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 possess defences that are effective against almost all herbivorous insect species. Host-plant specialization, observed in over 80% of these animals, appears to be an effective adaptation to breach these defence systems. The mechanisms underlying plant defence to invading herbivores on the one side, and insect adaptations to utilize plants for nutrition, defence and shelter on the other, are the main subjects of this book. 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. For insects, they include complex bevioural adaptations and their underlying sensory systems (with their implications for learning and nutritional plasticity), as well as the endocrinological aspects of life cycle synchronization with host-plant phenology. Insect-Plant Biology discusses the operation of these mechanisms at the molecular and organismal levels and explicitly puts these in the context of both ecological interactions and evolutionary processes. In doing so, it uncovers the highly intricate antagonistic as well as 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 biology, agricultural entomology, ecology, and indeed anyone interested in the principles underlying the relationships between the two largest groups of organisms on earth: plants and insects.

Reproduction is one of the most inherent tasks that all living organisms are actively involved in. It forms the backbone of their existence with all evolutionary energies directed over billion years of creation into maximizing reproductive effort. For so simple and directed a need such as maximizing reproduction, it is interesting to see how much diversity and complexity exists in this task. Each organism despite having the same end goal employs different strategies. The complexities, intricacies and strategies of successful reproduction while being extremely fascinating are equally befuddling. Reproductive Strategies in Insects provides an expansive critical look at the reproductive strategies of the most diverse group of animals, the insects. Insects which inhabit myriad niches in all ecosystems except the oceans, show the most diverse reproductive strategies ranging from simplest to most complex. Reproductive strategies, viz., search for mates, number of mates, display of mate quality, assessment of mate quality, acceptance of mate, rejection of mates, forced copulations, the fight for paternity pre, during and post copula, the modulation of paternity, ovipositional strategies and parental care are described in detail in this book. Also, each strategy in analyzed in relation to its morphological, physiological, ethological, ecological and evolutionary aspects. Features: Covers a wide variety of reproductive strategies, A detailed step by step description of reproductive strategies. Discusses morphological, physiological, ethological, ecological and evolutionary aspects. Modulation of these strategies and responsible modulatory factors are also discussed. Well-illustrated. Recent research results and probable future research directions. This is a niche reference book for ethologists, biologists studying behavioural evolution and entomologists. It may also be used as a textbook for a graduate level course in behaviour.

Despite acknowledgment that loss of living diversity is an international biological crisis, the ecological causes and consequences of extinction have not yet been widely addressed. In honor of Edward O. Wilson, winner of the 1993 International Prize for Biology, an international group of distinguished biologists bring ecological, evolutionary, and management perspectives to the issue of biodiversity. The roles of ecosystem processes, community structure and population dynamics are considered in this book. The goal, as Wilson writes in his introduction, is "to assemble concepts that unite the disciplines of systematics and ecology, and in so doing to create a sound scientific basis for the future management of biodiversity."

Chemical signals mediate all aspects of insects' lives and their ecological interactions. The discipline of chemical ecology seeks to unravel these interactions by identifying and defining the chemicals involved, and documenting how perception of these chemical mediators modifies behaviour and ultimately reproductive success. Chapters in this 2004 volume consider how plants use chemicals to defend themselves from insect herbivores; the complexity of floral odors that mediate insect pollination; tritrophic interactions of plants, herbivores, and parasitoids and the chemical cues that parasitoids use to find their herbivore hosts; the semiochemically mediated behaviours of mites; pheromone communication in spiders and cockroaches; the ecological dependency of tiger moths on the chemistry of their host-plants; and the selective forces that shape the pheromone communication channel of moths. The volume presents descriptions of the chemicals involved, the effects of semiochemically mediated interactions on reproductive success, and the evolutionary pathways that have shaped the chemical ecology of arthropods.

Over the past 40 years, the SIP meetings have played a central role in the development of the field of insect-plant relationships, providing both a show-case for current research as well as a forum for the airing and development of influential new ideas. The 10th symposium, held 4-10 July 1998, in Oxford, followed that tradition. The present volume includes a representative selection of fully refereed papers from the meeting, plus a listing of the titles of all presentations. The volume includes reviews of major areas within the subject, along with detailed experimental studies. Topics covered include central neural and chemosensory bases of host plant recognition, integrative studies of insect behaviour, tritrophic interactions, plant defences, insect life histories, plant growth responses, microbial partners in insect-plant associations, and genetic bases of host plant associations. The book provides a key source for students and research workers in the field of insect-plant relationships.

Comprehensive account of the various forms of insect overwintering, highlighting areas of economic interest.

Biological Factors: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Biological Factors. The editors have built Biological Factors: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Biological Factors in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Biological Factors: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

This book provides contributions on various topics pertaining to arthropods (insects and non-insects) written by experts in their respective fields. It targets a wide audience of entomologists, biologists, ecologists, zoologists, teachers, and students. The book is divided into four main sections on 'Development”, 'Food Detection and Feeding Behavior”, 'Vector-borne Diseases”, and 'Structure and Function of Vision”. Chapters address such topics as larval development and metamorphosis of non-insect arthropods, spatiotemporal dynamics of the silver leaf whitefly pest, the importance of three species of household cockroaches, lac insects that secrete resin worthy of industrial importance, the feeding behavior of some insects, and much more.

Ecofriendly Pest Management for Food Security explores the broad range of opportunity and challenges afforded by Integrated Pest Management systems. The book focuses on the insect resistance that has developed as a result of pest control chemicals, and how new methods of environmentally complementary pest control can be used to suppress harmful organisms while protecting the soil, plants, and air around them. As the world's population continues its rapid increase, this book addresses the production of cereals, vegetables, fruits, and other foods and their subsequent demand increase. Traditional means of food crop production face proven limitations and increasing research is turning to alternative means of crop growth and protection. - Addresses environmentally focused pest control with specific attention to its role in food security and sustainability. - Includes a range of pest management methods, from natural enemies to biomolecules. - Written by experts with extensive real-world experience.