A global synthesis of the impacts of wildfires and controlled burning on insects, bringing together much hitherto scattered information to provide a guide to improved conservation management practice. The great variety of responses by insect species and assemblages demonstrates the often subtle balance between fire being a severe threat and a vital management component. Examples from many parts of the world and from diverse biotopes and production systems display the increasingly detailed appreciation of fire impacts on insects in terrestrial and freshwater environments and the ways in which prescribed burning may be tailored to reduce harmful ecological impacts and incorporated into protocols for threatened species and wider insect conservation benefits.

The use of synthetic pesticides has undoubtedly resulted in the achievement of increased crop production. However, in recent times, there has been a considerable pressure on consumers and farmers to reduce or eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides in horticulture, since fruits and vegetables are consumed afresh. This concern has encouraged looking for better alternatives which are cheaper and eco-friendly than synthetic pesticides. It is well known that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in maintaining crop and soil health through versatile mechanisms. There are two main outcomes or effects from beneficial microorganisms: enhanced plant growth and crop protection, both of which represent the two main constraints to agriculture. The information on biomanagement of pests (insect and nematode pests, fungal, bacterial and viral/phytoplasma diseases) of horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables, plantation, spice, tuber, ornamental, medicinal and aromatic crops) using PGPR is very much scattered. There is no book at present which comprehensively and exclusively deals with the above aspects on horticultural crops. The present book deals with biomanagement of pests in horticultural crops in detail using PGPR. The present book deals with biomanagement of pests in horticultural crops in detail using PGPR. The present book is divided into six sections. The first section deals with the importance of PGPR including introduction, potential role of PGPR in agriculture, genera of PGPR, disease management, nematode management, insect pest management, integrated pest management, mechanism of biocontrol, mass production, formulation, delivery and commercialization. Pest management in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate fruit crops is dealt in Section II. The third section deals with pest management in Solanaceous, bulbous, Malvaceous, Cruciferous, Leguminous, Cucurbitaceous, leafy and root and tuber vegetable crops. Pest management in plantation and spice crops is in Section IV. Section V deals with pest management in ornamental, medicinal and aromatic crops. The last section deals with a road map ahead including challenges, future prospective and conclusions. The book is extensively illustrated with excellent quality photographs enhancing the quality of publication. The book is written in lucid style, easy to understand language along with adoptable recommendations involving eco-friendly components of IPM.

Written in easy to follow language, the book presents cutting-edge agriculturally relevant plant biotechnologies and applications in a manner that is accessible to all. This book introduces the scope and method of plant biotechnologies and molecular breeding within the context of environmental analysis and assessment, a diminishing supply of productive arable land, scarce water resources and climate change. Authors who have studied how agro ecosystems have changed during the first decade and a half of commercial deployment review effects and stress needs that must be considered to make these tools sustainable.

Through ‘Green Revolution’ in late 1960s, India achieved self-sufficiency in food production, but still the country has not achieved self-sufficiency in production of horticultural crops. Most of the growth in food production during the green revolution period is attributed to the use of higher levels of fertilizers and pesticides which are continuing to destroy stable traditional ecosystems. The challenge before the crop protection scientist is to increase yields from the existing land without harming the environment and resource base. This can be achieved by adopting eco-friendly Biointensive Integrated Pest Management (BIPM) strategy. BIPM incorporates ecological and economic factors into agricultural system design and decision making, and addresses public concerns about environmental quality and food safety. The benefits of implementing BIPM can include reduced chemical input costs, reduced on-farm and off-farm environmental impacts, and more effective and sustainable pest management. An ecology-based IPM has the potential of decreasing inputs of fuel, machinery, and synthetic chemicals-all of which are energy intensive and increasingly costly in terms of financial and environmental impact. Such reductions will benefit the grower and society. The present book deals with the most recent biointensive integrated approaches for pest management utilizing components such as bioagents [predators, parasitoids and pathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses)], botanicals (biofumigation, oil cakes, FYM, compost, crop residues, green manuring and other organic amendments), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, physical methods (hot water treatment of planting material, soil solarization), cultural methods (crop rotation, summer ploughing, fallowing, intercropping, pruning, mulching, spacing, planting date, trap cropping, etc.), biorational chemicals (pheromones) and resistant cultivars. This book can serve as a useful reference to policy makers, research and extension workers, practicing farmers and students. The material can also be used for teaching post-graduate courses.

This work, a sequel to Honeybees and Wax published nearly 30 years ago, starts with a brief introduction and discussion of nesting sites, their spaces and densities, self-organization of nest contents, and interspecific utilization of beeswax. The following chapters cover communication by vibrations and scents and wax secretion, and discuss the queen in relation to the combs. Discussions on completed nests include the significance of brood, the roles of pollen and nectar flow, and comb-building, and are followed by a triad of related chapters on the construction of cells and combs and their energetic costs. An in-depth examination of the conversion of wax scales into combs, the material properties of scale and comb waxes, and the wax gland complex are presented. The next chapters are devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the literature on the chemistry and synthesis of beeswax, and, finally, the material properties of honeybee silk are highlighted.

Horseshoe crabs, those mysterious ancient mariners, lured me into the sea as a child along the beaches of New Jersey. Drawn to their shiny domed shells and spiked tails, I could not resist picking them up, turning them over and watching the wondrous mechanical movement of their glistening legs, articulating with one another as smoothly as the inner working of a clock. What was it like to be a horseshoe crab, I wondered? What did they eat? Did they always move around together? Why were some so large and others much smaller? How old were they, anyway? What must it feel like to live underwater? What else was out there, down there, in the cool, green depths that gave rise to such intriguing creatures? The only way to find out, I reasoned, would be to go into the ocean and see for myself, and so I did, and more than 60 years later, I still do.

Entomology as a science of inter-depended branches like molecular entomology, insect biotechnology, has made rapid progress. This also implies that there is an urgent need to manage the available resources. In the past five decades, entomology has taken giant steps ahead. The aim of this work is to integrate perspectives across molecular and biochemistry, physiology, reproduction, developmental biology, molecular evolution, genetics and RNAi applications. This century is proclaimed as the Era of Biotechnology and it consists of all types of Mol-Bio-Gen applications, which is an essential component for a thorough understanding of the insect biology. The aim of this work is to provide the comprehensive review of recent research from various geographic areas around the world and contributing authors that are recognized experts in their respective field of Genomic entomology. This Volume emphasizes upon the need for and relevance of studying molecular aspects of entomology in Universities, Agricultural Universities and other centers of molecular research. It will also serve as a landmark source for Insect advance science technology.

This volume provides a comprehensive selection of recent studies addressing insect hearing and acoustic communication. The variety of signalling behaviours and hearing organs makes insects highly suitable animals for exploring and analysing signal generation and hearing in the context of neural processing, ecology, evolution and genetics. Across a variety of hearing species like moths, crickets, bush-crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas and flies, the leading researchers in the field cover recent scientific progress and address key points in current research, such as: - How can we approach the evolution of hearing in insects and what is the developmental and neural origin of the auditory organs? - How are hearing and sound production embedded in the natural lifestyle of the animals, allowing intraspecific communication but also predator avoidance and even predation? - What are the functional properties of hearing organs and how are they achieved at the molecular, biophysical and neural levels? - What are the neural mechanisms of central auditory processing and signal generation? The book is intended for students and researchers both inside and outside of the fascinating field of bioacoustics and aims to foster understanding of hearing and acoustic communication in insects.

Biology of Ticks is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseases. This second edition is a multi-authored work, featuring the research and analyses of renowned experts across the globe. Spanning two volumes, the book examines the systematics, biology, structure, ecological adaptations, evolution, genomics and the molecular processes that underpin the growth, development and survival of these important disease-transmitting parasites. Also discussed is the remarkable array of diseases transmitted (or caused) by ticks, as well as modern methods for their control. This book should serve as a modern reference for students, scientists, physicians, veterinarians and other specialists. Volume I covers the biology of the tick and features chapters on tick systematics, tick life cycles, external and internal anatomy, and others dedicated to specific organ systems, specifically, the tick integument, mouthparts and digestive system, salivary glands, waste removal, salivary glands, respiratory system, circulatory system and hemolymph, fat body, the nervous and sensory systems and reproductive systems. Volume II includes chapters on the ecology of non-nidicolous and nidicolous ticks, genetics and genomics (including the genome of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis) and immunity, including host immune responses to tick feeding and tick-host interactions, as well as the tick's innate immune system that prevents and/or controls microbial infections. Six chapters cover in depth the many diseases caused by the major tick-borne pathogens, including tick-borne protozoa, viruses, rickettsiae of all types, other types of bacteria (e.g., the Lyme disease agent) and diseases related to tick paralytic agents and toxins. The remaining chapters are devoted to tick control using vaccines, acaricides, repellents, biocontrol, and, finally, techniques for breeding ticks in order to develop tick colonies for scientific study.

About 95 per cent of all known animal species are invertebrates. A knowledge of their sexual, reproductive, and developmental biology is essential for the effective management of species that are economically useful to man or are harmful to him, his crops, and livestock. This treatise is the first to cover all aspects of reproduction and development of the entire spectrum of invertebrates -- terrestrial, marine, freshwater, brackish-water, free-living, and parasitic. The chapters, by leading world experts in their fields, are up-to-date and informative, and suggest a number of problems for future research. Asexual Propagation and Reproductive Strategies, issued in two parts, is the sixth volume in the series. Part A: Porifera through Mollusca Contents Series Preface; Preface to Volume VI; Systematic Resume of the Invertebrates; Porifera, Paul E. Fell; Cnidaria, Stanley Shostak; Platyhelminthes-Turbellaria, Mario Benazzi and Giuseppina Benazzi Lentati; Platyhelminthes-Trematoda, Roy M. Anderson; Platyhelminthes-Eucestoda, Larry S. Roberts and C. R. Kennedy; Mesozoa, Bayard H. McConnaughey; Rotifera, John J. Gilbert; Gastrotricha, M. R. Hummon and W. D. Hummon; Acanthocephala, C. R. Kennedy; Sipuncula, Mary E. Rice and John F. Pilger, Mollusca, N. W. Runham; Species Index; Subject Index. Part B: Annelida-Clitellata through Cephalochordata Contents Series Preface; Preface to Volume VI; Systematic Resume of the Invertebrates; Annelida-Clitellata, B. Christensen; Tardigrada, Roberto Bertolani; Arthropoda-Crustacea, T. J. Pandian; Arthropoda-lnsecta, J. Muthukrishnan; Pentastomida, J. Riley; Bryozoa Entoprocta, C. Nielsen; Brachiopoda, S. H. Chuang; Chaetognatha, A. Alvarino; Echinodermata: Asexual Propagation, Philip V. Mladenov and R. D. Burke; Hemichordata, J. A. Petersen; Cephalochordata, Jaypaul Azariah; Species Index; Subject Index.

Not so long ago, karyology was considered a vanguard biological discipline, which could solve nearly all problems of systematics and phylogenetics. We liked to believe in the bright future, in a magician who will appear like a Jack-in-the-box and reveal the truth to us. However, excessive hopes related to the chromosomal study came true only in part. In the meantime, new candidates claimed the place of the magician, i. e. phenetics succeeded by cladistics and now by molecular methods in systematics and phylogeny. Nevertheless, it becomes progressively more ob- ous nowadays that cladistics is just a bright envelope for the fairly primitive and theoretically vulnerable approach that deprives living organisms and their groups of the traces of integrity and reduces them to the plain sum of characters. Modern molecular techniques look more perceptive and may yield more reliable results, although the details are sometimes embarrassing, and comparison with the fossil record does not necessarily reveal their superiority over cladistics. These methods are accessible by research teams with massive funding and good equipment and this strongly decreases the range and diversity of the material studied. However, classi?cations are often created by individual systematists with the restricted access to molecular methods. In this context, karyological techniques are in the preferable position, although they certainly do not provide direct and immaculate markers of taxonomic and p- logenetic relationships: chromosomal study is a morphological method with all its advantages and drawbacks.

The book discusses planthopper pests of rice. These insects are one of the most destructive pests, threatening food security around the world. The historical development of the rice planthopper problem shows that they are secondary pests and single-discipline control tactics or strategies were not able to manage them, and instead caused frequent resurgences. This book not only presents new approaches to this persistent problem, but also new ecological methods, new perspectives on the effect of pesticide marketing, insights into developing resistant varieties and structural reforms in pest management. Integrating biological, ecological, economic and sociological aspects, it clearly presents the latest information on newly developed strategies for managing this pest. Dr. K. L. Heong is the principal scientist and insect ecologist at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. He has been researching rice planthoppers for more than 30 years. Dr. Heong is a fellow of the Third World Academy of Science and the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia. Professor Jia-an Cheng is an insect ecologist who has been studying rice planthoppers for about 50 years. He is a professor at Zhejiang University, China. Professor M.M. Escalada works at Visayas State University.

'Brilliant, Fantastic and Significant' - Dr George McGavin Ants are seemingly everywhere, and this familiarity has led to some contemptuous and less than helpful stereotypes. In this compelling insight into the natural and cultural history of ants, Richard Jones helps to unravel some of the myths and misunderstanding surrounding their remarkable behaviours. Ant aggregations in large (often mind-bogglingly huge) nests are a complex mix of genetics, chemistry, geography and higher social interaction. Their forage trails - usually to aphid colonies but occasionally into the larder - are maintained by a wondrous alchemy of molecular scents and markers. Their social colony structure confused natural philosophers of old and still taxes the modern biologist today. Beginning the book with a straightforward look at ant morphology, Jones then explores the ant species found in the British Isles and parts of nearby mainland Europe, their foraging, nesting, navigating and battle instincts, how ants interact with the landscape, their evolution, and their place in our understanding of how life on earth works. Alongside this, he explores the complex relationship between humans and ants, and how ants went from being the subject of fables and moral storytelling to become popular research tools. Drawing on up-to-date science and featuring striking colour photographs throughout, this book presents a convincing case for why ants are worth our greater recognition and respect.

This book has been designed to summarize current, essential information for every one of the world's 700+ hard tick species. Under each species name, we will cite the original description, followed by information on type depositories, known stages, distribution (by zoogeographic region and ecoregion), hosts, and human infestation (if any). Each species account will also include a list of salient references and, where necessary, remarks on systematic status. We envision eight chapters: six devoted to the major ixodid tick genera (Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes, Rhipicephalus), one covering eight minor genera (including two that are fossil), and a concluding summary chapter. There will be two tables on host associations and zoogeography in each major genus chapter, as well as five tables in the summary chapter, for a total of 17 tables. No similar synopsis of the world's hard tick species exists in any language.

The German cockroach is considered to be the most significant insect pest of homes in many countries of the world. This book provides updated information about the biology and behaviour of this pest including taxonomy and distribution, morphology, and genetics. Effective strategies and the use of technology to control the pest are considered. There are more than 1,200 cited references which make this a comprehensive reference book.

For the first time in limnofaunistic bibliography, the present taxonomic knowledge about the different clades of chelicerata having adapted to an aquatic or amphibious lifestyle along various evolutionary pathways is brought together in an overview for the Central-European fauna. A total number of 746 taxa is covered, over 99 % of these at species level. In Volume 7/2-1 altogether 211 species are treated - 70 species of spiders, 7 species of Astigmata (3 of which to be identified only at family, genus, resp. species group level), 17 species of Oribatida, 27 species and one subspecies of Halacaridae, 45 species of terrestrial Parasitengona (4 of which to be identified only at genus level) and 45 species of Hydrachnidia (4 Stygothrombioidea, 3 Hydrovolzioidea, 16 Hydrachnoidea and 22 Eylaoidea). Volume 7/2-2 deals with 179 species of Hydrachnidia (58 Hydryphantoidea and 121 Lebertioidea). This third volume (Volume 7/2-3) includes taxonomic keys and ecological information for 355 species of the two highly diverse Hydrachnidia superfamilies Hygrobatoidea (241 species and one subspecies) and Arrenuroidea (113 species). The chelicerata volumes of this series are a basic tool for all limnologists interested in diversity and ecology - in particular for biologists investigating the ecotones between ground and surface water, between bottom substrata and open water, and between water and land.

The stingless bees are one of the most diverse, attractive, fascinating, conspicuous and useful of all the insect groups of the tropical world. This is a formidable and contentious claim but I believe it can be backed up. They are fifty times more species rich than the honey bees, the other tribe of highly eusocial bees. They are ubiquitous in the tropics and thrive in tropical cities. In rural areas, they nest in a diversity of sites and are found on the flowers of a broad diversity of crop plants. Their role in natural systems is barely studied but they almost certainly deserve that hallowed title of keystone species. They are popular with the general public and are greatly appreciated in zoos and gardens. The chapters of this book provide abundant further evidence of the ecological and economic importance of stingless bees.

This book introduces readers to classical population genetics and the ways in which it can be applied to practical problems, including testing for natural selection, genetic drift, genetic differentiation, population structuring, gene flow and linkage disequilibrium. It provides a comprehensive monograph on the topic, addressing the theory, applications and evolutionary deductions, which are clearly explained using experimental results. It also offers separate chapters on origin, establishment and spread of chromosomal aberrations in populations along with details of culturing, maintaining and using Drosophila ananassae (genetically unique and the most commonly used species along with D. melanogaster) for genetic research. Encompassing topics like genetics, evolution, Drosophila genetics, population genetics, population structuring, natural selection and genetic drift in considerable detail, it provides a valuable resource to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as researchers at all level. This book explores some fundamental questions concerning the role of natural selection and genetic drift on the degree of inversion polymorphism. India, with its wide diversity in geo-climatic conditions, provides an excellent platform to conduct such studies. The book showcases sampling records of inversion frequencies in natural Indian populations of D. ananassae that cover more than two decades. It highlights case studies in which sampling data on inversion frequencies was combined with that from earlier surveys, generating a time series that allows the evolutionary dynamics of inversion polymorphism to be explored. Such long time series are rare but nonetheless crucial for studying the evolutionary dynamics of inversion polymorphism. The population-genetic analysis discussed is unprecedented in terms of its temporal (two decades) and spatial (most regions of India covered) scale and investigates the patterns of polymorphic system in D. ananassae to see if there is any temporal divergence. It endeavors to present a holistic picture of inversion polymorphism across the country (India). Chromosomal aberrations, particularly paracentric inversions, are used as a tool for discussing population genetic studies, helping human geneticists, gynecologists and other medical professionals understand why some aberrations are fatal in humans, with affected embryos often not surviving the first trimester of pregnancy, while similar aberrations in Drosophila flies aid in their adaptation to the environmental heterogeneity across the globe.

This book is a snapshot of the current state of the art of research and development on the properties and characteristics of silk and their use in medicine and industry. The field encompasses backyard silk production from ancient time to industrial methods in the modern era and includes an example of efforts to maintain silk production on Madagascar. Once revered as worth its weight in gold, silk has captured the imagination from its mythical origins onwards. The latest methods in molecular biology have opened new descriptions of the underlying properties of silk. Advances in technological innovation have created silk production by microbes as the latest breakthrough in the saga of silk research and development. The application of silk to biomaterials is now very active on the basis of excellent properties of silks including recombinant silks for biomaterials and the accumulated structural information.

More than 40,000 species of mites have been described, and up to 1 million may exist on earth. These tiny arachnids play many ecological roles including acting as vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. But despite the grand diversity of mites, even trained biologists are often unaware of their significance. Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (2nd edition) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, mites and human disease, and mites as models for ecological and evolutionary theories.

The theme of the book is highly relevant to the current emphasis on environment conservation, with focus on native biodiversity conservation in agro-ecosystems. The current impetus being given to organic farming and export oriented agri-hortculture in the country calls for access to relevant scientific knowledge base among the stakeholders. Research on biological pest control is more than a century old in India. Egg parasitoids, which are mainly tiny wasps, led by the family Trichogrammatidae, are the most widely utilized natural enemies for biological control globally. Over thirty countries are using these bioagents to protect over 10 million hectares of agricultural and forestry crops from many important insect pests. The book comprises 18 chapters, which are arranged in continuum, commencing with basic aspects of knowledge and ending in their utilization targets. The chapters cover broadly four areas: bio-diversity and natural occurrence of egg parasitoids, behaviour and adaptation of egg parasitoids, mass production and safe use of egg parasitoids and utilisation of egg parasitoids in different crop ecosystems. Some of the chapters cater to the needs of discipline-wise update on the current R&D scenario-like insect taxonomy, biotechnology, mass-production and quality control of the target organisms - egg-parasitoids, which are useful for laboratory scientists/researchers. There are also chapters devoted to knowledge status and scope for utilization of egg parasitoids in different target crops, which cater to requirements of field entomologists and extensionists for use in their tasks of guiding farmers/local guides. The book is different in approach, method, structure and content and ensures holistic coverage of the topic. The chapters are written by active and experienced workers in different crops and aspects and co-edited by four very experienced experts who have over three decades R&D experience in the subject. All the authors have uniformly focussed on comprehensive literature study and critical identification of knowledge gaps for future R&D, thus the book is novel in outlook, up-to-date in content and comprehensive in coverage of themes. This book will be useful for supplementary reading for MSc Agriculture and PhD Agriculture students, besides MSc/PhD research students in Zoology/Environmental Biology, who are specialising in Entomology. It would also serve as a very useful reference book for researchers worldwide, though focus is also there on Indian work. It addresses the special information needs of students and faculty, besides practitioners and extensionists in the Australasia and Africa regions and thus not limited to the R&D knowledge generated in developed countries.

Recent research has focused attention on the importance of intrinsic antiviral immunity, i.e. immunity mediated by factors that are constitutively expressed in many cells. In this volume, leading experts provide a comprehensive overview of this relatively new and rapidly evolving field. They cover intrinsic proteinaceous antiviral immune effectors, such as the APOBEC3 and TRIM protein families as well as Tetherin and SAMHD1, which were initially discovered by researchers studying HIV-1. Furthermore, the role of RNA interference in antiviral defense in plants and invertebrates, as well as the interplay between microRNAs and viruses in mammalian cells, are analysed. One chapter discusses how intrinsic immunity and viral countermeasures to intrinsic immune effectors drive both pathogen and host evolution, and finally the emerging evidence that DNA damage response proteins restrict infection by DNA viruses is highlighted.

This book represents the culmination of the author's lifetime work on a single fascinating group of insects, the hover wasps, Stenogastrinae. The author explores the biology of these little-known wasps at the threshold of sociality, presenting an ambitious survey of ideas about their evolution and an assessment of the current standing of controversial concepts. Following taxonomic and morphological descriptions, the behaviour, colonial dynamics, social communication and especially the remarkably diverse nests of wasps are discussed. Compared to the better-known species of paper wasps, hornets and yellow jackets, the hover wasps show various peculiarities, such as characteristics of immature brood rearing, nest defence and mating systems. The nest architecture probably presents the most variable solutions in social wasps and is characterized by an astonishing level of camouflage, making these insects an interesting example of special adaptation to forest environments.

Machine learning is concerned with the analysis of large data and multiple variables. However, it is also often more sensitive than traditional statistical methods to analyze small data. The first volume reviewed subjects like optimal scaling, neural networks, factor analysis, partial least squares, discriminant analysis, canonical analysis, and fuzzy modeling. This second volume includes various clustering models, support vector machines, Bayesian networks, discrete wavelet analysis, genetic programming, association rule learning, anomaly detection, correspondence analysis, and other subjects. Both the theoretical bases and the step by step analyses are described for the benefit of non-mathematical readers. Each chapter can be studied without the need to consult other chapters. Traditional statistical tests are, sometimes, priors to machine learning methods, and they are also, sometimes, used as contrast tests. To those wishing to obtain more knowledge of them, we recommend to additionally study (1) Statistics Applied to Clinical Studies 5th Edition 2012, (2) SPSS for Starters Part One and Two 2012, and (3) Statistical Analysis of Clinical Data on a Pocket Calculator Part One and Two 2012, written by the same authors, and edited by Springer, New York.

"Novel Aspects of Insect - Plant Interactions" is edited by Pedro Barbosa and Deborah Letourneau. This volume represents the forefront of two rapidly advancing areas of ecology: three-trophic-level interactions and the interdisciplinary field of chemical ecology. The book focuses on the role of microorganisms as mediators of interactions between insects and plants, providing critical appraisal of studies and suggesting ways to integrate competing hypotheses of insect-plant dynamics. 1988 (0471832766) 362 pp. "Arthropod Biological Control Agents and Pesticides" is written by Brian A. Croft. Examining the effects of pesticides on predators and parasites and exploring methods for reducing negative impacts of pesticide use, this book focuses on the interaction of pesticides with entomophagous arthropods. It surveys the history of research in the field and discusses susceptibility assessment, lethal, sublethal, and ecological effects of pesticides, and selectivity, resistance, and resistance management. 1990 (0471819751) 723 pp. "Lepidopteran Anatomy", is written by John Eaton. This single-source treatment on the anatomy of Lepidoptera provides a detailed exposition of its anatomy plus all its life stages, including the larva and adult forms of the exoskeleton, musculature, organ systems, and specialized structures. As the only thorough examination of the morphology of this insect group, it is an essential acquisition for entomologists, morphologists, and insect physiologists. 1988 (1058629) 257 pp. "Integrated Pest Management Systems and Cotton Production" is edited by Ray Frisbie, Kamal El-Zik, and L. Ted Wilson. The most complete and authoritative work available on the subject, this book brings together information on integrated pest management strategies that are applicable to cotton. It addresses economic, agronomic, and biological factors of pest management and focuses on plant resistance to pests and the genetic rationale for improving plant health. 1989 (0471817821) 437 pp.