Plant-Provided Food for Carnivorous Insects


Book Description

This book, first published in 2005, addresses food-mediated interactions, focusing on how plants employ foods to recruit arthropod 'bodyguards' as a protection against herbivores.




Ecological Entomology


Book Description

Featuring completely updated chapters, additional authors, and an increased emphasis on alternatives to traditional pesticides, the second edition of Ecological Entomology is the field's leading reference on the role of insects in ecosystems. The authors cover insect growth and development, what they eat, how they reproduce, and how they move in various environments. The book also examines how insects interact with the plant community and how to control insect populations naturally.




Insect Biodiversity


Book Description

Volume Two of the new guide to the study of biodiversity in insects Volume Two of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society presents an entirely new, companion volume of a comprehensive resource for the most current research on the influence insects have on humankind and on our endangered environment. With contributions from leading researchers and scholars on the topic, the text explores relevant topics including biodiversity in different habitats and regions, taxonomic groups, and perspectives. Volume Two offers coverage of insect biodiversity in regional settings, such as the Arctic and Asia, and in particular habitats including crops, caves, and islands. The authors also include information on historical, cultural, technical, and climatic perspectives of insect biodiversity. This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text: Offers the most up-to-date information on the important topic of insect biodiversity Explores vital topics such as the impact on insect biodiversity through habitat loss and degradation and climate change With its companion Volume I, presents current information on the biodiversity of all insect orders Contains reviews of insect biodiversity in culture and art, in the fossil record, and in agricultural systems Includes scientific approaches and methods for the study of insect biodiversity The book offers scientists, academics, professionals, and students a guide for a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects, highlighting the need to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.




Bark Beetles


Book Description

Bark Beetles: Biology and Ecology of Native and Invasive Species provides a thorough discussion of these economically important pests of coniferous and broadleaf trees and their importance in agriculture. It is the first book in the market solely dedicated to this important group of insects, and contains 15 chapters on natural history and ecology, morphology, taxonomy and phylogenetics, evolution and diversity, population dynamics, resistance, symbiotic associations, natural enemies, climate change, management strategies, economics, and politics, with some chapters exclusively devoted to some of the most economically important bark beetle genera, including Dendroctonus, Ips, Tomicus, Hypothenemus, and Scolytus. This text is ideal for entomology and forestry courses, and is aimed at scientists, faculty members, forest managers, practitioners of biological control of insect pests, mycologists interested in bark beetle-fungal associations, and students in the disciplines of entomology, ecology, and forestry. - Provides the only synthesis of the literature on bark beetles - Features chapters exclusively devoted to some of the most economically important bark beetle genera, such as Dendroctonus, Ips, Tomicus, Hypothenemus, and Scolytus - Includes copious color illustrations and photographs that further enhance the content




Insects and Ecosystem Function


Book Description

Insects are a dominant component of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and play a key role in mediating the relationship between plants and ecosystem processes. This volume examines their effects on ecosystem functioning, focusing mainly, but not exclusively, on herbivorous insects. Renowned authors with extensive experience in the field of plant-insect interactions, contribute to the volume using examples from their own work.




Ant-Plant Interactions


Book Description

The first volume devoted to anthropogenic effects on interactions between ants and flowering plants, considered major parts of terrestrial ecosystems.




Ecology of Insects


Book Description

Fully revised and updated to include new topical study areas, the second edition of the successful text the Ecology of Insects provides a balanced treatment of the theory and practice of pure and applied insect ecology. Includes new topical areas of insect ecology and provides greater coverage of physiological, genetic, molecular, and ecosystem aspects of insect ecology Concepts include the foundations of evolutionary ecology and population dynamics in ecosystem science as they are applied to topics such as climate change, conservation and biodiversity, epidemiology and pest management Fully updated and revised throughout, this new edition refers to primary literature and real world examples. To access the artwork from the book, please visit: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/speightinsects.




Insects on Plants


Book Description

The evolution of phytophagous insects; The major determinants of diversity; Community patterns through time: the dynamics of colonization and speciation; Species interactions in communities: the animals; Interactions involving the plants; Coevolution.




Insects as Food and Feed


Book Description

Also available as E-book see insects-as-food-feed-from-production-to-consumption For more information about the e-book, please contact Sales. Insects have a high potential of becoming a new sector in the food and feed industry, mainly because of the many environmental benefits when compared to meat production. This will be outlined in the book, as well as the whole process from rearing to marketing. Detailed photograph are shown at the start of each section and chapter."




Insect-Plant Biology


Book Description

"Half of all insect species are dependent on living plant tissues, consuming about 10% of plant annual production in natural habitats and an even greater percentage in agricultural systems, despite sophisticated control measures. Plants are generally remarkably well-protected against insect attack, with the result that most insects are highly specialized feeders. The mechanisms underlying plant resistance to invading herbivores on the one side, and insect food specialization on the other, are the main subjects of this book. For insects these include food-plant selection and the complex sensory processes involved, with their implications for learning and nutritional physiology, as well as the endocrinological aspects of life cycle synchronization with host plant phenology. In the case of plants exposed to insect herbivores, they include the activation of defence systems in order to minimize damage, as well as the emission of chemical signals that may attract natural enemies of the invading herbivores and may be exploited by neighbouring plants that mount defences as well." "Insect-Plant Biology discusses the operation of these mechanisms at the molecular and organismal levels, in the context of both ecological interactions and evolutionary relationships. In doing so, it uncovers the highly intricate antagonistic and mutualistic interactions that have evolved between plants and insects. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of our knowledge of insect-plant interactions to agricultural production." "This multidisciplinary approach will appeal to students in agricultural entomology, plant sciences, ecology, and indeed anyone interested in the principles underlying the relationships between the two largest groups of organisms on earth: plants and insects."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved