This second edition covers the evolution of aphids and their development in relation to specific plants, thoroughly revised and expanded since the first highly successful edition. Increasing knowledge of aphids has revealed that they are ideal organisms to use when studying many topical ecological issues.

This second edition covers the evolution of aphids and their development in relation to specific plants, thoroughly revised and expanded since the first highly successful edition. Increasing knowledge of aphids has revealed that they are ideal organisms to use when studying many topical ecological issues.

This book presents the results of recent research on aphid population dynamics and ecology relevant to current environmental changes resulting from global wa- ing. It incorporates a selection of the contributions presented at the International Symposium on Aphids in Fremantle, Australia, in October 2005, plus some ad- tional invited chapters. The objective was to incorporate the major issues in the ?eld and simultaneously create a closely interrelated and integrated volume. The ?rst chapter sets the scene. Kindlmann and Dixon present a critical review of existing models of aphid population dynamics, examine the biological assumptions that are incorporated in the models and present one of the latest models of aphid metapopulation dynamics. They conclude that natural enemies are unlikely to affect aphid population dynamics late in a season, but in some years may have an effect very early in the season, when aphid colonies are still small and predators might be able to reduce the numbers of colonies. The question, whether aphids will move to different locations, adapt to the change in conditions in their current habitat or go extinct is discussed by Ameixa. She concludes that the distributions of aphids are most likely to change, with the distribution of each species moving globally as their preferred habitat moves in response to changes in the climate, which may be more dif?cult than in the past because of habitat fragmentation and habitat loss.

This book presents different perspectives on how to understand the complex interaction between plants and the environment. Plant communities adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses with different mechanisms and understanding these phenomena provides the means to better manage our environment and to cultivate crops that better serve our needs.

Polyphagous pests are primarily agricultural pests that feed on economically important agricultural and horticultural crops of wide taxonomic diversity across the globe. They cause immense damage across different crop varieties owing to their generalist and voracious food habits. The advent of mono-crop culture in a huge area and the massive use of pesticides post green revolution have massively increased pest outbreaks all over the world. The Middle Eastern countries, African continent and even the Indian subcontinent is increasingly facing resurgences of polyphagus pests. This book compiles an inclusive account of polyphagous pests. It covers locusts, termites, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, scale insects, gram pod borer, fall armyworm, thrips, mites and rodents. The book discusses mode of spread, enormity of losses caused, mechanism of action, and also means to reduce the crop losses. It brings together a unique perspective for researchers to learn effective pest management practices across all crops. This book is a reference guide to researchers and also useful for academicians and students of entomology.

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) are one of the most important and destructive agriculture pests causing serious economic losses by both nutrient robbing and transmitting plant viruses. 100 species of Aphididae have exploited the agricultural environment successfully to the extent that they are of significant economic importance, among them 15 aphid species of most agricultural importance. Aphids are piecing-sucking insect pests with the mouthparts (stylets) to penetrate plant cells to feed phloem sap from sieve elements. The feeding process of aphids is similar to pathogen infestation, and plenty of evidence demonstrate that the interplay between aphid and host plants follows the pathogen-plant Zigzag model. During the process of probing and feeding, aphids, like plant pathogens, secreted some salivary proteins as effectors (or elicitors) into their host plants cell intercellularly and intracellularly to mediate aphid-plant interactions, such as eliciting or suppressing plant defense responses. Aphids also vector plant viruses, and the relationship between each organismal pair affects the overall outcome of this biological interaction. Aphids contained endosymbionts, and the symbionts influence interaction between the aphids and their host plants and between aphids and their natural enemies, further impacting this network of biological interactions. Advances in understanding aphids biology, and these interactions at the physiological, molecular, and ecological levels will provide fundamental knowledge, and develop novel green control strategies for insect pests as well as vector pathogens.

Considered as economically significant pests with worldwide distribution, aphids feed on hundreds of cultivated and ornamental plants and cause considerable economic loss on a global scale. The peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae, is one of the most severe model aphid pests and successfully colonizes hundreds of plant species from 40 different families. It is a complex aphid pest known for its high reproductive rate, biotype formation, suppression of plant defenses, and wide range of host plants. This book covers ecological aspects - including life cycle, damage, and host range - which make aphids an economically important pest. A wide range of topics are covered, including ecological aspects of M. persicae; challenges with management approaches; damage; suppression of plant defenses; evolution; the mechanism of resistance against major classes of insecticides; the potential of biological control and natural plant-derived compounds (plant defense elicitors) as an alternative to the use of synthetic chemical insecticides to control M. persicae; and integrated pest management for M. persicae. As the peach-potato aphid is a model aphid pest, studying it helps to develop control strategies against the entire group of aphids. Written for professionals, as well as students, teachers, and researchers in the fields of entomology, ecology, and bioscience, this book is an enriching new addition to its field.

Food webs examine the interactions between organisms to explain ecosystem community structure. This book argues how food webs alone cannot depict a true picture of a community. It shows that examining other indirect interactions between organisms can help us to better understand the structure and organisation of communities and ecosystems.