Economic importance of invertebrates

Question

Write a note on the economic importance of invertebrates

Answer 1

There's a ton.  A few examples (all of which support financial investment in commerce, agriculture, or medicine):

1.  We eat them - clams, mussels, oysters, sea urchin (roe, especially in Japan), lobsters, crabs, snails, squid

2.  They are a food source for other species we eat - zooplankton feed fish larvae, some fish eat crabs, snails, corals

3.  Some species are pests that destroy crops - locusts, slugs, weevils, Colorado potato beetle

4.  Some species are vectors for human pathogens - mosquitoes can carry malaria, snails that are hosts for flukes, ticks can carry lyme disease

5.  They decompose organic matter and therefore help protect us from diseases while returning nutrients to soil - fly maggots, earthworms