Chronobiology is the study of timing mechanisms in biological systems as diverse as plants, animals and some micro-organisms. It includes rhythmic phenomena ranging from short period (ultradian) through daily (circadian) to long period (monthly, annual) cycles of behaviour, physiology and biochemistry. In recent years spectacular advances have been made, particularly in the field of circadian rhythms, and hardly a week passes without important papers appearing in the major scientific journals.

The third edition of "Insect Clocks," like its predecessors, deals with the properties and functions of clock-like processes in one of the planet's most abundant groups of organisms. The first half of the book is concerned with circadian rhythmicity, the second with annual responses such as over-wintering diapause, seasonal morphs and cold hardiness. "Insect Clocks" puts modern developments in these fields into a secure framework of the 'classical' literature that has defined the subject.

The book is directed at active researchers in the field as well as newcomers and scientists working in many other areas of modern biology. It will also serve as a textbook for advanced and less advanced students and should find its way into university libraries wishing to keep abreast of the times.

This volume of the Handbook of Zoology summarizes "small" groups of animals across the animal kingdom. Dicyemida and Orthonectida are enigmatic parasites, formerly united as "Mesozoa" and their position among the multicellular animals is still not known with certainty. Placozoa are small, flat marine animals which provide important information on metazoan evolution. Comb jellies (Ctenophora) are esthetically fascinating animals which cause considerable discussion about their phylogenetic position. Seisonida are closely related to rotifers and acanthocephalans. Cycliophora were discovered and described as one of the last higher taxa and surprise by their complex life cycle. Kamptozoa (= Entoprocta) are small sessile animals in the sea and sometimes also in freshwater. Arrow worms (Chaetognatha) play an important role as predators in the plankton, but they also include benthic forms. Pterobranchia and acorn worms (Enteropneusta) belong to the deuterostomia and are related to echinoderms. In particular enteropneusts play an important role in understanding deuterostome evolution. These chapters provide up to date reviews of these exiting groups with reference to the important literature and therefore serves as an important source of information.

Leading experts in the field bring together diverse aspects of insect timing mechanisms. This work combines three topics that are central to the understanding of biological timing in insects: circadian rhythms, photoperiodism, and diapause. The common theme underlining each of the contributions to this book is an understanding of the timing of events in the insect life cycle. Most daily activities (emergence, feeding, mating, egg laying, etc.) undertaken by insects occur at precise times each day. Likewise, seasonal events such as the entry into or termination from an overwintering dormancy (diapause) occur at distinct times of the year. This book documents such events and provides an up-to-date interpretation of the molecular and physiological events undergirding these activities.

The study of circadian rhythms has undergone a flowering in recent years with the molecular dissection of the components of the circadian clock. Now that many of the clock genes have been identified it is possible to track daily patterns of clock-related mRNAs and proteins to link the entraining light cycles with molecular oscillations within the cell. Insect experiments have led the way in demonstrating that the concept of a "master clock" can no longer be used to explain the temporal organization within an animal. Insects have a multitude of cellular clocks that can function independently and retain their function under organ culture conditions, and they thus offer a premier system for studying how the hierarchical organization of clocks results in the overall temporal organization of the animal. Photoperiodism, and its most obvious manifestation, diapause, does not yet have the molecular underpinning that has been established for circadian rhythms, but recent studies are beginning to identify genes that appear to be involved in the regulation of diapause. Overall, the book presents the rich diversity of challenges and opportunities provided by insects for the study of timing mechanisms.

What exactly is our relationship with insects? Are they more beneficial or harmful? What role do they play in the world? What are the effects of climate change: Will the number of insects continue to increase? This book discusses the beneficial and harmful effects of insects and explains their development and significance for biodiversity. This second, fully reviewed and enlarged, edition provides new insights, especially about the value of specific insect species that are generally seen as pests (e.g. ants and moths), as well as an extended chapter on the development of insects and especially their decline in different regions in the world, the industrialized countries in particular. Numerous info graphics show connections between changes in the environment due to human expansion and the number of insects and species. Studies from the US, Canada, Asia, Africa, Europe and Switzerland are used to point out the dramatic reduction of biodiversity. New tables illustrate these developments. The glossary as well as the insects index is extended, the text, tables, pictures and graphs provide even more well-rounded image. Readers will find the argumentation even more clearly and detailed.

The fifth and last Volume of this IPMD series reviews, in a multi-disciplinary approach, recent achievements in crop protection and integrated management of arthropod pests. The volume is organized in a first Section covering IPM in citrus productions, a Second one dealing with advacements in the integratioon of management technologies and a last Section covering mites and their biological control agents. As for the previous volumes, we attempted to provide an informative coverage for a broad range of agricultural systems and situations. The chapters are mainly organized and centered on crops, with a particular emphasis on citrus. This is one of the main crops in which biological control and IPM approaches were tested successfully, and the experience gained herein may indeed result helpful for IMP efforts deployed worldwide on other crops and/or cropping systems. Chapters in Section 2 review the integration of insect and disease management options in pecan crops, the application of remote sensing technologies, the status of knowledge about plant defense compounds and their potentials. For IPM of invasive species, an update is provided on the experience gained on the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) in Egypt. Long-term technological solutions for IPM in forests and park areas through aerial treatments with Bt spores concludes this Section. Finally, in Section 3, updated reviews about biological control agents of mites are provided.

Brentid beetles are in Northern Europe practically equivalent to the speciose genus "Apion," a group of small, rostrate, phytophagous beetles of weevil-like appearance, but easily separated from genuine curculionid weevils by the short scape to the antennae. This book, written by one of the foremost experts on European Apion, identifies and describes the 134 species of brentids known from the British Isles and Continental Europe north of 52 (0)N. For each species is given up-to-date information on the taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution, life habits, food plants and parasites. Occurrence by provinces is documented for the 94 species found in Fennoscandia and Denmark. The introductory part provides general information on the group's taxonomic history, morphology of all life stages, life history and economic importance, and some practical hints on how to collect, preserve and identify specimens. The book is richly illustrated with original line drawings by the author and eight plates showing no less than 58 representative species skillfully depicted in colour by the coleopterist, Dr Michael Hansen. Additional features include lists of food plants and parasites, an extensive list of literature and an index.

The Sirex woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is the most important invasive alien insect pest of Pinus plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. It now also threatens pines in North America. This book brings together the worldwide knowledge of researchers from Universities and Government institutions, as well as forest industry practitioners that have worked on the pest. Importantly, it is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject since S. noctilio was discovered outside its native range around 1900. The book covers all aspects of the biology and management of S. noctilio, including aspects of the insects' taxonomy, general life history, host-plant relationships, population dynamics, chemical ecology and symbiosis with the fungus Amylostereum areolatum. The book also contains a comprehensive synthesis of the history and current status of the pest and worldwide efforts to control it, including biological control, silviculture and quarantine.

Covering 100 years of zoological research, the Handbook of Zoology represents a vast store of knowledge. Handbook of Zoology provides an in-depth treatment of the entire animal kingdom covering both invertebrates and vertebrates. It publishes comprehensive overviews on animal systematics and morphology and covers extensively further aspects like physiology, behavior, ecology and applied zoological research. Although our knowledge regarding many taxonomic groups has grown enormously over the last decades, it is still the objective of the Handbook of Zoology to be comprehensive in the sense that text and references together provide a solid basis for further research. Editors and authors seek a balance between describing species richness and diversity, explaining the importance of certain groups in a phylogenetic context and presenting a review of available knowledge and up-to-date references. New contributions to the series present the combined effort of an international team of editors and authors, entirely published in English and tailored to the needs of the international scientific community. Upcoming volumes and projects in progress include volumes on Annelida (Volumes 1-3), Bryozoa, Mammalia, Miscellaneous Invertebrates, Nannomecoptera, Neomecoptera and Strepsiptera and are followed later by fishes, reptiles and further volumes on mammals. Background The renowned German reference work Handbook of Zoology was founded in the 1920's by Professor Willi Kukenthal in Berlin and treated the complete animal kingdom from single cell organisms to mammals in eight thematic volumes: Volume I Protozoa, Porifera, Colenteratea, Mesozoa (1925); Volume II Vermes (1933/34); Volume III Arthropoda ex. Insecta (1927/1932); Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta; Volume V Solenogastres, Mollusca, Echinoderma (1925); Volume VI Pisces / Amphibia (1930); Volume VII Reptilia / Aves (1931); Volume VIII Mammalia. The Volumes IV Arthropoda: Insecta and VII Mammalia continued publication into the present with the most recent contributions in English language. Adapting to the accelerating speed of scientific discovery in the past decades the Handbook of Zoology entered a next phase in 2010. In the new edition of the Handbook of Zoology, the original eight thematic volumes gave way for smaller and more flexible groupings that reflect the current state of phylogenetic knowledge. All subsequent volumes were published in print as well as e-book format. The Handbook of Zoology is additionally offered as a database, the Handbook of Zoology Online, which can easily be searched and rapidly updated. Original Handbook material (ca. 28 000 pages) has been reordered along taxonomic (instead of bibliographical) categories and forms the historical basis of this Online Reference Work. As a living Online Reference, the content is continuously updated and new content added. The material can be accessed through taxonomic and subject categories as well as free text, with a diversity of linking and search options. Faster publication times through online-first publication, reference- and cross-linking, and make the Handbook of Zoology highly attractive to both authors and users.

Physiological Systems in Insects, Fourth Edition explores why insects have become the dominant animals on the planet. Sections describe the historical investigations that have led us to our current understanding of insect systems. Integrated within a basic physiological framework are modern molecular approaches that provide a glimpse of the genetic and evolutionary frameworks that testify to the unity of life on earth. This updated edition describes advances that have occurred in our understanding of hormone action, metamorphosis, and reproduction, along with new sections on the role of microbiomes, insecticide action and its metabolism, and a chapter on genetics, genomics and epigenetic systems. The book represents a collaborative effort by two internationally known insect physiologists who have instructed graduate courses in insect physiology. As such, it is the ideal resource for entomologists and those in other fields who may require knowledge of insect systems.

This Naturalists' Handbook aims to attract more people to the study of solitary wasps by describing the ecology, distribution and natural history of these insects, including all relevant research in one convenient volume. Contents include an overview of the natural history of the solitary wasp, guidelines on identification, and advice on techniques and approaches to study. Further reading, a systematic checklist of genera and an alphabetical checklist of species and their distributions are included. Detailed keys to the identification of the species form the centre of the book and the text is accompanied by clear illustrations throughout, making this an invaluable practical guide for anyone seeking to broaden their knowledge of these fascinating, diverse creatures. Smaller, gentler and less intimidating than the black and yellow social wasps, the solitary wasps are attractive because of their bright colours and their fascinating behaviour. A female wasp will construct a nest, excavating it from wood or sand or building it from mud. She provisions the nest with prey, hunting down a suitable creature, perhaps a caterpillar or a fly, which she will paralyse before dragging it home to the nest. She lays her egg on the paralysed prey, and the larva when it hatches feeds on the prey. On a sunny day it is easy to observe the apparently purposeful behaviour of female wasps as they prepare their nests and stock them with food for the next generation. This book is a digital reprint of ISBN 0-85546-295-7 (1995). Naturalists' Handbooks encourage and enable those interested in natural history to undertake field study, make accurate identifications and to make original contributions to research.

The diversity of social behavior among birds and primates is surpassed only by members of the Hymenopteran insects, including bees, ants, and the genus Polistes, or paper-wasps. This volume combines incisive reviews and new, unpublished data in studies of paper-wasps, a large and varied group whose life patterns are often studied by biologists interested in social evolution. While this research is significant to the natural history of paper-wasps, it also applies to topics of general interest such as the evolution of cooperation, social parasitism, kin recognition, and the division of labor.

A Systematic Catalogue of Soft-Scale Insects is a synthesis and catalogue of all the information published on eight families of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) worldwide from 1758 to the present. Data is provided on their correct scientific names, common names, synonyms, taxonomy, host plants, distribution, natural enemies, biology, and economic importance.
This book will be a valuable compendium of biological and systematic information for zoologists, entomologists, crop protection specialists, quarantine officers, students studying entomology and related disciplines, and others who require information about scale insects for research and control projects.
Families covered:
* Aclerdidae - 57 species in 5 genera
* Asterolecaniidae - 229 species in 21 genera
* Beesoniidae - 15 species in 6 genera
* Carayonemidae - 4 species in 4 genera
* Conchaspididae - 29 species in 4 genera
* Dactylopiidae - 10 species in 1 genus
* Kerriidae - 97 species in 9 genera
* Lecanodiaspididae - 82 species in 12 genera

Principles of Insect Pathology, a text written from a pathological viewpoint, is intended for graduate-level students and researchers with a limited background in microbiology and in insect diseases. The book explains the importance of insect diseases and illuminates the complexity and diversity of insect-microbe relationships. Separate sections are devoted to the major insect pathogens, their characteristics, and their life cycles the homology that exists among invertebrate, vertebrate, and plant pathogens the humoral and cellular defense systems of the host insect as well as the evasive and suppressive activities of insect disease agents the structure and function of passive barriers the heterogeneity in host susceptibility to insect diseases and associated toxins the mechanisms regulating the spread and persistence of diseases in insects. Principles of Insect Pathology combines the disciplines of microbiology (virology, bacteriology, mycology, protozoology), pathology, and immunology within the context of the insect host, providing a format which is understandable to entomologists, microbiologists, and comparative pathologists.

Insects are great classroom study organisms. They are easy to collect and raise and have a fascinating array of life histories. Because they are small and have tremendous reproductive capacity ecological studies of dispersion, predation, parasitism and reproduction can be studied in compressed timeframes and small areas relative to similar studies of larger organisms. Insects are also important bioindicators of the health of ecosystems. In a small space and with very little cost colonies of insects can be raised in classrooms for use in behavioral and physiological studies. The purpose of this book is to explain how to build and use insect collecting and rearing devices and through explanations of the various techniques stimulate educators to explore the study of insects in their classrooms. Insects are often given little consideration with regard to humane handling practices. Please remember that insects are living creatures and, as such, are entitled to the same treatment as other living creatures. Teachers should remember that students look to them for clues to the proper way of behaving in new situations. When collecting and working in the "field" educators should teach students to respect the environment. Do not collect more organisms than needed, treat all of the organisms you collect with care, and try not to leave signs of your presence in an area by returning rocks, logs, etc. to their original locations. If you must kill animals you've collected, do so quickly and humanely.

Insect physiology is currently undergoing revolutionary changes with the increased application of molecular biological techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological responses to insect cells. Advances in Insect Physiology is committed to publishing high quality reviews on molecular biology and molecular genetics in areas where they provide an increased understanding of physiological processes in insects. Volume 27 of this classic series continues to provide up-to-date reviews on topical subjects of importance to all invertebrate physiologists and neurobiologists and contains increased coverage on the molecular biology of insect physiology.

Following the original initiative of the International Organisation for Biological Control some 15 years ago, research groups and agrochemical companies have been investigating the effects of pesticides on beneficial organisms, devising laboratory and field test methods and lately developing protocols for regulatory testing requirements in Europe. This work, and the application of agreed protocols for testing, is of crucial importance to the environmentally acceptable use of pesticides and to the further development of Integrated Pest Management systems, and the objective of this book is to review the origins and progress of the research - what has been accomplished, what is the current position and what still needs to be done.

Soft Scale Insects is intended to be a further step towards providing comprehensive information on soft scale insects. Four or five decades ago, entomologists embarking on a study on soft scale insects would have encountered a scarcity of general text books or comprehensive treatise of the family, as a starting point for their research. At the time, the available knowledge and data were either scattered among numerous articles or regional monographs or were in obsolete books. It is hoped that this volume will cover almost the entire spectrum of the knowledge on the soft scale insect family, Coccidae. This book comprises six chapters and begins by discussing the natural enemies of soft scale insects, such as pathogens like entomopathogenic fungi; predators like coccineilidae and other coleoptera; and parasitoids like encyrtidae. It then discusses issues of damage and control, including pest status of soft scale insects and coccid pests of important crops. This book will be of interest to entomologists, horticulturists, zoologists, biologists, and those involved in general agricultural research.

Biological Systematics has changed dramatically during the past 60 years from a handicraft or art to an accepted branch of science proper, due to the work of Willi Hennig, who was born in 1913. The scientific method of reconstructing phylogenetic relationships of organisms bases on Hennig's approach, the "Phylogenetic Systematics". The method is now so widely accepted and applied that it can firmly be regarded a paradigm, named 'cladistics'. In contrast, the life and personality of its founder is remarkably little known in the scientific community. The present book offers a detailed biography of Willi Hennig, and traces the roots of his thinking from his schooldays until his death in 1976. Some outstanding academic teachers and friends of his are introduced, too. The book offers an insight into the historical development of a 'scientific revolution', and highlights the life and the work of a 'cautious revolutioniser' in a Germany of dictatorship, war, and separation.

This text presents an up-to-date account of the soft-scale insects, "Coccidae", and covers almost the entire spectrum of the knowledge of this insect family. It is divided into three sections, covering: soft scale insects; their natural enemies; and damage and control.

In the past two decades, an increasing number of ecologists have started to investigate the importance of biodiversity for ecological processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling, often referred to as 'ecosystem functioning'. 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 is the first to summarize 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. In addition to providing concise reviews of the field, this volume discusses in detail the advantages and disadvantages of various techniques of manipulating insect herbivory. Thus, the text provides both a theoretical basis as well as practical advice for future manipulative studies of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning.

The central nervous system (CNS) represents the organ with the highest struc- tural and functional complexity. Accordingly, uncovering the mechanisms leading to cell diversity, patterning and connectivity in the CNS is one ofthe major chal- lenges in developmental biology. The developing CNS of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model system to study these processes. Several principle questions regarding neurogenesis (like stem cell formation, cell fate specification, axonal pathfinding) have been addressedinDrosophilaby focusing on the relatively simply structuredtruncal partsofthe nervous system. However, informationprocess- ing (e. g. , vision, olfaction), behavior, learning and memory require highly special- ized structures, which are located in the brain. Owing to much higher complexity and hidden segmental organisation, our understandingofbrain development is still quite rudimentary. Considerable advances have been made recently in bringing the resolution ofbrain structures to the level ofindividual cells and their lineages, which significantly facilitates investigations into the mechanisms controlling brain development. This book provides an overview of some major facets of recent research on Drosophila brain development. The individual chapters were written by experts in each field. V. Hartenstein et al survey the generic cell types that make up the developing brain and describe themorphogenesisofneural lineages and theirrelation- ship to neuropil compartments in the larval brain. Recent findings on anteroposterior regionalization and on dorsoventral patterning in the embryonic brain are reviewed in the chapters by R. Lichtneckert and H. Reichert and by R. Urbach and G. Technau, respectively. Both processes show striking parallels betweenDrosophila and mouse.

This book is the second in a series designed to facilitate identification of South American insects likely to be encountered in, on, or near water and wetlands. After a general introduction to the study of Ephemeroptera, the mayflies, it provides illustrated keys for the identification of all species in South America that were described by the beginning of 2002. It is the only up-to-date comprehensive work of its kind encompassing the entire South American continent. The many illustrations facilitate identification of a mayfly specimen to species with reasonable certainty if the life stage has been described. If it has not been described, that is also clear from the information in the keys, letting taxonomists know where future studies would be fruitful. The book will be indispensable to all scientists and students investigating the mayflies of South America.
Already published within this encyclopedia:

-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Collembola ISBN: 0-7923-6704-9;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Ephemeroptera ISBN: 1-4020-0775-2;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Plecoptera ISBN: 1-4020-1520-8. Forthcoming book titles:

-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Odonata;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Orthoptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Heteroptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Neuroptera, including Megaloptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Trichoptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Lepidoptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Coleoptera;
-Encyclopedia of South AmericanAquatic Insects: Diptera;
-Encyclopedia of South American Aquatic Insects: Hymenoptera

This volume on insects introduces the hearing research community and entomologists to the extensive but often unfamiliar literature on the ways that insects detect and process sounds. Each of the chapters is written by a leading expert in the field, and together they comprise the first comprehensive treatment of insect hearing. Starting with a discussion of insect taxonomy and an overview of the insects that are known to hear and use sound in communication, Comparative Hearing: Insects goes on to provide reviews of the behavior, physiology, mechanics and biophysics of insect hearing. All of the chapters are conceptual, providing not only an appreciation of insect hearing but also discussion of major questions for the future. This volume gives the reader considerable insight into insect hearing as well as applications to other animal models.

Many mites possess extremely intricate life styles in close association with plant and animal hosts. Their polymorphism has made classification a challenge, and their ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually has made efforts to control their populations difficult. This, however, has given rise to theories to explain the origin and function of sexual reproduction in general. In numbers of species and geographic distribution, mites may even surpass the insects. In soils, they are a major component in the system for cycling nutrients. Unlike insects, they have invaded the marine environment. These and a number of other topics are explored in Mites. Because of their extremely small size, mites have been ignored during the development of major evolutionary and ecological theories. Yet mites routinely violate fundamental concepts such as heterochrony, sexual selection, the evolution of sex ratio, and ontogeny. Recent research methodologies have made it practical for the first time to perform experimental work with mites, and since they offer short generation times and rapid research results, they are excellent model systems. Mites announces these results and should appeal to professionals in entomology, acarology, ecology, population genetics, and evolutionary biology.