Advances in Insect Chemical Ecology
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
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