Biotic Factors - Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems

Agriculture Reference

In-Depth Information

the level of crop populations, crop communities, whole

agroecosystems, and the landscape in Chapter 13 through

Chapter 19.

Darwin, C. 1979. The Illustrated Origin of Species . Abridged

and Introduced by R.E. Leakey. Hill and Wang: New

York. A classic of scientific literature, presented in a

very readable and beautifully illustrated manner; relates

Darwin's hypothesis to the scientific advances of recent

years, with a focus on species interactions.

Daubenmire, R.F. 1974. Plants and Environment . Second

edition. John Wiley and Sons: New York. The classic

textbook of autecology, with several chapters that

emphasize the role of biotic interactions as factors in the

environment.

Grace, J.B. and D. Tilman (eds.) 2003. Perspectives on Plant

Competition . The Blackburn Press: Caldwell, New Jer-

sey. A compilation of research reports and reviews on

the concept of competition in ecosystems.

Herrera, C.M. and O. Pellmyr, (eds.) 2002. Plant-Animal Interac-

tions: An Evolutionary Approach. Blackwell Science:

Oxford, UK. A text covering the role of plant-animal inter-

actions in the evolution and conservation of biodiversity.

Inderjit and A.U. Mallik, 2002. Chemical Ecology of Plants:

Allelopathy in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems .

Birkhauser Verlag: Switzerland. A current review of

research methods and approaches for the study of allel-

opathy in plants, with sections devoted specifically to

the role of allelopathy in agriculture.

Kohli, R.K., H.P. Singh, and D.R. Batish. 2001. Allelopathy in

Agroecosystems . Food Products Press (imprint of The

Howarth Press, Inc.): New York. A collection of

research reports and reviews on how plant-produced

chemicals can play important ecological roles in agro-

ecosystems, with many suggestions for future research

and application.

Lars, C. and J.D. Thomson (eds.) 2001. Cognitive Ecology of

Pollination: Animal Behaviour and Floral Evolution.

Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. A com-

pilation of contributions from scholars in various disci-

plines working on pollination biology.

Radosevich, S., J. Holt, and C. Ghersa, 1997. We e d E c o l o g y :

Implications for Management . Second Edition. John

Wiley & Sons: New York.

Rice, E.L. 1984. Allelopathy . 2nd ed. Academic Press: Orlando,

Florida. The key reference on the ecological significance

of allelopathy in both natural and managed ecosystems.

Tow, P.G., and A. Lazenby. 2001. Competition and Succession

in Pastures. CABI Publishing: Oxfordshire, UK. A vol-

ume describing competition and succession of plants in

grasslands and grazed pastures of several continents.

van der Heijden, M.G.A. and Ian R. Sanders (eds.) 2003.

Mycorrhizal Ecology . Ecological Studies 157.

Springer-Verlag: New York. An overview of research

on mycorrhizal ecology, including mycorrhizal types,

multitrophic interactions, biodiversity, and ecosystem

functioning.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Describe a situation where an organism appears

to be competing for a specific space in the envi-

ronment, but actually is competing for limited

or potentially limiting resources in that space.

Why is the organism-environment-organism

model for understanding the mechanisms of

biotic interactions of such great potential impor-

tance for designing sustainable agroecosystems?

Describe a situation that you have seen in which

allelopathy plays an important role in the devel-

opment of an alternative strategy for weed man-

agement in an agroecosystem.

How do you differentiate between the influence

of an abiotic factor on an organism and the influ-

ence of another organism on that organism?

What are some of the ways of avoiding com-

petition in a crop ecosystem?

INTERNET RESOURCES

International Allelopathy Society

www-ias.uca.es

Information on allelopathy research, publica-

tions, and meetings.