Control of Pests and Weeds by Natural Enemies: An Introduction to Biological Control

Control of Pests and Weeds by Natural Enemies

 
Biological control - utilizing a population of natural enemies to seasonally or permanently suppress pests - is not a new concept. The cottony cushion scale, which nearly destroyed the citrus industry of California, was controlled by an introduced predatory insect in the 1880s. Accelerated invasions by insects and spread of weedy non-native plants in the last century have increased the need for the use of biological control. Use of carefully chosen natural enemies has become a major tool for the protection of natural ecosystems, biodiversity and agricultural and urban environments.

This book offers a multifaceted yet integrated discussion on two major applications of biological control: permanent control of invasive insects and plants at the landscape level and temporary suppression of both native and exotic pests in farms, tree plantations, and greenhouses. Written by leading international experts in the field, the text discusses control of invasive species and the role of natural enemies in pest management.

This book is essential reading for courses on Invasive Species, Pest Management, and Crop Protection. It is an invaluable reference book for biocontrol professionals, restorationists, agriculturalists, and wildlife biologists.

Table of Contents

Preface.

Part I: Scope of biological control:.

1. Introduction.

2. Types of biological control, targets, and agents.

Part II: Kinds of natural enemies:.

3. Parasitoid diversity and ecology.

4. Predator diversity and ecology.

5. Weed biocontrol agent diversity and ecology.

6. Arthropod pathogen diversity and ecology.

Part III: Invasions: why biological control is needed:.

7. The invasion crisis.

8. Ways to suppress invasive species.

Part IV: Natural enemy introductions: theory and practice:.

9. Interaction webs as the conceptual framework for classical biological control.

10. The role of population ecology and population models in biological control: Joseph Elkinton (University of Massachusetts).

12. Weed biological control.

Part V: Tools for classical biological control:.

13. Foreign exploration.

14. Climate matching.

15. Molecular tools: Richard Stouthamer (University of California Riverside).

Part VI: Safety:.

16. Non-target impacts of biological control agents.

17. Predicting natural enemy host ranges.

18. Avoiding indirect non-target impacts.

Part VII: Measuring natural enemy impacts on pests:.

19. Field colonization of natural enemies.

20. Natural enemy evaluation.

Part VIII: Conserving biological control agents in crops:.

21. Protecting natural enemies from pesticides.

22. Enhancing crops as natural enemy environments.

Part IX: Biopesticides:.

23. Microbial pesticides: issues and concepts.

24. Use of arthropod pathogens as pesticides.

Part X: Augmentative biological control:.

25. Biological control in greenhouses.

26. Augmentative release of natural enemies in outdoor crops.

Part XI: Other targets and new directions:.

27. Vertebrate pests.

28. Expanding the biological control horizon: new purposes and new targets.

29. Future directions.

References.

Index