Biodiversity in Agriculture

Biodiversity in Agriculture
Author: Paul Gepts
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2012-02-23
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 110737667X

The introduction of plant and animal agriculture represents one of the most important milestones in human evolution. It contributed to the development of cities, alphabets, new technologies, and ultimately to civilizations, but it has also presented a threat to both human health and the environment. Bringing together research from a range of fields including anthropology, archaeology, ecology, economics, entomology, ethnobiology, genetics and geography, this book addresses key questions relating to agriculture. Why did agriculture develop and where did it originate? What are the patterns of domestication for plants and animals? How did agroecosystems originate and spread from their locations of origin? Exploring the cultural aspects of the development of agricultural ecosystems, the book also highlights how these topics can be applied to our understanding of contemporary agriculture, its long-term sustainability, the co-existence of agriculture and the environment, and the development of new crops and varieties.

Insect Behavior

Insect Behavior
Author: Janice R. Matthews
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2019-04-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0429725035

Interest in insect behavior is growing rapidly, as reflected both in courses devoted fully to the topic and in its inclusion in general biology, ecology, invertebrate zoology, and animal behavior--as well as general entomology--curricula. Instructors and students find that insects are in many ways uniquely suitable animals for behavioral study: the

Parasite Diversity and Diversification

Parasite Diversity and Diversification
Author: Serge Morand
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2015-02-26
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1107037654

By joining phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology, this book explores the patterns of parasite diversity while revealing diversification processes.

Oxidative Stress and Hormesis in Evolutionary Ecology and Physiology

Oxidative Stress and Hormesis in Evolutionary Ecology and Physiology
Author: David Costantini
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2014-03-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642546633

This book discusses oxidative stress and hormesis from the perspective of an evolutionary ecologist or physiologist. In the first of ten chapters, general historical information, definitions, and background of research on oxidative stress physiology, hormesis, and life history are provided. Chapters 2-10 highlight the different solutions that organisms have evolved to cope with the oxidative threats posed by their environments and lifestyles. The author illustrates how oxidative stress and hormesis have shaped diversity in organism life-histories, behavioral profiles, morphological phenotypes, and aging mechanisms. The book offers fascinating insights into how organisms work and how they evolve to sustain their physiological functions under a vast array of environmental conditions.

Environmental Impacts of Microbial Insecticides

Environmental Impacts of Microbial Insecticides
Author: Heikki M.T. Hokkanen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2003-11-30
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781402008139

Biological pesticides are increasingly finding therr place in IPM and increasing numbers of products are making therr way to the marketplace. Particularly in China, Latin America and Australia, implementation is proceeding on a large scale. However, in the USA and Europe, registration procedures for insect pathogens to be used for insect control have been established that requrre low levels of risk, resulting in costs of retarding the implementation of microbial agents. This book provides a review of the state of the art of studies on the envrronmental impact of microbial insecticides. It originates from a Society for Invertebrate Pathology Microbial Control Division Symposium .. Assessment of envrronmental safety of biological insecticides", organised in collaboration with the EU-ERBIC research project (FAIR5-CT97-3489). This symposium was initiated by Heikki Hokkanen and Chris Lomer, and was held at the SIP Annual Meeting in 2001 in The Netherlands. The emphasis in this book is on large scale use of microbial agents for insect control, demonstrating how this use has been proceeding with minimal envrron mental impact. This book is intended to be of use to regulatory authorities in determining whether further studies in eertain areas are necessary and how to conduct them if needed, or whether sufficient information has been collected already to permit fuH registration of many of these biological control agents.

Ecotoxicology of Metals in Invertebrates

Ecotoxicology of Metals in Invertebrates
Author: Reinhard Dallinger
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 486
Release: 1993-01-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780873717342

Ecotoxicology of Metals in Invertebrates reviews the state of the art in research concerning metal exposure of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial invertebrates. The book focuses on the uptake and accumulation of essential and non-essential trace metals by invertebrates, metal detoxification and involved mechanisms, adaptations to metal stress, metal regulation and elimination, distribution and speciation of metals in different organs and tissues, and interaction of metals with biotic and abiotic factors. Toxicological studies involve histopathological, electron microscopic, physiological, and biochemical methods. The book emphasizes the ecological and ecotoxicological implications that can be derived from metal exposure of invertebrates in the field. The significance of background concentrations, the evaluation of critical concentrations, and the establishment of environmental quality criteria are discussed as well. Ecotoxicology of Metals in Invertebrates is an excellent reference for ecologists, ecotoxicologists, environmental scientists, ecophysiologists, and students.

Introduction to Fungi

Introduction to Fungi
Author: John Webster
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 696
Release: 1980-06-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521228886

"This new edition of the universally acclaimed and widely used textbook on fungal biology has been completely rewritten, drawing directly on the authors' research and teaching experience. The text takes account of the rapid and exciting progress that has been made in the taxonomy, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, pathology and ecology of the fungi. Features of taxonomic significance are integrated with natural functions, including their relevance to human affairs."--BOOK JACKET.

Ant Ecology

Ant Ecology
Author: Lori Lach
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2010
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0199544638

The incredible global diversity of ants, and their important ecological roles, mean that we cannot ignore the significance of ants in ecological systems. Ant Ecology takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the beginnings of ants many hundreds of thousands of years ago, through to the makings of present day distributions.

The Ecology of Fungal Entomopathogens

The Ecology of Fungal Entomopathogens
Author: Helen E. Roy
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2010-02-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 904813966X

Understanding of the ecology of fungal entomopathogens has vastly increased since the early 1800’s, but remains challenging. The often complex interactions between pathogen and host are being unravelled through eloquent research and the importance of the often subtle interactions, in determining the success or failure of biological control, cannot be underplayed. The realm of ecology is vast and deciphering insect-fungal pathogen interactions within an ecological context will take us on voyages beyond our imagination. This book brings together the work of renowned scientists to provide a synthesis of recent research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens exploring host-pathogen dynamics from the context of biological control and beyond. Dr. Helen Roy leads zoological research in the Biological Records Centre at the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK. The focus of her research is insect community interactions with particular emphasis on the effects of environmental change. She has been working on the ecological interactions between fungal entomopathogens and their hosts for 15 years; this continues to be a source of fascination. She has been an associate editor of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Dave Chandler is an insect pathologist at the University of Warwick, UK. He has studied entomopathogenic fungi for just over 20 years. He has particular interests in entomopathogenic fungi as biocontrol agents of horticultural crops, fungal physiology and ecology, and the pathogens of honeybees. Dr. Mark Goettel is an insect pathologist at the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, specializing in the development of fungal entomopathogens as microbial control agents of insects. In addition to this research, he has been extensively involved in the review and revision of the regulations for registration of microbial control agents and has addressed regulatory and safety issues at the international level. He is currently President of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and has been Editor-in-Chief of Biocontrol Science & Technology since 2000. Dr. Judith K. Pell heads the Insect Pathology Group in the Department for Plant and Invertebrate Ecology at Rothamsted Research, UK. She leads research on the ecology of fungal entomopathogens, to elucidate their role in population regulation and community structure and to inform biological control strategies. Specifically: intraguild interactions; the relationships between guild diversity, habitat diversity and ecosystem function; pathogen-induced host behavioural change. Dr. Eric Wajnberg is a population biologist specialising in behavioural ecology, statistical modelling and population genetics. He is also an expert in biological control, with more than 20 years experience of working with insect parasitoids. He has been the Editor in Chief of BioControl since 2006. Dr. Fernando E. Vega is an entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in Beltsville, Maryland, USA. He conducts research on biological methods to control the coffee berry borer, the most important insect pest of coffee throughout the world. He is co-editor, with Meredith Blackwell, of Insect-Fungal Associations: Ecology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press in 2005, and serves as an Editorial Board Member for Fungal Ecology.