For more than 20 years insect/plant relations have been a focus for studies in ecology and evolution. The importance of insects as crop pests, and the great potential of insects for the biological control of weeds, have provided further impetus for work in this area. All this attention has resulted in books on various aspects of the topic, and reviews and research papers are abundant. So why write another book? It seems to us that, in the midst of all this activity, behavior has been neglected. We do not mean to suggest that there have not been admirable papers on behavior. The fact that we can write this book attests to that. But we feel that, too often, behavior is relegated to a back seat. In comparison to the major ecological and evolutionary questions, it may seem trivial. Yet the whole process of host-plant selection and host-plant specificity amongst insects depends on behavior, and selection for behavioral differences must be a prime factor in the evolution of host-plant specificity. In writing this book, we hope to draw attention to this central role of behavior and, hopefully, encourage a few students to attack some of the very difficult questions that remain unanswered.

Preference to oviposition and antibiosis mechanism to jassids (Amrasca devastans Dist.) in cotton (Gossypium sp.).- Studies on the induction of food preference in alfalfa ladybird, Subcoccinella 24-punctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).- Feeding and nutrition of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), with special reference to amino acids.- The ability of Locusta migratoria L. to perceive plant surface waxes.- Antifeedant properties of seedling grasses.- A critical review of the methodology and interpretation of experiments designed to assay the phagostimulatory activity of chemicals to.

Herbivorous Insects: Host-Seeking Behavior and Mechanisms addresses mechanisms of searching behavior leading ultimately to host location of herbivorous insects. It is divided into four sections, wherein the first two sections deal with neurophysiology and the diversity of behavioral induction cues. The third section covers the searching mechanisms as affected by insects' breadth of diet. The last part examines the evolutionary analysis of the behavioral and physiological adaptations in insect/host plant relations. This book starts with an introduction to the chemical sensory system as it relates to host selection in general. This is followed by considerable discussions on host-seeking behavior and allied patterns in behavior. This text also includes the study of oviposition behavior in butterflies belonging to Papilionidae. The third section presents host selection and colonization by three insects within the saprophage-predator continuum, namely, Hylurgopinus rufipes, Scolytus multistriatus, and Pissodes strobi. The behaviors by which certain oligophagous insects locate and select food plants are also considered. The concluding part addresses the unifying theme and the diversity of responses of phytophagous insects to plants. The book provides direction toward developing a unifying theme and improving the ability to unravel the complexities of insect/plant interactions. Behaviorists, ecologists, entomologists, evolutionary biologists, and physiologists will find this book invaluable.

Introduction; Insect-plant interaction; Host-plant selection in Phytophagous insects; Mechanisms of resistance; Biochemistry of resistance; Factors affecting expression of resistance; Resistance programme; Genetics of resistance; Plant resistance in pest management.

In the study of the physiological basis of animal behavior Vince Dethier has been a pioneer, a guiding star. Although his own work has centered on the blowfly and the caterpillar, his interests and influence have spread far beyond the insects. The breadth of this impact is indicated by the contributions from colleagues and former students in this volume. These papers were originally presented at a meeting to honor Vince's 70th birthday held at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in May 1985. It was attended by friends and col leagues of all ages from many parts of the world. However, the picture presented by these papers is not the whole story. What it does not show is the extent of Vince's interest and influence beyond the rigorous, though friendly, atmosphere of the research laboratory. His idyllic summers in Maine have produced studies on the natural history of feeding by insects culminating in The Tent Makers, with more to come. In these studies we see his real love and, dare we say, understanding of the insect. Vince Dethier is not concerned simply with reaching the established scientist. In To Know a Fly he reaches out to those just beginning, perhaps even to those who will never begin, and provides insight both to the experimentalist's approach and to the fun of research. His sense of fun and his elegant, fluent writing have given us, too, his tongue-in-cheek fictional writings for children of all ages.