Download or read book Life in a Gall written by Rosalind Blanche and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2012 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are plant galls and how are they caused? This book introduces both the Australian native insects that induce galls on plants and the plant species that host them. It explores the ways the insects have adapted to living part of their lives in the confined spaces of galls, and describes the strategies employed by different insect groups to find a suitable site to induce a gall, obtain food, mate and escape the gall. Life in a Gall also looks at the predators, parasitoids, inquilines, kleptoparasites and micro-organisms that prey on gall-inducing insects and the ways the insects defend themselves from these enemies. It covers the problems gall-inducing insects can cause agriculture, forestry and horticulture and gives examples of several pest species. On the positive side, the book describes the essential services gall-inducing insects provide by pollinating figs, controlling invasive weeds and contributing to indigenous food. The final chapter provides tips for people who want to collect and study galls, and shows that answering many of the questions still surrounding gall-inducing insects is not restricted to professional scientists but can be achieved by diligent amateurs too.

Download or read book Parasitoids written by H. Charles J. Godfray and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parasitoids lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other species of insect, and the parasitoid larvae develop by feeding on the host, causing its eventual death. Known for a long time to applied biologists for their importance in regulating the population densities of economic pests, parasitoids have recently proven to be valuable tools in testing many aspects of evolutionary theory. This book synthesizes the work of both schools of parasitoid biology and asks how a consideration of evolutionary biology can help us understand the behavior, ecology, and diversity of the approximately one to two million species of parasitoid found on earth. After a general introduction to parasitoid natural history and taxonomy, the first part of the book treats the different components of the reproductive strategy of parasitoids: searching for a host, host selection, clutch size, and the sex ratio. Subsequent chapters discuss pathogens and non-Mendelian genetic elements that affect sexual reproduction; evolutionary aspects of the physiological interactions between parasitoid and host; mating strategies; life history theory and community ecology. A special effort is made to discuss the theoretical background to the subject, but without the use of mathematics.

Download or read book The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution written by John N. Thompson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2005-06-15 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coevolution—reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection—is one of the most important ecological and genetic processes organizing the earth's biodiversity: most plants and animals require coevolved interactions with other species to survive and reproduce. The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution analyzes how the biology of species provides the raw material for long-term coevolution, evaluates how local coadaptation forms the basic module of coevolutionary change, and explores how the coevolutionary process reshapes locally coevolving interactions across the earth's constantly changing landscapes. Picking up where his influential The Coevolutionary Process left off, John N. Thompsonsynthesizes the state of a rapidly developing science that integrates approaches from evolutionary ecology, population genetics, phylogeography, systematics, evolutionary biochemistry and physiology, and molecular biology. Using models, data, and hypotheses to develop a complete conceptual framework, Thompson also draws on examples from a wide range of taxa and environments, illustrating the expanding breadth and depth of research in coevolutionary biology.

Download or read book Variable plants and herbivores in natural and managed systems written by Robert Denno and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 735 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Variable Plants and Herbivores in Natural and Managed Systems examines individual, population, species, and community responses of herbivores to plant variation, with emphasis on insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is divided into five parts encompassing 18 chapters that discuss variability as a mechanism of defense used by plants against their parasites and the effects of variability on herbivores at several different levels of complexity. After a brief discussion on plant-herbivore interactions, the first part of this book considers sources of within-plant variation and effects on the distribution and abundance of herbivores. Part II examines interplant variation, the co-evolutionary problems it poses for herbivores, and the ecological and evolutionary responses of these animals. It discusses the effects of host-plant variability on the fitness of sedentary herbivorous insects. Part III discusses the role of host variability in the evolution of feeding specialization, genetic differentiation, and race formation. The importance of host variation to the organization of herbivore communities and the manipulation of host-plant variability for the management of herbivore pest populations are presented in the remaining parts. This book will be helpful to agriculturists, silviculturists, biologists, and researchers who wish to expand their knowledge in dynamics of plant-herbivore relationships.

Download or read book Native Mice and Rats written by Bill Breed and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2007 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Details the diversity, evolution and ecology of this much neglected group of animals, and describes their range of reproductive strategies and dietary adaptations. The book includes a chapter on rodent diseases, the impact of human settlement, and the efforts that are being made to conserve key species.

Download or read book Australian Rainforests written by D. M. J. S. Bowman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-02-17 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical evaluation of the ecological hypotheses proposed to explain the distribution of Australian rainforests.

Download or read book Atlas of Australian Termites written by J. A. L. Watson and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 1993 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Atlas provides, for the first time, comprehensive maps showing the distribution of all named species of termite found in Australia. Based on records associated with the Australian National Insect Collection, it also provides a checklist of species and notes on the outstanding taxonomic problems in each genus. It answers the questions that administrators and pest controllers often ask: which troublesome termites are found in my area?

Download or read book Genetic Structure and Local Adaptation in Natural Insect Populations written by Susan Mopper and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-03-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing an essential foundation for evolutionary theory, this comprehensive volume examines patterns of genetic variation within natural insect populations, and explores the underlying mechanisms that lead to the genetic divergence of coexisting organisms. In particular, the text investigates current research on finescale genetic structure in natural insect populations. Internationally renowned scientists offer a wealth of current information not previously published. Part I present case studies of adaptive genetic structure in natural insect populations, including a critical discussion of the strenghts and weaknesses of the experimental methods employed. Part II addresses the ecological mechanisms that produce adaptive genetic structure in natural insect populations. Part III describes how behavioral and life-history patterns influence genetic structure. Finally, Part IV combines theoretical and empirical approaches linking genetic structure at the population level with larger-scale patterns of variation, such as host race formation and speciation. This broad-ranging, interdisciplinary source of information supplies a thorough examination of the mechanisms that promote and impede genetic structure in natural insect populations. It is a book that will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students, and to researchers in the fields of ecology, evolution, insect and plant systems, entomology, and population genetics.

Download or read book Aphids and Other Homopterous Insects written by Elżbieta Cichocka and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Insect Pests of Fruit and Vegetables in NSW written by P. C. Hely and published by ISBS. This book was released on 1982 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evolution of the Flora and Fauna of Arid Australia written by W. R. Barker and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Nature of Northern Australia written by John Woinarski and published by ANU E Press. This book was released on 2007-07-01 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Northern Australia stands out as one of the largest natural areas remaining on Earth - alongside such global treasures as the Amazon rainforests, the boreal conifer forests of Alaska and Canada, and the polar wilderness of Antarctica. Nature remains in abundance in 'the North'. Its intact tropical savannas, rainforests, and free flowing rivers provide a basis for much of the economic activity and the quality of life for residents of the area. THE NATURE OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA details the latest science on the Northern environment. With increasing debate over the future of Australias often forgotten North, this is a timely examination of its environmental significance, the ecological processes that make it function, and the economies that are compatible with maintaining healthy communities and people and healthy country into the future.

Download or read book Directory of Australian Birds Passerines written by R Schodde and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 1999-10-01 with total page 887 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent classifications of Australian birds have been limited to lists of "species" which are inadequate as biodiversity indicators. The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines fills a huge gap in ornithological knowledge by separating out and listing not only 340 species of song-birds but also the 720 distinct regional forms. Covering about half the national bird fauna, the Directory provides science and the community with baseline information about what bird it is and where it lives in an Australia-wide context. Identity is taken down to the level of distinct regional population. No other compendium on Australian birds does this.

Download or read book Ecological Biogeography of Australia written by Allen Keast and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 836 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Termites of Northern Australia written by Alan Neil Andersen and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A discussion of termite societies and their role in the ecosystem and an outline of some of the Aboriginal uses of termites, as well as the species of termites most likely to be encountered and recognised (p. 4 of cover)

Download or read book Integrated Pest Management written by Edward B. Radcliffe and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 551 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This textbook presents theory and concepts in integrated pest management, complemented by two award-winning websites covering more practical aspects.

Download or read book Wine Grape Varieties written by George Kerridge and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 1999 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes 92 of the most popular wine grape varieties currently used by wine makers around the world plus some that may have a place in the future.