insect possibly becoming  a meal itself or (through excretion while living and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin#Agriculture | decomposition after death]]) a source of nutrients for plants and bacteria. Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space.[^[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | "Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]]^]

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic | Bioplastics]] (possibly electroactive, yielding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroactive_polymers | biomimetic muscles]] for [[telebots]] and power-generation components),[^[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin | Chitin]] is a source of polymers that have been considered for use in Mars rover electroactive bioplastics, see e.g., [[http://afrsweb.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec05/plastic1205.htm?pf=1 | "Electroactive Bioplastics Flex Their Industrial Muscle"]], USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2005^][^Electroactive polymers are under active investigation as components in Stirling engines, see e.g., [[http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/11/sbir/phase1/SBIR-11-1-S3.03-8593.html?solicitationId=SBIR_11_P1 | "Electroactive Polymers for Free Piston Stirling Engine Power Generation"]], [[http://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/asg/Workshop/Abstracts/Mattes.shtml | Benjamin Mattes]] (PI), Jan 9, 2012, [[http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2011/phase1/awards/2011firm.html | NASA SBIR/SSTR 2011 Phase 1 Awards List]], Proposal No. 11-1 S3.03-8593^]  dyes (e.g., [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine | carmine]] and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed.

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, could form a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] shield against [[orbital debris]].[^Powerful artificial muscles based on silk, and driven by humidity cycles, have also been proposed, see e.g., [[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/13/1990 | "Spider silk as a novel high performance biomimetic muscle driven by humidity]], Ingi Agnarsson1, Ali Dhinojwala, Vasav Sahni and Todd A. Blackledge, ''The Journal of Experimental Biology'', 2009. The temperature gradient between an ice-composite pressure vessel and a solar-thermal dish used for power generation and general industrial heat might provide an excellent basis for a supply of dry and wet air.^],[^Silk might be further strengthened using silkworms engineered to produce spider silk, see e.g., [[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/02/1109420109 | "Silkworms transformed with chimeric silkworm/spider silk genes spin composite silk fibers with improved mechanical properties"]], Florence Teulé, et al., PNAS, Nov 28, 2011 doi:10.1073/pnas.1109420109^] "Cyborg insects" have been controlled by direct muscle stimulation and optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, could form a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] shield against [[orbital debris]].[^Powerful artificial muscles based on silk, and driven by humidity cycles, have also been proposed, see e.g., [[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/13/1990 | "Spider silk as a novel high performance biomimetic muscle driven by humidity]], Ingi Agnarsson1, Ali Dhinojwala, Vasav Sahni and Todd A. Blackledge, ''The Journal of Experimental Biology'', 2009. The temperature gradient between an ice-composite pressure vessel and a solar-thermal dish used for power generation and general industrial heat might provide an excellent basis for a supply of dry and wet air.^] "Cyborg insects" have been controlled by direct muscle stimulation and optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic | Bioplastics]] (possibly electroactive, yielding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroactive_polymers | biomimetic muscles]] for [[telebots]]),[^[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin | Chitin]] is a source of polymers that have been considered for use in Mars rover electroactive bioplastics, see e.g., [[http://afrsweb.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec05/plastic1205.htm?pf=1 | "Electroactive Bioplastics Flex Their Industrial Muscle"]], USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2005^] dyes (e.g., [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine | carmine]] and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

A research question of particular interest: what are the minimum requirements for a permanent population of honeybees? Bees can pollinate, to help plants in the exovivarium reproduce. They also produce wax, which might have value as a sealant, as a lubricant, as a fuel,[^[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeswax | Beeswax candles]] might provide illumination and heat while an exovivarium is in earthshadow^] as a strengthener/preservative for strands of fiber derived from exovivarial plants, and as a base for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting | casting]]. Honey might be used to feed other animals, and even be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead | fermented]] to produce a burnable fuel (alcohol). Honey could also be an agricultural export for exovivaria, a prized item in the larders of (inter)national space stations, space hotels, and expeditionary spacecraft.

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[Exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be a problem in trying to balance closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed.

However, apart from recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide for plant growth,[^The value of which was first learned serendipitously with Victorian Era [[vivaria]]^] insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and with any insect possibly becoming food for other animals or (through excretion while living and decomposition after death) a source nutrients for plants and bacteria. Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space.[^[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | "Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]]^]

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, might produce a strong and renewable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete | ice-composite]] material for shielding against [[orbital debris]] strikes. Work proceeds apace on "cyborg insects" that can be controlled by direct muscle stimulation or optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic | Bioplastics]] (possibly electroactive),[^Chitin is a source of polymers that have been considered for use in Mars rover electroactive bioplastics, see e.g., [[http://afrsweb.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/dec05/plastic1205.htm?pf=1 | "Electroactive Bioplastics Flex Their Industrial Muscle"]], USDA Agricultural Research Service, 2005^] dyes (e.g., [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine | carmine]] and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

A research question of particular interest: what is the minimum size for a permanent population of honeybees? Bees can pollinate, helping plants in the exovivarium reproduce. Honeybees can also produce wax, which might have value as a sealant, as a lubricant, as a fuel, as a strengthener/preservative for strands of fiber derived from exovivarial plants, and as a base for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting | casting]]. Honey might be used to feed other animals, and even be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead | fermented]] to produce a burnable fuel (alcohol). Honey could also be an agricultural export for exovivaria, a prized item in the larders of (inter)national space stations, space hotels, and expeditionary spacecraft.

Dyes, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic | bioplastics]] and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

However, apart from recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide for plant growth,[^As first seen serendipitously with Victorian Era [[vivaria]]^] insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and with any insect possibly becoming food for other animals or (through excretion while living and decomposition after death) a source nutrients for plants and bacteria. Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space.[^[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | "Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]]^]

Dyes, bioplastics and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants that have other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[Exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be problematic in closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 | Biosphere 2]] showed.

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. Harvesting power from insect motion using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric_effect#High_voltage_and_power_sources | piezoelectric devices]] has been demonstrated.[^[[http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/20087-insect-cyborgs-may-become-first-responders-search-and-monitor-hazardous-environs | "Insect cyborgs may become first responders, search and monitor hazardous environs"]],Nov 22, 2011, Matt Nixon, University of Michigan News Service^] Producing silk on orbit might be possible: Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, might produce a strong and renewable [[ice-composite]] for shielding against [[orbital debris]] strikes. Work proceeds apace on "cyborg insects" that can be controlled by direct muscle stimulation or optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

The first naked-eye-visible animals in [[Exovivaria]] will almost certainly be insects.  Insects can be problematic in closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[Biosphere II]] showed.

However, apart from recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide for plant growth, as seen with the earliest [[vivaria]], insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and can be a source of food to other animals and (through excretion) nutrients for plants and bacteria.  Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space[^[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | "Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]]^].

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. For example, producing silk on orbit might be possible. Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, might produce a strong [[ice-composite]] for shielding against [[orbital debris]] strikes. Work proceeds apace on "cyborg insects" that can be controlled by direct muscle stimulation or optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[[http://www.botjunkie.com/2008/04/08/cyborg-insects-off-the-drawing-board/ | "Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

Dyes, bioplastics and sealants might be derived from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect | scale insects]] living parasitically on plants with other uses in the exovivarial ecosystem.

One research question of particular interest is the minimum size for a permanent population of honeybees. Bees can pollinate. Honeybees can also produce wax, which might have value as a sealant, a lubricant, a fuel, a strengthener/preservative for fiber strands, and as a base for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting | casting]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead | Honey might be fermented]] to produce a burnable fuel (alcohol), if needed, or be used directly to feed other animals. Honey might also be an export product for exovivaria, feeding human beings in space stations and in [[space hotel | space hotels]].

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. For example, producing silk on orbit might be possible. Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, might produce a strong [[ice-composite]] for shielding against [[orbital debris]] strikes. Work proceeds apace on "cyborg insects" that can be controlled by direct muscle stimulation or optical input.[^[[http://www.conceptlab.com/roachbot/ | "Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine"]], Garnet Hertz, 23 Dec 2008^],[^[["Cyborg Insects Off The Drawing Board, Into The Air"]], Evan Ackerman, 8 April 2008^]

%lfloat% http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Honeybee_pollen_basket.JPG/120px-Honeybee_pollen_basket.JPG

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. For example, producing silk on orbit might be possible. Abandoned cocoons, if matted and soaked, then frozen, might produce a strong [[ice-composite]] for shielding against [[orbital debris]] strikes.

One research question of particular interest is the minimum size for a permanent population of honeybees. Bees can pollinate. Honeybees can also produce wax, which might have value as a sealant, a lubricant, a fuel, a strengthener/preservative for fiber strands, and as a base for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting | casting]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead | Honey might be fermented]] to produce a burnable fuel (alcohol), if needed, or be used directly to feed other animals. Honey might also be an export product of exovivaria, for feeding human beings in space stations and in [[space hotel | space hotels]].

[^#^]

However, apart from recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide for plant growth, as seen with the earliest [[vivaria]], insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and can be a source of food to other animals and (through excretion) nutrients for plants and bacteria.  Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space[^[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]]^].

One research question of particular interest is the minimum size for a permanent population of honeybees. Bees can pollinate. Honeybees can also produce wax, which might have value as a sealant, a lubricant, a fuel, a strengthener/preservative for fiber strands, and as a base for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting | casting]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead | Fermenting honey]] might produce a burnable fuel (alcohol), if needed, or used to feed other animals.

However, apart from playing a role in recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide, as seen with the earliest [[vivaria]], insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and can be a source of food to other animals and (through excretion) nutrients for plants and bacteria.  Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space (see Katayama, et al., ref below), as in many places in the world.

!!! Further reading

* "[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]].

Insects might do useful work and produce useful byproducts. For example, silk production on orbit might be possible.

The first easily visible animals in [[Exovivaria]] will probably be insects.  Insects can be problematic in closed ecosystems, as the experience of [[Biosphere II]] showed.

* "[[http://surc.isas.ac.jp/space_agriculture/Habitation2006/Habitation_Insect_Poster.pdf | Insects as a Food Source in Space Agriculture]", [[Naomi Katayama]], [[Yoji Ishikawa]], [[Muneo Takaoki]], [[Masamichi Yamashita]], [[Robert Kok]], [[Hidenori Wada]], [[Jun Mitsuhashi]], and [[Space Agriculture Task Force]].

However, apart from playing a role in recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide, as seen with the earliest [[vivaria]], insects can also form multiple links in a food chain, with some insects eating others, and can be a source of food to other animals and (through excretion) nutrients for plants and bacteria.  Insects have even been proposed as a food source for human beings in space (see Muneo et al ref below), as they are for many people around the world.

However, apart from playing a role in recycling oxygen into carbon dioxide, as seen with the earliest [[vivaria]], insects can also form a food chain, and be a source of food to other animals.  They have even been proposed as food sources for human beings in space (see Muneo et al ref below).