Invertebrate Conservation and Agricultural Ecosystems

This account explores how to promote biodiversity without compromising agricultural production in highly managed agricultural ecosystems.

T. R. New (Author)

9780521825030, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 31 March 2005

368 pages, 68 b/w illus. 54 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.732 kg

"Many researchers and practitioners in the fields of ecology and pest management will find Invertebrate Conservation and Agricultural Ecosystems to be worthwhile reading. It may also be useful as a textbook in conservation biology or an advanced ecology course, as assigned reading in a graduate colloquium, and as supplemental reading for a landscape ecology class. With its numerous examples and up-to-date citations, the book makes a useful reference and deserves to be on the bookshelves of applied ecologists who are working to devise, test, and implement agricultural practices that combine sound pest management with the preservation of invertebrate biodiversity."
Louis S. Hesler, Entomological Society of America

Invertebrate Conservation and Agricultural Ecosystems explores the diverse interests of invertebrate conservation and agricultural production. It is both an introduction to invertebrate conservation biology for agriculturists and an introduction to crop protection for conservation biologists, demonstrating how these two disparate fields may draw on each other for greater collective benefit. It draws on recent literature to show how invertebrate conservation in highly altered landscapes may be promoted and enhanced. The book deals with problems of, and approaches to, invertebrate conservation in highly managed agricultural ecosystems, and how biodiversity may be promoted without compromising agricultural production. It draws attention to the importance of invertebrates in agricultural systems and their role in ecosystem functions.

1. Introduction: agricultural ecosystems and conservation
2. Agriculture and biodiversity: the place of invertebrates
3. Agriculture: effects on invertebrate diversity and conservation
4. Agricultural disturbances: diversity and effects on invertebrates
5. Biological control and invertebrate conservation
6. Cultural aspects of pest management
7. Extending beyond cropping areas
8. Field margins and landscape ecology
9. Pasture management and conservation
10. Toward more holistic management for invertebrates
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Agricultural science [TVB], Conservation of wildlife & habitats [RNKH], Zoology: Invertebrates [PSVT], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]