Entomology at the Land Grant University

Cover

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Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

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Contents

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pp. vii-viii

Preface

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pp. ix-xii

Entomology departments, which form a component of all Colleges of Agriculture within Land Grant institutions in the United States, have acted as either catalysts for change or as resultant examples of these changes in agricultural science and technology. Departments...

Acknowledgments

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pp. xiii-xiv

This book is the outcome of a series of symposia held at Texas A&M University during the spring and fall semesters 1999. The symposia were part of a yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Department of Entomology. The success of the events surrounding the celebration was made...

Part I: Entomology: Fulfilling the Land Grant University Mission

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pp. 1-2

1. Contributions of Entomology to the Mission of the Twenty-First-Century Land Grant University

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pp. 3-13

The major challenge facing a twenty-first-century Department of Entomology in a Land Grant University (LGU) is to remain relevant in a changing environment. To remain relevant as departments we must continuously adapt. To do this successfully, we must know where our science is going, where the LGU is going, and where society in general is going. All of these entities...

2. Entomology: A Major Component of Pest Management at the University of California in the Twenty-First Century

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pp. 14-23

Let me set the stage for my comments by saying that my administrative experience at one of the three land grant institutions of the University of California occurred five to ten years ago when the University of California was going through one of its worst financial crises since the Great Depression. As Dean...

3. The Texas A&M University Department of Entomology: A Model of Commitment to the Land Grant University Mission

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pp. 24-34

Thank you for inviting me to join with you in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. We are here to celebrate the many achievements of those 100 years--the education of generations of young people, scientific advances in...

Part II: The Multiple Roles of Entomology Departments: Past, Present, and Future

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pp. 35-36

4. The Three-Function Department of Entomology: Is It Really Suited or Ideally Suited for the Next Century?

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pp. 37-46

There undoubtedly are many challenges facing departments of entomology today. Budgetary constraints, departments becoming smaller in size, attempting to do more with less, and mergers with other departments are just a few of these challenges. In this chapter I will present my views as to how I...

5. Integration of Entomology Research,Teaching, and Extension: The Past, Present, and Future at the University of Florida

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pp. 47-55

Over the past century, land grant institutions have struggled with the need to provide separate federal accounting for the research, teaching, and extension programs, and yet to blend these resources efficiently into an overall program that best meets the needs of America's citizens. Following is a brief...

6. Strengthening a Department of Entomology through Integrating Teaching, Research, and Extension Functions

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pp. 56-62

The Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University has undergone significant self-evaluation and positive change over the last five to ten years. Much of this change is attributable to the faculty addressing entomological needs as a corporate body with greater knowledge of the functional teaching...

Part III: Development and Delivery of Science-Based Knowledge to the Public

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pp. 63-64

7. Science and Stakeholders: New, Traditional, and Nontraditional Ways of Doing Business

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pp. 65-79

Scientific breakthroughs are occurring with incredible speed. Those of us who work in Entomology can appreciate the powerful new discoveries being made that influence the way we now look at insect populations and their management. Discoveries at the molecular level already permit control of insect pests...

8. Taking the University to the People: The Changing Role of Extension Entomology

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pp. 80-91

Teaching, research, and extension, these are the missions of the Department of Entomology. While the nature of teaching and research are well understood and indeed practiced by both students and faculty within the department, extension activities and programs are less familiar to most. This is due...

9. Technology Transfer: The Art and Science

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pp. 92-104

The land grant university concept, developed in the nineteenth century and formally established in 1862, was one of the greatest and most valuable concepts ever conceived. I believe that it is as relevant today as it was then. Dr. Ed Hiler, Texas A&M University Vice Chancellor for Agriculture...

10. Adoption of IPM by End-Users: Methods and Motivation

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pp. 105-116

What motivates an end-user to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles and practices? We believe that there are many forces leading to adoption besides the knowledge and methods developed in the science-based programs of land grant universities. Is the adoption rate affected significantly...

Part IV: Entomology: A Model for Pest Management Research and for the Advancement of Science

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pp. 117-118

11. Ecological Theory and Biological Control of Insect Pests

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pp. 119-126

The Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University has played an important role in the development of many areas of entomology that have benefited society, including the area of pest control, which will be my main topic. The area of entomology I will discuss is population ecology, and...

12. Metapopulations, Fragmentation, and Connectivity: Implications for Insect Populations

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pp. 127-141

The role of space in molding patterns and processes has lately moved to the forefront of ecology (Hanski and Simberloff, 1997). It is seen as a crucial aspect of more powerful theories at the gene, individual, population, and community levels, and fieldwork on spatial matters is seen as a major challenge...

13. Coevolution of Resistance and Virulence in Host-Parasitoid Interactions

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pp. 142-164

The study of the coevolutionary interaction between organisms and their natural enemies, particularly their parasites and pathogens, is an extremely active area of contemporary evolutionary biology. Because hosts and prey are often under strong natural selection to avoid predation and disease, and because...

14. A New Look at the Coevolution of the Insect-Plant Relationship and Its Relevance to Agriculture

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pp. 165-192

When someone brings up a discussion of the relationship between insects and plants, the first thing that comes to the mind of most people, including entomologists, is the interaction between plants and their insect pests. In fact, departments of entomology were developed in land grant institutions as a...

Part V: Entomology: A Science for All Society

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pp. 193-194

15. Celluloid Entomology

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pp. 195-206

As a science, entomology is about the pursuit of knowledge; in conducting their science, entomologists are daily involved in ascertaining facts about insects. But entomology is not just for scientists and, in reality, never has been just for scientists. Insect biology has been the inspiration for all manner...

16. Our War with the Insects: Analysis of Lost Battles

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pp. 207-223

Military metaphors are often used to describe our attempts to suppress or manage arthropod populations. Titles of both lay and scientific articles relating to arthropod suppression often include military terms such as battle (Bueckert, 1992), campaign (Daniel, 1990), defense (Anonymous, 1991), enemy...

17. Entomology Courses: Conduits for Educating the Public about Science

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pp. 224-236

Entomologists are uniquely positioned to teach the public about science for a number of obvious reasons. In terms of numbers of species, insects are the largest group of animals by far. They also are among the most abundant in terms of sheer numbers. Because of the great numbers and often-spectacular...

Part VI: Global Issues in Entomology: Human Health, Biodiversity, and Sustainability

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pp. 237-238

18. Viruses, Vectors, and Virus Vectors

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pp. 239-251

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria, filariasis, leishmaniasis, dengue, and yellow fever, are major causes of morbidity and mortality in humans, and new arthropod-borne diseases continue to emerge (Gubler, 1998; Gratz, 1999). The morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases can be...

19. Insects: Ambassadors for Biodiversity Conversation

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pp. 252-263

Insects are an immensely successful life form, with about 8 million species (Hammond, 1992). However, as so little is known about marine invertebrates, it is difficult to say what percentage of global species biodiversity this represents. A figure just over 56 percent is one estimate (Hammond, 1992). If just...

20. How Can Entomology Contribute to Sustainable Crop Protection?

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pp. 264-277

The word insect is often considered synonymous to the term "noxious organism," Insects are regularly mentioned as harmful, cruel, and dangerous creatures. Upon asking people to list insect names, they will commonly start with pestiferous species---mosquitoes, flies, wasps, locusts, and ants. Beneficial...

21. Sustainable Pest Management for Global Food Security: Examples of Approaches in Africa

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pp. 278-302

Food security issues are a matter of concern to governments of developing and developed countries as they affect, although in very different ways, both groups of countries. The need to produce more and better food at the right place and at an affordable price is paramount to achieving world peace and...

Part VII: The Future of Entomological Research

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pp. 303-304

22. Evolutionary Pest Management: An Approach to the Twenty-First Century

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pp. 305-315

The concept of pattern or regularity is basic to science, nature, and agriculture. Since pattern implies some sort of repetition, its existence means that some prediction or explanation is possible. This explanation often takes the form of a mechanism that is consistent with the pattern. However, within the...

23. Genetic Engineering of Insects: Current and Future Applications

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pp. 316-327

The ability to genetically engineer and manipulate insect species holds great promise for the fields of agriculture and medicine. Genetic transformation technology will dramatically enhance our ability to investigate the basic biology of a number of insect species. This new information will undoubtedly...

24. Driving Forces for Target-Based Insecticide Design in the Twenty-First Century

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pp. 328-338

As we look to the future of entomological research, one valid question is to ask whether synthetic insecticides are going to be used or replaced by other means of pest control in the next century. If we agree that synthetic insecticides are key for the success of modern agriculture and to preserve public health...

Contributors

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pp. 339-341