Bee Pollination in Agricultural Eco-systems

Rosalind James, Theresa L. Pitts-Singer (Autoren)

Buch | Hardcover

248 Seiten

2008
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-531695-7 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

For many agricultural crops, bees play a vital role as pollinators, and this book discusses the interplay among bees, agriculture and the environment. Although honey bees are well recognized as pollinators, managed bumble bees and solitary bees are also critical for the successful pollination of certain crops, while wild bees provide a free service. As bees liberally pass pollen from one plant to the next, they also impact the broader ecosystem, and not always to the benefit of humankind. Bees can enhance the unintentional spread of genes from genetically engineered plants, and may increase the spread of invasive weeds. Conversely, genetically engineered plants can impact pollinators, and invasive weeds can supply new sources of food for these insects. Bees' flower-visiting activities also can be exploited to help spread biological control agents that control crop pests, and they are important for native plant reproduction. Managing bees for pollination is complex and factors that must take into consideration are treated here including bee natural history, physiology, pathology, and behavior. Furthermore, transporting bees from native ranges to new areas for pollination services can be controversial, and needs to be done only after assuring that it will not disrupt various ecosystems. Even though bees are small, unobtrusive creatures, they play large roles in the ecosystem. The connection between bees and humankind also is symbolic of a broader interconnection between humans and the natural world.

Rosalind R. James is Research Leader of the USDA Agricultural Research Services Pollinating Insect Biology, Systematics, and Management Research Unit in Logan, Utah. Theresa L. Pitts-Singer is a Research Entomologist in the USDA Agricultural Research Services Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory in Logan, Utah.

Foreword by Chris OToole ; SECTION 1: BEES AS POLLINATORS AND MORE IN AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS ; Chapter 1 - Introduction: Bees in Nature and on the Farm (Theresa L. Pitts-Singer and Rosalind R. James) ; Chapter 2 - Crop Pollination Services from Wild Bees (Claire Kremen) ; Chapter 3 - Crop Pollination in Greenhouses (Jose M. Guerra-Sanz) ; Chapter 4 - Pollinating-Bees Crucial to Farming Wildflower Seed for U.S. Habitat Restoration (James H. Cane) ; Chapter 5 - Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol: New Alliances Between Old Friends (Peter G. Kevan, Jean-Pierre Kapongo, Mohammad Al-mazraawi, and Les Shipp) ; SECTION 2: MANAGING SOLITARY BEES ; Chapter 6 - Ecophysiology of the Life Cycle in Osmia Mason Bees Used as Crop Pollinators (Jordi Bosch, Fabio Sgolastra, William P. Kemp) ; Chapter 7 - Past and Present Management of Alfalfa Bees (Theresa L. Pitts-Singer) ; Chapter 8 - The Problem of Disease When Domesticating Bees (Rosalind R. James) ; SECTION 3: ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH BEES ; Chapter 9 - Environmental Impact of Exotic Bees Introduced for Crop Pollination (Carlos H. Vergara) ; Chapter 10 - Invasive Exotic Plant-Bee Interactions (Karen Goodell) ; Chapter 11 - Estimating the Potential for Bee-Mediated Gene Flow in Genetically-Modified (GM) Crops (James E. Cresswell) ; Chapter 12 - Genetically Modified Crops: Effects on Bees and Pollination (Lora A. Morandin) ; Chapter 13 - The Future of Agricultural Pollination (Rosalind James and Theresa Pitts-Singer)

Erscheint lt. Verlag	28.8.2008
Zusatzinfo	14 halftones, 11 line illustrations
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	236 x 157 mm
Gewicht	454 g
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Botanik
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie
ISBN-10	0-19-531695-9 / 0195316959
ISBN-13	978-0-19-531695-7 / 9780195316957
Zustand	Neuware