FROM THE PREFACE: The abundance of insects can change dramatically from generation to generation; these generational changes may occur within a growing season or over a period of years. Such extraordinary density changes or "outbreaks" may be abrupt and ostensibly random, or population peaks may occur in a more or less cyclic fashion....The goal of this book is to update and advance current thinking on the phenomenon of insect outbreaks. The contributors have reviewed relevant literature in order to generate a synthesis providing new concepts and important alternatives for future research. More importantly, they have presented new ideas or syntheses that will stimulate advances in thinking and experimentation.

The abundance of insects can change dramatically from generation to generation; these generational changes may occur within a growing season or over a period of years. Such extraordinary density changes or "outbreaks" may be abrupt and ostensibly random, or population peaks may occur in a more or less cyclic fashion. They can be hugely destructive when the insect is a crop pest or carries diseases of humans, farm animals, or wildlife. Knowledge of these types of population dynamics and computer models that may help predict when they occur are very important. This important new book revisits a subject not thoroughly discussed in such a publication since 1988 and brings an international scale to the issue of insect outbreaks. Insect Outbreaks Revisited is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students in ecology, population biology and entomology, as well as government and industry scientists doing research on pests, land managers, pest management personnel, extension personnel, conservation biologists and ecologists, and state, county and district foresters.

The problem and the approach. Case studies. Discussion - Is there a greater risk of pest outbreaks in exotics?.

This short, readable textbook is designed to introduce students the biology and techniques of aricultural pest and disease vector control and management. As such, it is unique; no other book attempts to marry together the fields of pest and vector control. The authors are two of the leading authorities in their respective fields and amongst the best known entomologists of their generation.

By providing multiple economic goods and ecosystem services, Latin American forests play a key role in the environmental, social and economic welfare of the region’s countries. From the tropical forests of Central America to the Mediterranean and temperate vegetation of the southern cone, these forests face a myriad of phytosanitary problems that negatively impact on both conservation efforts and forest industry. This book brings together the perspectives of several Latin American researchers on pest and disease management. Each chapter provides modern views of the status and management alternatives to problems as serious as the impact of introduced exotic insects and diseases on Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations throughout the continent, and the emergence of novel insect outbreaks in tropical and temperate native forests associated with global warming. It is a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners working on forest health in Latin America and around the world.

This new approach to insect modeling discusses population dynamics' regularities, control theory, theory of transitions, and describes methods of population dynamics and outbreaks modeling for forest phyllophagous insects and their effects on global climate change. Research in insect population dynamics is important for more reasons than just protecting forest communities. Insect populations are among the main ecological units included in the analysis of stability of ecological systems. Moreover, it is convenient to test new methods of analyzing population and community stability on the insect-related data, as by now ecologists and entomologists have accumulated large amounts of such data. In this book, the authors analyze population dynamics of quite a narrow group of insects – forest defoliators. It is hoped that the methods proposed herein for the analysis of population dynamics of these species may be useful and effective for analyzing population dynamics of other animal species and their effects and role in global warming. What can insects tell us about our environment and our ever-changing climate? It is through studies like this one that these important answers can be obtained, along with data on the insects and their behaviors themselves. The authors present new theories on modeling and data accumulation, using cutting-edge processes never before published for such a wide audience. This volume presents the state-of-the-art in the science, and it is an essential piece of any entomologist's and forest engineer's library.

Bringing together the expertise of over 450 distinguished entomologists from 40 countries, this exhaustive work provides a global overview of insects and their close relatives. It is designed as an introduction to this fascinating group of animals.

Insects, being poikilothermic, are among the organisms that are most likely to respond to changes in climate, particularly increased temperatures. Range expansions into new areas, further north and to higher elevations, are already well documented, as are physiological and phenological responses. It is anticipated that the damage by insects will increase as a consequence of climate change, i.e. increasing temperatures primarily. However, the evidence in support of this common “belief” is sparse. Climate Change and Insect Pests sums up present knowledge regarding both agricultural and forest insect pests and climate change in order to identify future research directions.

The third edition of Insect Ecology: An Ecosystem Approach provides a modern perspective of insect ecology that integrates two approaches traditionally used to study insect ecology: evolutionary and ecosystem. This integration substantially broadens the scope of insect ecology and contributes to prediction and resolution of the effects of current environmental changes, as these affect and are affected by insects. The third edition includes an updated and expanded synthesis of feedback and interactions between insects and their environment. This updated material and a new chapter on applications of insect ecology to social and environmental issues effectively demonstrates how evolutionary and ecosystem approaches complement each other, with the intent of stimulating further integration of these approaches in experiments that address insect roles in ecosystems. Effective management of ecosystem resources depends on evaluation of the complex, often complementary, effects of insects on ecosystem conditions, as well as insect responses to changing conditions. - Timely revision of a key reference on insect ecology - Full coverage of ecosystem structure and function balanced with essential background on evolutionary aspects - New chapter on applications to issues such as pest management, ecosystem restoration, invasive species and environmental changes - Case studies highlight practical and theoretical applications for topics covered in each chapter