Chandrashekara, K and Gadagkar, R (1995) A Review of - Functional Dynamics of Phytophagous Insects (Ed.) T.N. Ananthakrishnan, Oxford and IBH, New Delhi (1994). In: Current Science, 69 (5). pp. 470-471.
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Abstract
Functional Dynamics of Phytophagous Insects. T. N. Ananthakrishnan, ed. Oxford & IBH, 66, Janpath, New Delhi 110 001. 1994. viii+ 304 pp. Price: Rs 550. One-third of a million insect species are known to be phytophagous and constitute one-quarter of all living beings1 The number of recorded lepidopteran species alone, whf ch are mostly phytophagous, is one order of magnitude greater than all species of birds and mammals put together - a ~taggering diversity which continues to overwhelm entomologists. The obvious success of phytophagy as a mode of life for insects testifies to their triumph in the evolutionary battle against plants. But plants have not been silent victims of insect onslaught either. They have waged their own evolutionary battle and what one sees today is a dynamic equilibrium in a continuing race. Interactions between insects and their host plants were first put into a comprehensive evolutionary perspective by Ehrlich and Raven's2 classic paper, which triggered off an intense flurry of research activity. So strong has been its influence that almost all of plant morphology and plant secondary chemistry have since been attributed to selective pressure exerted by phytophagous insects. The book under review, coming close on the heels of another landmark publication in this area3, is a laudable attempt at summarizing the mind-boggling literature on ecological and evolutionary aspects of insect-plant interactions.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Current Science |
| Publisher: | Indian Academy of Sciences |
| Additional Information: | copyright to this article belongs to the Indian Academcy of Sciences |
| Keywords: | Book review, Phytophagous insects, Plant allelochemicals, Geographic variation |
| Department/Centre: | Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2021 06:34 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2021 06:34 |
| URI: | http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/68051 |
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