Trophic and Guild Interactions in Biological Control

Abstract

Jacques Brodeur, Guy Boivin Trophic and Guild Interactions in Biological Control 2006 Springer Dordrecht, The Netherlands 249 hardback 101-4020-4766-5 $169.00 Biological control of pests has traditionally focused on single predator-prey interactions, with the aim of selecting the most efficient natural enemy for a specific pest. However, there is increasing recognition that even in the most simplified agroecosystems, a wide variety of predators, alternative prey species, and plants are present, interacting within and among multiple trophic levels, and the results of these interactions can largely condition the success of biological control agents. This book successfully makes the case for the need to study these interactions to improve our design of biological control strategies. The authors of each chapter have contributed significantly to our knowledge of different aspects of these interactions, and they reflect that in this book using a diversity of approaches, including meta-analysis and review of the recent literature, case studies, theoretical models, and analysis of new data. The result is a well-balanced series of 10 chapters that explore the effects of intra- and interguild interactions such as predation, parasitism, disease, omnivory, competition, and mutualism on herbivore suppression. The first four chapters focus mainly on intraguild (IG) trophic interactions, particularly in intraguild predation (IGP). The first chapter, by Rosenheim and Harmon, presents cross-study trends in how adding an IG predator to a system affects herbivore suppression and …