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Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
 
Research Project: BIOLOGICALLY-BASED TECHNOLOGIES FOR MANAGEMENT OF CROP INSECT PESTS IN LOCAL AND AREA-WIDE PROGRAMS

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research Unit

Title: New experimental techniques for studying root herbivores

Authors
item Mankin, Richard
item Johnson, S - SCOTTISH CROP RES. INST.
item Grinev, D - SIMBIOS, UNIV OF AB DUNDE
item Gregory, P - SCOTTISH CROP RES. INST.

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: November 16, 2007
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Citation: Mankin, R.W., Johnson, S.N., Grinev, D.V., Gregory, P.J. 2008. New experimental techniques for studying root herbivores. In: Johnson, S.N., Murray, P.J. editorss. Root Feeders: an ecosystem perspective. Oxon, UK: CABI. p.30-43.

Technical Abstract: Relatively less is known about belowground ground herbivores than their aboveground counterparts . This is largely because root-feeding herbivores live in the soil, an opaque, tri-phasic medium, which makes them harder to study and perhaps less perceptible as key components of many terrestrial ecosystems. Conventional methods for studying root herbivores have proved successful for unraveling a number of aspects of belowground herbivory, but these techniques frequently still have a 'black box' characteristic to them. In this chapter, we focus on recent developments for non-invasively studying root herbivores, both in the field (acoustic detection) and the laboratory (X-ray tomography).

     
Last Modified: 05/21/2013