In more detail than has previously been available, this book comprehensively covers all the various mechanisms of caste differentiation in social insects. For the first time the most recent information regarding mechanisms of caste differentiation in higher termites has been compiled in a well illustrated volume, together with comparative discussion of the whole range of social insects, including bees, ants and wasps.

The Ecology of Social Behavior explores the relationships between ecology and the origins and maintenance of social behavior. The chapters in this book suggest that a consideration of ecological factors is necessary to any paradigm that tries to explain the origins and maintenance of social behavior. Most also suggest that there are some trade-offs between ecology, genetics, and phylogeny in the development and persistence of specific social systems. The book is organized into five parts. Part I provides an overview of the main themes covered in the present volume. Part II contains papers on ecological interactions, including variation in group sizes of forest primates, group foraging, and the origin of monogamy in mammals and fishes. Part III examines the ecology of social mammals. These include the ecological conditions for philopatry and the relationship of habitat variability to sociality in yellow-bellied marmots. Part IV focuses on the ecology of social birds while Part V deals with the ecology of social arthropods.

This volume includes 370 papers presented by leading scientists at the 11th International Congress of IUSSI at Bangalore, from August 5-11, 1990. The papers which have been classified into 30 sections relate to the symposia papers of the Congress. These cover various frontiers of research on social insects such as evolution of sociality, polygyny, social polymorphism, kin-recognition, kin- selection, foraging strategies, reproductive strategies, biogeography and phylogenetics of bees and ants pollination ecology and management of pestiferous social insects. The most important feature about these papers in this publication is that the results are presented in a crisp, brief and precise manner. Because of the brevity it has been possible to bring together, in one publication, almost all aspects of research on social insects from all parts of the world. The time between presentation of papers at a Congress and publication has been avoided by publishing this volume on the eve of the Congress and this enables scientists to refer to the results immediately.

The book is a new compendium in which leading termite scientists review the advances of the last 30 years in our understanding of phylogeny, fossil records, relationships with cockroaches, social evolution, nesting, behaviour, mutualisms with archaea, protists, bacteria and fungi, nutrition, energy metabolism,population and community ecology, soil conditioning, greenhouse gas production and pest status.

A number of excellent textbooks on general ecology are currently available but‚ to date‚ none have been dedicated to the study of soil ecology. This is important because the soil‚ as the ‘epidermis’ of our planet‚ is the major component of the terrestrial biosphere. In the present age‚ it is difficult to understand how one could be interested in general ecology without having some knowledge of the soil and further‚ to study the soil without taking into account its biological components and ecological setting. It is this deficiency that the two authors‚ Patrick Lavelle and Alister Spain‚ have wished to address in writing their text. A reading of this work‚ entitled ‘Soil Ecology’‚ shows it to be very complete and extremely innovative in its conceptual plan. In addition‚ it follows straightforwardly through a development which unfolds over four substantial chapters. Firstly‚ the authors consider the soil as a porous and finely divided medium of b- organomineral origin‚ whose physical structure and organisation foster the development of a multitude of specifically adapted organisms (microbial communities‚ roots of higher plants‚ macro-invertebrates).