Palms constitute one of the largest botanical families and include some of the world's most important economic plants. This book reviews the interrelationships between palms and insects. The host plants, distribution and bionomics of representative insects are discussed.

Because of the long life of a coconut palm--sixty to eighty years--and the relatively wide spacing the plants require, every coconut grower faces the problem of how to manage the land beneath the palms. Many of the small-scale farmers who manage over 90 percent of the 6 million hectares of coconut palms in the world have learned that raising cattle or other livestock under the palms can be profitable, as well as an effective method of controlling weeds. This book reviews current knowledge on this productive farming system, drawing on research results and experiences of successful farmers. Well illustrated with photographs from producing areas, the book includes information on the management of both natural (unimproved) and improved pastures.

This book summarizes what is actually known about the biology of Leaf Beetles. It is the most recent study in the field. As we are well aware, Chrysomelidae, one of the three largest families of beetles, are of great economic importance since they can be a serious pest to crops or, on the other hand, can be used to destroy imported weeds. This is due to the selectivity of their feeding preferences. In this way, Chrysomelidae are an invaluable tool for studying plant selection mechanisms. The many and varied topics dealt with in this book cover almost all aspects of phylogeny, classification, paleontology, parasitology, biogeography, defenses, population biology, genetics and biological control as well as many other subjects. The most renowned specialists in these fields have been chosen to put together a diverse, state-of-the-art publication. Few beetle families have been studied in such detail as the Chrysomelids. This is not only due to their economic importance, but also to their incredible variety of forms and behaviors. There are no less than 40,000 species currently in existence worldwide, but probably 100,000 species have existed since the Jurassic, when they first came into being with the Cycadoids and other primitive plant families, later to diversify during the Cretaceous with the advent of flowering plants.