Download or read book Insect Predator Prey Dynamics written by A. F. G. Dixon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-06 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of our understanding about insect predator-prey dynamics has been due to studies on insect parasitoids. But do true predators such as ladybird beetles really operate in a similar way and how does this affect their use in biological control? The extensive literature on ladybirds as biocontrol agents shows that their size and rate of development is very dependent on the nature of their prey. This volume explores basic ladybird biology, their association with their prey and its effect on development rate and body size. Optimal foraging theory, field observations and laboratory experiments are used to illustrate how ladybird larvae maximise their rate of energy intake, and ladybird adults their fitness. The interdependence of these life history parameters is then used to develop a simple predator-prey model which, with an analysis of the literature, highlights the specific attributes of potentially successful biocontrol agents for all those interested in predator-prey dynamics.
Download or read book Insect Predator Prey Dynamics written by A. F. G. Dixon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-07-21 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ladybird beetles are typical predators that feed on a wide range of insect prey, and have been used extensively in the biocontrol of insect pests. This volume explores basic ladybird biology, in particular, their close association with prey and its effect on their rate of development and body size. The author uses optimal foraging theory, field observations, and laboratory experiments to illustrate how ladybird larvae maximize their rate of energy intake, and ladybird adults their fitness. The interdependence of these life history parameters is then used to develop a simple predator-prey model that, combined with an analysis of the literature, highlights the specific attributes of potentially successful biocontrol agents for all those interested in predator-prey dynamics.
Download or read book The Dynamics of Arthopod Predator Prey Systems MPB 13 Volume 13 written by Michael Patrick Hassell and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-31 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study of arthropod predador-prey systems Michael Hassell shows how many of the components of predation may be simply modeled in order to reveal their effects on the overall dynamics of the interacting populations. Arthropods, particularly insects, make ideal subjects for such a study because their generation times are characteristically short and many have relatively discrete generations, inviting the use of difference equation models to describe population changes. Using analytical models framed in difference equations, Dr. Hassell is able to show how the detailed biological processes of insect predator-prey (including host-parasitoid) interactions may be understood. Emphasizing the development and subsequent stability analysis of general models, the author considers in detail several crucial components of predator-prey models: the prey's rate of increase as a function of density, non-random search, mutual interference, and the predator's rate of increase as a function of predator survival and fecundity. Drawing on the correspondence between the models and field and laboratory data, Dr. Hassell then discusses the practical implications for biological pest control and suggests how such models may help to formulate a theoretical basis for biological control practices.
Download or read book Predator Prey Dynamics written by Catherine Lee Craig and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Trophic and Guild Interactions in Biological Control written by Jacques Brodeur and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-06-03 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores modern concepts of trophic and guild interactions among natural enemies in natural and agricultural ecosystems - a field that has become a hot topic in ecology and biological control over the past decade. It is the first book on trophic and guild interactions to make the link to biological control, and is compiled by internationally recognized scientists who have combined their expertise.
Download or read book Predator prey Dynamics in Southern California Salt Marshes written by and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predators and omnivores shape community structure and function by consuming (i.e. consumptive effects; CEs) and 'scaring' (i.e. nonconsumptive effects; NCEs) prey. Thus, predicting the consequences of predator-prey interactions has been a major focus of ecological research for several decades. For instance, understanding the mechanism(s) by which predators induce trophic cascades (i.e. CEs vs. NCEs) is important because the nature of this indirect interaction can critically influence ecosystem-level processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling. Despite the vast literature on predator-prey interactions, few studies tested the role of predator and prey traits on the outcomes of these interactions. Recognizing this, I tested how predator traits [e.g. hunting mode (Chapter 1) and facultative omnivory (Chapter 2 & 3)] and prey traits [e.g. habitat domain range (Chapter 1)] impact the outcome of predator-prey interactions in natural systems. In Chapter 1, I examined the trait-mediated indirect interaction (TMII) and total indirect interaction (TII) produced during interactions between an active, broad habitat domain range (BHDR) ladybeetle predator ( Naemia seriata) and its narrow habitat domain range (NHDR) prey (scale insects; Haliaspsis spartinae). I exposed scale insects to nonlethal and lethal ladybeetle predators in laboratory mesocosms for 15 weeks. I measured how these interactions indirectly impacted the growth of the scale insect's host plant (cordgrass; Spartina foliosa) and the population density of scale insects. Contrary to theoretical predictions based on these predator and prey traits, nonlethal ladybeetles did not induce TMIIs. However, lethal ladybeetles increased cordgrass total and root dry biomass by 36% and 44% (respectively), suggesting the presence of strong density-mediated indirect interactions (DMIIs). Additionally, both lethal and nonlethal ladybeetles reduced scale insect population density. My findings suggest that DMIIs, rather than TMIIs, can result from interactions between active, BHDR predators and NHDR prey. In Chapter 2, I used three primary experiments to assess the relationship between habitat use (based on the availability of animal and/or plant prey resources) and performance for an important insect omnivore (ladybeetles). First, I used field manipulations of resource availability (i.e. scale insects and cordgrass pollen) to examine the habitat use of ladybeetle predators. Second, I conducted a series of no-choice laboratory assays to compare the performance (fecundity and longevity) of ladybeetles on these different resources. Third, I quantified adult ladybeetle preference for olfactory cues from cordgrass with and without scale insects using a ytube olfactometer. In the field, adult ladybeetles selectively used plots containing scale insects. In the lab, diets containing scale insects maximized both adult and larval ladybeetle longevity, and adult fecundity. Adult ladybeetles were attracted to chemical cues associated with scale insects over distances of 10s of centimeters. Overall, my findings suggest that the habitat use and performance of ladybeetles are strongly linked, with ladybeetles preferentially using habitats that maximize their individual performance. Collectively, my dissertation suggests that the functional traits of predators and prey can provide useful insights into when, where, and how predators may exert top-down effects on ecological communities.
Download or read book Insect Defenses written by David L. Evans and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1990-01-01 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work takes a fresh, modern approach to investigate and explain the predator and prey relationships of insects and spiders, the major terrestrial fauna on earth. Devoted to broad and in-depth analysis of arthropod defenses against predators, the book's approach is both experimentally and theoretically based with major emphasis on evolution, predator strategies and tactics, and prey defensive adaptations and behaviors. The authors explain such topics as cryptic and aposematic coloration, the conflict between sexual and survival needs, web spider prey choice and evolution of prey counter defenses, predator-prey interactions and the origins of intelligence, bird predatory tactics, and caterpillar defense strategies. Also examined is the use of timing for fitness and survival, evolutionary gamesmanship in the predatory bat-moth relationship, colony defense by aper wasps, startle as a defense by moths, aggregation as a defense, chemicals as defenses, plant chemicals as defenses, and venoms as defenses. The authors illustrate each topic with numerous specific well-documented examples presented in a clear, readable style.
Download or read book Size Structured Populations written by Bo Ebenman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At last both ecology and evolution are covered in this study on the dynamics of size-structured populations. How does natural selection shape growth patterns and life cycles of individuals, and hence the size-structure of populations? This book will stimulate biologists to look into some important and interesting biological problems from a new angle of approach, concerning: - life history evolution, - intraspecific competition and niche theory, - structure and dynamics of ecological communities.
Download or read book Natural Enemies written by Ann E. Hajek and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-02-12 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description
Download or read book Insects as Natural Enemies written by Mark Jervis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-05-25 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades there has been a dramatic increase in theoretical and practical studies on insect natural enemies. The appeal of insect predators, and parasitoids in particular, as research animals derives from the relative ease with which many species may be cultured and experimented with in the laboratory, the simple life cycles of most parasitoids, and the increasing demand for biological pest control. There is now a massive literature on insect natural enemies, so there is a great need for a general text that the enquiring student or research worker can use in deciding on approaches and techniques that are appropriate to the study and evaluation of such insects. This book fulfils that demand. A considerably updated and expanded version of a previous best-seller, it is an account of major aspects of the biology of predators and parasitoids, punctuated with information and advice on which experiments or observations to conduct, and how to carry them out. Guidance is provided, where necessary, on the literature that may need to be consulted on particular topics. While researchers can now refer to several books on parasitoids and predators, Insects as Natural Enemies is unique in emphasising practicalities. It is aimed at students and professional working in universities and both government and commercial institutes in the fields of pest management, agriculture, horticulture and forestry.
Download or read book Predator Prey Dynamics written by Michael R. Conover and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-03-30 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humans, being visually oriented, are well versed in camouflage and how animals hide from predators that use vision to locate prey. However, many predators do not hunt by sight; they hunt by scent. This raises the question: do survival mechanisms and behaviors exist which allow animals to hide from these olfactory predators? If so, what are they, a
Download or read book Insect Bioecology and Nutrition for Integrated Pest Management written by Antonio Ricardo Panizzi and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-03-08 with total page 750 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of insect nutritional ecology has been defined by how insects deal with nutritional and non-nutritional compounds, and how these compounds influence their biology in evolutionary time. In contrast, Insect Bioecology and Nutrition for Integrated Pest Management presents these entomological concepts within the framework of integrated pest m
Download or read book Insect Ecology written by Peter W. Price and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-18 with total page 829 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining breadth of coverage with detail, this logical and cohesive introduction to insect ecology couples concepts with a broad range of examples and practical applications. It explores cutting-edge topics in the field, drawing on and highlighting the links between theory and the latest empirical studies. The sections are structured around a series of key topics, including behavioral ecology; species interactions; population ecology; food webs, communities and ecosystems; and broad patterns in nature. Chapters progress logically from the small scale to the large; from individual species through to species interactions, populations and communities. Application sections at the end of each chapter outline the practicality of ecological concepts and show how ecological information and concepts can be useful in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Each chapter ends with a summary, providing a brief recap, followed by a set of questions and discussion topics designed to encourage independent and creative thinking.
Download or read book Consumer Resource Dynamics MPB 36 written by William W. Murdoch and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite often violent fluctuations in nature, species extinction is rare. California red scale, a potentially devastating pest of citrus, has been suppressed for fifty years in California to extremely low yet stable densities by its controlling parasitoid. Some larch budmoth populations undergo extreme cycles; others never cycle. In Consumer-Resource Dynamics, William Murdoch, Cherie Briggs, and Roger Nisbet use these and numerous other biological examples to lay the groundwork for a unifying theory applicable to predator-prey, parasitoid-host, and other consumer-resource interactions. Throughout, the focus is on how the properties of real organisms affect population dynamics. The core of the book synthesizes and extends the authors' own models involving insect parasitoids and their hosts, and explores in depth how consumer species compete for a dynamic resource. The emerging general consumer-resource theory accounts for how consumers respond to differences among individuals in the resource population. From here the authors move to other models of consumer-resource dynamics and population dynamics in general. Consideration of empirical examples, key concepts, and a necessary review of simple models is followed by examination of spatial processes affecting dynamics, and of implications for biological control of pest organisms. The book establishes the coherence and broad applicability of consumer-resource theory and connects it to single-species dynamics. It closes by stressing the theory's value as a hierarchy of models that allows both generality and testability in the field.
Download or read book Ecology of Predator Prey Interactions written by Pedro Barbosa and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-08-11 with total page 709 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the fundamental issues of predator-prey interactions, with an emphasis on predation among arthropods, which have been better studied, and for which the database is more extensive than for the large and rare vertebrate predators. The book should appeal to ecologists interested in the broad issue of predation effects on communities.
Download or read book Insect Herbivore Host Dynamics written by A. F. G. Dixon and published by . This book was released on 2005-05-12 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Literature on the population dynamics of insect herbivores tends to favour a top-down regulation of abundance, owing much to the action of natural enemies. Originally published in 2005, this volume challenges this paradigm and argues that tree-dwelling species of aphids, through competition for resources, regulate their own abundance. The biology of tree-dwelling aphids is examined, particularly their adaptation to the seasonal development of their host plants. When host-plant quality is favourable, aphids, by telescoping generations, can achieve prodigious rates of increase which their natural enemies are unable to match. Using analyses of long-term population censuses and results of experiments, this book introduces students and research workers to insect herbivore-host dynamics using the interaction between aphids and trees as a model.
Download or read book The Dynamics of Competition and Predation written by Michael Patrick Hassell and published by Hodder Education. This book was released on 1976 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
