Interrelationship Between Insects And Plants

One of the world's most insightful writers on the subject brings together an array of important and readable information on the ways in which insects and plants coexist in nature. Interrelationship Between Insects and Plants is a rare and expansive look at the intertwining of these two vastly different species. Its aim is to summarize in a simple and understandable way the basis of food selection among insects, and to review the various sides of their relationships with plants.

Botanists and zoologists have recognized for centuries the specificity of various insects for plants, and entomolo gists have long been aware that insects defend themselves from predators by emitting repulsive odors. Only recently have chemists and biologists established a joint endeavor for studying the chemical relationships between plants and insects. The present symposium volume of the Phytochemical Society of North America's RECENT ADVANCES IN PHYTOCHEMISTRY consists of eight papers dealing with phytochemical relation ships between plants and their insect herbivores. The fifteenth P.S.N.A. annual symposium and meeting was held in August, 1975, on the campus of The University of South Florida, Tampa. The chemical defenses of apparent and unapparent plants were contrasted by Feeny. Rodreguiz and Levin illustrated parallel defense mechanisms of plants and insects and then Hendry, Kostelc, Hindenlang, Wichmann, Fix and Koreniowski discussed chemical messengers for both plants and insects. Subsequently Beck and Reese reviewed plant contributions to insect nutrition and metabolism. Indepth studies for the monarch butterfly-milkweed interaction were presented by Roeske, Seiber, Brower, and Moffitt and for the cotton boll weevil-cotton plant relationship by Hedin, Thompson, and Gueldner. In the latter portion of the symposium Rhoades and Cates presented a general theory concerning the coevolu tion of insects and plant antiherbivore chemistry.

"Half of all insect species are dependent on living plant tissues, consuming about 10% of plant annual production in natural habitats and an even greater percentage in agricultural systems, despite sophisticated control measures. Plants are generally remarkably well-protected against insect attack, with the result that most insects are highly specialized feeders. The mechanisms underlying plant resistance to invading herbivores on the one side, and insect food specialization on the other, are the main subjects of this book. For insects these include food-plant selection and the complex sensory processes involved, with their implications for learning and nutritional physiology, as well as the endocrinological aspects of life cycle synchronization with host plant phenology. In the case of plants exposed to insect herbivores, they include the activation of defence systems in order to minimize damage, as well as the emission of chemical signals that may attract natural enemies of the invading herbivores and may be exploited by neighbouring plants that mount defences as well." "Insect-Plant Biology discusses the operation of these mechanisms at the molecular and organismal levels, in the context of both ecological interactions and evolutionary relationships. In doing so, it uncovers the highly intricate antagonistic and mutualistic interactions that have evolved between plants and insects. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of our knowledge of insect-plant interactions to agricultural production." "This multidisciplinary approach will appeal to students in agricultural entomology, plant sciences, ecology, and indeed anyone interested in the principles underlying the relationships between the two largest groups of organisms on earth: plants and insects."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Presents the first efforts to explore ecological interactions between insects and plants across several trophic levels, with special focus on mediation of complex interactions by plant allelochemicals. First section looks at effects of plant allelochemicals on predator-prey and host-parasitoid interactions. Second section reveals the role of microorganisms as mediators of interactions between insects and plants. Third section unifies and extends current theory to examine the effects of allelochemicals on the second and third trophic levels. Final section traces the physiological effects of plant allelochemicals in animal behavior, population regulation, maintenance of mimicry systems, and evolution of host range.

The plant-animal interactions, both mutualistic and antagonistic, play a crucial role in the diversification of plants and animals, and are important in functioning of communities in their natural habitats. The mutual interactions between the flowering plants and the animals, in pollination and seed dispersal, largely determine the reproductive success of the flowering plants. Maintenence of these eco-services is critical for the sustainability of our biodiversity. India,with its rich biodiversity and leveling of crop yields in recent years would benefit from research in the area of plant-animal interactions. This volume includes chapters on various aspects of mutualistic plant-animal interactions. In particular the fundamental and applied aspects of ecoservices – pollination and seed dispersal are covered comprehensively. It also covers tritrophic interaction and the potential of genomics in studies on the plant-animal interactions. The book will be of interest to post-graduate students, teachers and researchers in the areas of Biology, Ecology, Botany, Zoology, Agri-horticulture, Forestry, and Conservation Biology.

The 9th International Symposium on Insect-Plant Relationships (SIP-9) was once more, following the tradition established in 1958, a forum for investigators in both basic and applied entomology interested in the important and fascinating field of interactions between plants and insects. We were pleased and honoured to organise this symposium, which took place June 24--30, 1995 in Gwatt on the shores of the Lake of Thun in Switzerland. 168 participants from 26 countries from all over the world actively took part in the symposium by contributing 12 key-note lectures and a total of 141 oral presentations and posters. The favourable response and the lively interaction of the participants in all symposium activities is the clearest indication of the success of SIP-9. The organisers appreciated the enthusiasm and the willingness to collaborate shown by all participants. The following volume contains written contributions (72) of only half of all presentations. This is due to the fact that we decided to produce not only an account of the proceedings but also to publish all contributions as a special volume of the journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. This procedure was last adopted in 1978 for SIP-4, organised by Reginald F. Chapman and Elizabeth A. Bernays, and ensures a wide distribution of the papers within the scientific community and easy access through libraries. Inevitably we had to employ the same review procedure as applicable for the manuscripts regularly submitted to Entomologia.

"This volume captures the state-of-the-art in the study of insect-plant interactions, and marks the transformation of the field into evolutionary biology. The contributors present integrative reviews of uniformly high quality that will inform and inspire generations of academic and applied biologists. Their presentation together provides an invaluable synthesis of perspectives that is rare in any discipline."--Brian D. Farrell, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University "Tilmon has assembled a truly wonderful and rich volume, with contributions from the lion's share of fine minds in evolution and ecology of herbivorous insects. The topics comprise a fascinating and deep coverage of what has been discovered in the prolific recent decades of research with insects on plants. Fascinating chapters provide deep analyses of some of the most interesting research on these interactions. From insect plant chemistry, behavior, and host shifting to phylogenetics, co-evolution, life-history evolution, and invasive plant-insect interaction, one is hard pressed to name a substantial topic not included. This volume will launch a hundred graduate seminars and find itself on the shelf of everyone who is anyone working in this rich landscape of disciplines."--Donald R. Strong, Professor of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis "Seldom have so many excellent authors been brought together to write so many good chapters on so many important topics in organismic evolutionary biology. Tom Wood, always unassuming and inspired by living nature, would have been amazed and pleased by this tribute."--Mary Jane West-Eberhard, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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 examines 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.

First Published in 1989, this book explores the relationship between plants and insects and the ways in which they interact with each other. Carefully compiled and filled with a vast repertoire of notes, diagrams, and references this book serves as a useful reference for students of oncology, and other practitioners in their respective fields.