Insect and disease issues are often specific to the Mediterranean forest systems rather than shared with the temperate forests. In addition to the specific native insects and diseases, the forests are subject to the invasion of exotic species. The forests are also at risk from high degrees of human activity, including changing patterns of forest fires, land management activities, intensive plantation forestry using introduced timber species from other Mediterranean climate zones, and atmospheric deposition. Combined with elements of global climate change that may disproportionately affect Mediterranean climate systems, this creates a number of significant management issues that are unique to the Mediterranean forests. It is our goal that the information contained in this volume will contribute to understanding the unique aspects of Mediterranean forest systems and to protecting these critical resources.

Fourteen informative papers dealing with their DNA, species interactions, adventiveness, host specificity, potential as boi-contol agents of weeds, chemical control, behaviour, their role in fungal pathogen epidemiology, influence in forests and on ornamentals, collecting and mounting techniques and their interaction with crops are presented here. This is an extensive and valuable contribution to eriophyoid science and a must for present and future researchers in this field.

This book will help beekeepers understand the fundamentals of beekeeping science. Written in plain and accessible language by actual researchers, it should be part of every beekeeper's library. The respective chapters not only present raw data; they also explain how to read and understand the most common figures. With topics ranging from honeybee nutrition to strains of Varroa resistant bees, from the effects of pesticide chemicals to understanding diseases, and including a discussion of venom allergies, the book provides essential "knowhow" that beekeepers will benefit from every time they inspect their hives. Further, each chapter ends with the author explaining how beekeepers can (or cannot) directly utilize the information to enhance their beekeeping operation. The text is structured to facilitate ease of use, with each author addressing the same four issues: 1) What are the specific purposes or goals of these experiments? Or more simply: what have these studies taught us? 2) How should a non-scientist read the data generated? 3) What are the key points in relation to practicing beekeepers' goals? 4) How can the data or techniques discussed be applied by beekeepers in their own apiaries? This approach allows readers to look up specific information quickly, understand it and even put it to use without having to read entire chapters. Further, the chapters are highly readable and concise. As such, the book offers a valuable guide and faithful companion for all beekeepers, one they can use day in and day out.

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

"Cephalopod Culture "is the first compilation of research on the culture of cephalopods. It describes experiences of culturing different groups of cephalopods: nautiluses, sepioids ("Sepia officinalis," "Sepia pharaonis," "Sepiella"" inermis," "Sepiella japonica"" Euprymna hyllebergi," "Euprymna tasmanica"), squids ("Loligo" "vulgaris," "Doryteuthis opalescens," " Sepioteuthis"" lessoniana") and octopods ("Amphioctopus aegina," "Enteroctopus megalocyathus," "Octopus maya," "Octopus"" mimus," "Octopus minor," "Octopus vulgaris," "Robsonella fontaniana"). It also includes the main conclusions which have been drawn from the research and the future challenges in this field. This makes this book not only an ideal introduction to cephalopod culture, but also a valuable resource for those already involved in this topic.

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.

This book provides updated and comprehensive information on the effective functioning of earthworms used alone or in combination with other biological systems/microbes, as well as factors affecting the process and performance of vermiremediation under a range of conditions. It also compares earthworm assisted vermifiltration with other conventional biochemical methods. Presenting cutting-edge research on the earthworm assisted remediation of industrial and municipal effluents and sludges, along with its role in solid waste management (SWM), the book will benefit readers from the research community and industrial sector alike, familiarizing them with the latest remediation techniques for wastewater and different types of solid waste.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennedius) has distinguished itself from the more than 1,000 whitefly species in the world by its adaptability, persistence and potential to damage a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops in all six of the world s inhabited continents. B. tabaci inflicts plant damage through direct feeding, inducement of plant disorders, vectoring of plant viruses and excretion of honeydew. This book collates multiple aspects of the pest ranging from basic to applied science and molecular to landscape levels of investigation. Experts in multiple disciplines provide broad, but detailed summaries and discussion of taxonomy, genetics, anatomy, morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, symbiotic relationships, virus vector associations and various tactics for integrated management of this pest insect. The book is focused primarily on progress during the last 10-15 years and is directed at workers in the field as well as the informed professional who may not necessarily specialize in whitefly research. The book is unique in providing broad coverage in relatively few chapters by recognized experts that highlight the state-of-the-art in our understanding of this fascinating but troublesome cosmopolitan pest."

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.

Sea anemones are among the most ancient of living metazoans. Long a paradigm of the "elementary nervous system" and constructional simplicity, sea anemones have been favourite experimental subjects in behavioural neurophysiology and in biomechanics. Their unique nematocyst toxins are used to study the sodium and calcium channels in excitable membranes, and their agonistic interactions provide insights into the evolution of allororecognition systems. Incorporation of algal endosymbionts by some of these animals combines in a single unit both primary producer and consumer, and provides a tight recycling of scarce nutrients between host and symbiont. Many species include vegetative proliferation or parthogenesis in their life cycle and are important organisms in the study of the evolutionary potential and adaptive demography of co-ordinated clonal growth and bisexual reproductive strategies. The ability of clonal anemones to recognize members of different clones upon contact provides insight into the evolution of immune systems. This book provides an introduction and synthesis of the biology of sea anemones. The text is cross-referenced and integrated, and together with a bibliography, should be valuable to those interested in the physiology, ecology, biochemistry, behaviour, population biology and evolution of this group of marine invertebrates. This book should be of interest to marine biologists, ecologists and zoologists with a general interest in themes such as symbiosis and life cycles.

The present volume deals with the most fascinating aspects of sensory performance studied in insects, crustaceans and spiders. Arthropods inhabit practically every conceivable ecological niche, and are perfectly adapted to cope with the constraints of their natural habitats. They move on the ground, in water, and in the air. They use visual, olfactory, acoustical, vibratory, and tactile cues for orientation, to recognize and pinpoint their target, their home place, a feeding site, a prey, or a potential mate. Many arthropods use celestial (skylight) and terrestrial (magnetic) compass cues for orientation, and some of them were shown to develop, through experience, oriented behaviours based on a variety of innate, hard-wired orientation mechanisms. In many cases, aspects of behaviour that are involved in orientation cannot be separated from inter- and intraspecific communication. The book brings to the fore the role of communication not only in social and sexual behaviours, but also in the context of oriented locomotion. Top, internationally renowned scientists have contributed to this volume and have succeeded in presenting a book full of highlights which will be of great interest to workers in this field of research. With contributions by F. G. Barth; D. von Helverson, K.-E. Kaissling, W. Kirchner, M. Walker, M. Weissburg, R. Campan, T. Collett, J. Zeil, K. Kirschfeld, R. Wehner, M. Srinivasan, M. Lehrer, R. Gadagkar.

Diapause is an event of great ecological significance in the lives of a wide range of invertebrates. The underlying physiological and genetic mechanisms pose many intriguing questions and have important evolutionary implications. Some of the most dramatic examples of diapause are provided by crustaceans. Most branchiopods produce resting eggs that can withstand intense desiccation and extremes of temperature and pressure far beyond those to which they are ever subjected in nature. Furthermore they can remain in a dry condition, displaying no measurable metabolism, for many years. Such abilities enable them to inhabit infrequently-filled pools in arid regions. When the pools fill with water these dormant eggs hatch and give rise to animals that grow quickly to maturity and produce a new generation of resting eggs. There is every reason to believe that primitive branchiopods have employed diapause in this way since Palaeozoic times and that their abilities in this direction have played a key role in their continued success as freshwater animals.

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.

Limulus in the Limelight: A Species 350 Million Years in the Making and in Peril? contains 14 chapters covering the horseshoe crab's biology, ecology and evolutionary development. The book is a result of three mini-conferences held between 1996 and 2000 celebrating the populations in NY harbor. This book exposes the impacts of over fishing on this species; clarifies the future research agenda for the species worldwide and emphasizes the need for conservation of this fascinating creature's estuaries/ocean habitats. Biologists, ecologists, science educators, and conservationists will welcome this book because it is aimed at the preservation of Limulus, not only for its pharmacological interest but for the mystery related to its longevity. Limulus is a unique animal which has provided numerous uses for man over the years, from fertilizer to bait to medical research. However, if this species is not protected soon, it will be lost for the future.

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."

Mir S. Mulla joined the faculty of the Entomology Department at the University of California, Riverside in 1956, only two years after the Riverside campus was established as an independent campus within the University of California system. Prior to his appointment, Mir received his B.S. from Cornell University and then moved to the University of California, Berkeley to pursue his graduate studies. His Ph.D. from Berkeley, awarded in 1955, completed his formal American education which was the purpose of his immigration from his native Kandahar in Afghanistan. In his over 50 years at Riverside, Mir has made an incalculable impact on vector biology both within the United States and in developing countries throughout the world. Within Southern California, Mir's basic and applied research led to the rapid and sustainable control of mosquitoes and eye gnats in the Coachella Valley and so directly enabled this region to grow to the thriving, large community it is today. In 2006 his efforts in facilitating the development of the low desert of southern California were recognized through the dedication of the Mir S. Mulla Biological Control Facility by the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. His success has been so profound that it remains somewhat cryptic to the many who now reside in, visit, and enjoy, this region of California, oblivious to the insect problems that severely restrained development until Mir and his students ?rst applied their expertise many decades ago.

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 Proceedings of the Seventh International Rotifer Symposium, Rotifera VII, spans subjects from community ecology through biochemistry, from the most basic science through the most clearly applied technology. Some papers report exceptional progress in our knowledge of rotifer anatomy and biochemistry, as well as rotifer molecular biology, evolution and life histories. The book also contains an interesting article describing a hundred years of Polish contributions to rotiferology as well as papers discussing both general patterns of rotifer biogeography and rotifer distribution in different habitats, together with many aspects of the ecology of rotifer species, populations and communities. Audience: This update on rotifer taxonomy, biology and ecology will be of great interest to zoologists, especially hydrobiologists studying the structure and function of freshwater zooplankton.

The widely distributed American Lobster, Homarus americanus, which inhabits coastal waters from Canada to the Carolinas, is an important keystone species. A valuable source of income, its abundance or rarity often reflects the health of ecosystems occupied by these crustaceans. This comprehensive reference brings together all that is known of these fascinating animals. It will appeal to biologists, zoologists, aquaculturalists, fishery biologists, and researchers working with other lobster species, as well as neurobiologists looking for more information on the model system they so often use.
Key Features
* First comprehensive book on the American lobster since Herrick's century-old monograph
* Provides crucial background for neurobiologists who use this crustacean as a model organism
* Contains a comprehensive treatment of the lobster fishery and its management

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.