Pattern and Process in Host-Parasitoid Interactions

Hardback  200pp  ISBN 0521460298      £45.00

Paperback  200pp  ISBN 0521019433      £18.00

How is the staggering biodiversity of the parasitoid insects maintained? This book attempts to answer this question. It explores patterns in host-parasitoid interactions, including parasitoid community richness, the importance of parasitoids as mortality factors, and their impact on host densities as determined by the outcomes of parasitoid introductions for biological control. It documents general patterns using data sets generated from the global literature and evaluates potential underlying biological, ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. A theme running throughout the book is the importance of host refuges as a major constraint on host-parasitoid interactions. It suggests that much can be learnt from the analysis of broad patterns and that a few simple rules can go a long way in explaining the major components of these interactions. Hence, this book will be an invaluable resource for researchers interested in community ecology, population biology, entomology and biological control, presenting the subject in the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Data and methodology
• Parasitoid species richness
• Taxonomic composition and generalist versus specialist parasitoids
• Host mortality and the impact of parasitoids on host densities
• Hyperparasitoids
• Synthesis
• References
• Index.

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