Parasitoid Community Ecology

Oxford

1994

516 S.

Abgeschriebene Publikation

16505

169036

PRIORTO READINC the book, Parasitoid Community Ecology, edited by Bradford Hawkins and William Sheehan, I would have considered the word community to be a modifier of the 2 important words in the title parasitoid and ecology. This is certainly an indication of personal ignorance, but I'd venture that there are many entomologists who are unfamiliar with parasitoids at the level of complexity discussed in this book. The book contains an ambitious and wide-ranging discussion of the current paradigms and problems in parasitoid community ecology. As such, it illustrates the links (and gaps) that exist between studies of parasitoids and some major issues in biology.The study of parasitoid communities has direct relevance to general ecological theory and to the applied practice of biological control. Yet, despite the existence of a large and active international research community involved in the study of parasitoids, until now no books devoted to the theme of parasitoid community ecology have been available. Here, with a healthy mix of general discussions and specific examples such as tortricids and weevils, the authors constructively review and evaluate our understanding of these often very complex systems. The book emphasizes basic science, linking the discussion to wider areas such as population dynamics, food webs, competition, and community structure. The more applied end of the subject is covered in a section exclusively devoted to biological control. This book, the first to deal entirely with ecological aspects of parasitoid biology, offers summaries of the state of the field by leading researchers and identifies critical areas in need of further investigation. Students, researchers, and teachers in the field of ecology, animal behavior, entomology, forestry, and agriculture will all want to have a copy of the book on their shelves.