This book contains 13 chapters focusing on the ecology and control of insects as they affect human society. A brief outline of the insect structure, classification and importance is presented and the various geographical and landscape aspects of the distribution of terrestrial plants and the...

According to Richard Levins, there is no single, best all-purpose model in ecology, nor can useful models simultaneously maximize theoretical virtues of generality, realism and precision (Levins, 1966, 1968a,b). A 'virtue trade-off' must be made if models are to be useful for understanding,...

This chapter examines the recent renaissance of urban agriculture in North America, asking whether this is leading to enduring landscapes and socio-economic changes or, like past movements, is transitory in nature. Recent North American urban agricultural movements began in the 1960s with the...

Topics discussed in this chapter include the ecological theory and ecology of turfgrass management.

This chapter describes the history and development of areawide pest management (AWPM), the ecological theory and models supporting (AWPM), and the management of insect resistance. AWPM programmes, including eradication programmes, have provided some outstanding successes both in cost effectiveness...

This chapter considers the relationships of plant-pest-natural enemy (PPNE) interactions to vegetation. It pays special attention to examples from crop-grassland/shrubland landscapes to complement previous reviews and perspectives on crop-woodland and -forest landscapes. A review of landscape...

This paper aims to present recent progress in landscape ecology concerning the influence of plant cover structure on water cycling. Topics covered include: (1) the influence of water shortages on landscape structure; (2) the drivers of water cycling; (3) water recycling and storage at the landscape ...