Ring T. Cardé and Jocelyn G. Millar, Editors
Cambridge University Press, NY
2004, 341 pp.
Price: $90.00, hardcover
ISBN: 0-521-79275-4

Insects and other arthropods use chemical signals and cues in numerous ways. The study of chemical ecology attempts not only to identify these chemicals, but also to determine what impact they have on the organisms. At first glance, the chapters of this book appear to have too narrow a focus to provide an overall evaluation of the broad scope of chemical ecology. Readers should not let the chapter titles dissuade them from further examination; this volume provides in-depth overviews of selected research topics within the broad field of chemical ecology. Upon reading any of the chapters (all written by scientists who are internationally recognized within their research specialties), it becomes clear that this is an excellent reference for researchers and advanced students interested in any of the specialty fields within chemical ecology. All eight chapters not only stand alone, but in combination provide the reader with a more detailed understanding of where the cutting edge in chemical ecology now stands. In addition, several of the chapters point toward the future direction(s) in which the authors think the field is moving.

The topics covered within the book range from what one comes to expect in a book on insect chemical ecology (such as insect pheromone systems, plant-pollinator interactions, and plant defensive chemistry) to the less obvious (i.e., there are two chapters on the chemical ecology of Arachnids). Other interesting topics include a discussion of the integration and redundancy of plant phytochemicals, and various roles played by compounds in the inducible chemical responses of plants.

Specifically, the eight chapters of the book address (1) the diversity of phytochemical defenses against insects in tropical and temperate plant families, (2) the recruitment of insect natural enemies by herbivore-injured plants, (3) the chemical ecology of astigmatid mites, (4) the semiochemistry of spiders, (5) the chemical ecology of fragrance-driven pollination, (6) the sex pheromones of cockroaches, (7) the relationship between tiger moths and plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and (8) the structure of pheromone communication channels in moths. Many of these chapters go into the structure and biosynthesis of individual compounds and the relationship among various groups of chemicals.

Much of the information provided is integrated into a very usable format, and several chapters also provide detailed literature reviews in a tabular form (i.e., an extensive table on spider pheromones and another on the compounds identified from mite exudates and extracts). Each chapter presents a high level of detail of the material covered and an extensive list of relevant citations (at least one of the chapters cites more than 300 references). Although all of the chapters are informative, I especially found the chapter on chemically mediated tri-trophic level interactions and the chapter on the relationship between tiger moths and plant alkaloid chemistry to be fascinating.
The editors say that they would like to see this volume represent the first in a series of publications on insect chemical ecology. If the proposed additional volumes are as informative and detailed as the current one, any forthcoming volumes will make an excellent addition to a research library on chemical ecology.

Stephen P. Cook
Department of Forest Resources
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID 83844-1133
stephenc@uidaho.edu
American Entomologist
Vol. 51, No.2, Summer 2005