Genetics, Evolution and Biological Control

Main Description
This book has been developed from the keynote addresses delivered at the third IOBC International Symposium (co-organized with CILBA) that was held in Montpellier in October 2002, to address recent developments in genetics and evolutionary biology as applied to biological control.
Chapters are organized around the following themes:
• Genetic structure of pest and natural enemy populations
• Molecular diagnostic tools in biological control
• Tracing the origin of pests and natural enemies
• Predicting evolutionary change in pests and natural enemies
• Compatibility of transgenic crops and natural enemies
• Genetic manipulation of natural enemies.
The authors identify new issues for each of the major approaches in applied biological control. These include the (1) use of molecular genetics to trace the origin of target pests in classical biological control, (2) potential of mass-reared, transgenic agents in augmentative biological control, and (3) compatibility of transgenic crops and natural enemies in conservational biological control.

Reviews
• "Not only readers dealing with biological control in plant management, but also geneticists, molecular biologists, ecologists, evolutionists, entomologists or mycologists can find much new valuable information in this interesting book."
M Suvak, Thaiszia Journal of Botany, Vol 14(2), 2004

Main Contents
• Genetic structure of natural plant and pathogen populations, J J Burdon and P H Thrall, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia
• Measuring genetic variation in natural enemies used for biological control: why and how? E Wajnberg, INRA, France
• Molecular systematics, Chalcidoidea and biological control, J Heraty, University of California, USA
• Genetic markers in rust fungi and their application to weed biocontrol, K J Evans, Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, Australia and D R Gomez, University of Adelaide, Australia
• Tracing the origin of pests and natural enemies: genetic and statistical approaches, G K Roderick, University of California, USA
• Tracing the origin of cryptic insect pests and vectors, and their natural enemies, J K Brown, University of Arizona, USA
• Predicting evolutionary change in invasive, exotic plants and its consequences for plant-herbivore interactions, H Mόller-Schδrer and T Steinger, Universitι de Fribourg, Swizterland
• Experimental evolution in host-parasitoid interactions, A R Kraaijeveld, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, UK
• Interactions between natural enemies and transgenic insecticidal crops, J J Obrycki, Iowa State University, USA, J R Ruberson, University of Georgia, USA and J E Losey, Cornell University, USA
• The GMO guidelines project: development of international scientific environmental biosafety testing guidelines for transgenic plants, A Hilbeck, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, (ETH), Switzerland and the Steering Comittee of the GMO Guildlines Project
• Genetic manipulation of natural enemies: can we improve biological control by manipulating the parasitoid and/or the plant? G M Poppy, University of Southampton, UK and W Powell, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
• Sex-ratio distorters and other selfish genetic elements: implications for biological control, R Stouthamer, University of California, USA