Evolutionary Ecology across Three Trophic Levels: Goldenrods, Gallmakers, and Natural Enemies (MPB-29)
In a work that will interest researchers in ecology, genetics, botany, entomology, and parasitology, Warren Abrahamson and Arthur Weis present the results of more than twenty-five years of studying plant-insect interactions. Their study centers on the ecology and evolution of interactions among a host plant, the parasitic insect that attacks it, and the suite of insects and birds that are the natural enemies of the parasite. Because this system provides a model that can be subjected to...
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"An unparalleled, creative, and diversified assault on a single set of related questions which sets a new, higher standard for comparable 'field' studies in the future. Most importantly, while this is a solid book for those who are interested in the biology of gall-formers, it is also a fertile source of ideas for a much larger audience. It should be appreciated by many biologists interested in the evolution and dynamics of interacting species."—David Tonkyn, Clemson University Ecoscience In a writing style both consistent and fluid, Abrahamson and Weis weave a story that includes the ecology, evolution, systematics, physiology, behavior, molecular and developmental biology, and genetics of their system. Throughout, the excellent illustrations and detailed citations help to draw parallels with other studies, and place their research within current theories of insect-plant interactions. This is a 'must-read' for serious students of evolutionary biology and the scientific method.
ForewordPreface and Acknowledgments1Evolutionary Ecology and the Interactions of Plants with Insects32The Stem Gallmaker, Its Natural Enemies, and Goldenrod: A Model System of Tritrophic-Level Interaction143Eurosta's Impact on Goldenrod504Host-Plant Resistance to Gallmaker Attack: The Plant-Gallmaker Encounter - The Plant's Perspective1005Host-Plant Choice1356The Gall as Eurosta's Extended Phenotype1717Host Specificity and Herbivore Speciation1948The Third Trophic Level as an Agent of Selection2549The Variable Biotic Environment and Variable Selection28610Phenotypic Plasticity and Spurious Evolution32111Selection on the Hierarchy of Attack and Defense33712Goldenrod, Gallmakers, and the Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Insect Interactions382References399Author Index437Subject Index448
\ EcoscienceIn a writing style both consistent and fluid, Abrahamson and Weis weave a story that includes the ecology, evolution, systematics, physiology, behavior, molecular and developmental biology, and genetics of their system. Throughout, the excellent illustrations and detailed citations help to draw parallels with other studies, and place their research within current theories of insect-plant interactions. This is a 'must-read' for serious students of evolutionary biology and the scientific method.\ \
