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Book Reviews
Handbook of Pesticide
Toxicology, Vol. 1,2,
and 3
W. J. Hayes and E. P. Laws [eds.]
Academic Press, San Diego, 1990
1576 pp., $395 (three-volume set)
ISBN 0-12-334161-2
(Vol. 1)
ISBN 0-12-334162-0
(Vol. 2)
ISBN 0-12-334163-9
(Vol. 3)
T
HE HANDBOOK
of Pesticide Toxicology (henceforth referred to as the
handbook) is concerned primarily with
the threat of individual pesticides to nontarget organisms. Edited by two members of
faculty in medical schools, the handbook is
a welcome addition to the reference library
of poison control centers, physicians, veterinarians, and toxicologists.
However, it contains only a minimal
amount of information about mode of action
of specific pesticides on their target pests.
This is unfortunate. If the handbook would
have prefaced each related group of pesticides with a description of their mode of
action against their target pests, then it could
have been titled The Comprehensive Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology. This added
information on mode of action in target pests
would have made the handbook useful to
agricultural extension specialists, and as a
consequence, would have increased the i1Umber of copies sold vastly.
The handbook is sold as a three-volume
set. Volume 1 is devoted to general topics
common to all toxic pesticides, such as dosage, metabolism, mechanism of action, and
cases of human, domestic, and wild animal
exposure to pesticides. A particularly wellwritten chapter by Edward R. Laws, Jr., addresses diagnosis and treatment of pesticide
poisoning. On the other hand, volumes 2 and
3 deal with specific compounds or groups of
related pesticides.
The three volumes share a complete indexing system. Contributors to the handbook were selected from a range of backgrounds: universities, private industry, and
government agencies. In addition, the handbook is current: the most recent citations are
from 1990. Complete citations are given for
the references, which adds to the value of
the handbook as a reference book.
The first chapter of volume 2 (chapter 12)
covers inorganic and organometal pesticides.
Many of these, such as the mercury-, lead-,
244
and arsenic-containing compounds, are no
longer sold in the United States; however,
they still are used in some areas of the world.
The handbook's treatment of these is excellent. Chapter 13 is devoted to pesticides derived from plants and other organisms. The
majority of this chapter is devoted to pyrethrum, rotenone, and nicotine. I was disappointed that there was no information on
azadirachtin or ryania, given their increased
use by organic gardeners.
Chapter 14 deals with infrequently used
farm chemicals such as methyl bromide and
hydrogen cyanide. The following chapter is
an excellent review of perhaps the most researched group of pesticides, DDT and related chlorinated hydrocarbons. Chapter 16
provides extensive information on some of
the most acutely toxic pesticides, the organic
phosphorus (OP) compounds. A considerable amount of text is devoted to general
toxicological information (the best such coverage since Eto [1979]) and each OP pesticide
is addressed individually.
The first chapter of volume 3 concerns
carbamate pesticides that share their mode
of action with the OP's. General toxicological information about carbamates is lacking,
and readers should rely on Kuhr & Dorough
(1976). Chapter 18 covers general nitro-phenolic biocides used as wood preservatives,
herbicides, and insecticides. Chapters 19 and
21 address rodenticides and fungicides. And
Chapter 22 treats major pesticides not covered in the other chapters.
Herbicide coverage is minimal: Only two
of twenty-two chapters are devoted to this
most commonly used group of pesticides.
Diuron is the only representative of some
twenty commercial urea herbicides. What is
perhaps the most notorious herbicide, 2,4,5T,
and its contaminant TCDD (dioxin), are given thirty-three pages of text. The most common herbicide used to inflict suicide, Paraquat, received twenty-one pages of text. If I
were a patient who had been poisoned by
Paraquat accidentally I would want my physician to have access to this handbook. lt
provides two full pages of information on
this subject. However, its opening sentence
states, "No specific treatment for paraquat
poisoning is known."
Although the handbook concentrates on
pesticides, several farm chemicals such as
kerosene and sodium dichromate (a cotton
defoliant) are discussed, also. However, a
growth regulator such as Alar (daminozide),
which caused much public clamor in 1989,
is not mentioned.
Each pesticide is identified by its common
name, scientific name, trade names, Chemical
Abstract Service number, and structure.
Physical and chemical properties are described as extensively as in the Merck Index.
A paragraph is devoted to history and current
uses. The remaining text varies according to
the particular pesticide, but most entries include information on toxicity to laboratory
animals, absorption, transport, distribution
and storage, metabolism, excretion, biochemical effects, specific effects attributable
to its mode of action, mutation and carcinogenesis, effects on reproduction, pathology, and treatment of poisoned animals or
humans. This handbook is indeed a wealth
of information.
John J. Brown
Department of Entomology
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
Plant-Animal
Interactions: Evolutionary
Ecology in Tropical and
Temperate Regions
Peter W. Price, Thomas M. Lewinsohn,
G. Wilson Fernandes, and Woodruff W.
Benson [eds.]
Wiley, New York, 1991
639 pp., $125
ISBN 0-471-50937-X
A
LTHOUGH THE TITLE of this book
encompasses all animals, all chapters
(with one exception) deal partly or
exclusively with plant-insect or plant-mite
interactions. It is an appropriate title though,
because the contributions address far more
than insect-specific properties; they tackle
major questions in evolutionary ecology,
many of which are simply most readily studied using insects.
As the editors point out in the introduction, the study of tropical organisms left lasting impressions on some of the naturalist explorers of the Victorian heyday - impressions
that were to contribute heavily to the foundations of evolutionary biology. Both Darwin and Wallace got many of their seminal
insights toward the formulation of evolution
by natural selection from their work in the
AMERICAN
ENTOMOLOGIST
tropics. In addition, Wallace laid the foundations for biogeography from his studies on
the Malay Peninsula. Fritz Muller and H. W.
Bates developed the concepts of Mullerian
and Batesian mimicry based on tropical Lepidoptera (and, incidentally, in the process
provided the first strong case for natural selection). The list of important studies easily
could be made longer.
Given these bountiful harvests to evolutionary biology starting with the voyage of
the Beagle, it is a peculiar fact that ecologists
largely abandoned the tropics from about
1930 to the mid-1960s. The authors suggest
that this hiatus may have resulted from an
emphasis on non evolutionary questions, removing many of the advantages that come
with tropical diversity. As tropical biology
re-emerged, it coincided with the establishment of field stations for teaching and research in Mesoamerica. Thus commenced a
steady output of biologists that have caught
the "tropical bug." Since that time there are
also growing cadres of native tropical biologists.
This renewed interest in tropical biology
came at a time when ecology was a discipline
in rapid development, and plant-animal interactions were becoming a central part of
it. Issues such as diversity, specialization, co-
evolution, competition,
and community
structure were already on the table and have
remained there ever since (with relative newcomers such as mutualism added). The present book reflects this diversity of subjects
well. Its inception can be traced ro a 1988
symposium in Campinas, Brazil, and it contains twenty-seven chapters, written by fortynine authors. In a first section, several chapters compare patterns between temperate and
tropical regions; What factors need we invoke to account for the striking richness of
the tropics? Do degrees of specialization differ, are competition levels different between
regions? Is herbivory more common in the
tropics? Do anti herbivory defenses differ?
These papers not only poke at some dogmas
of ecology but also, like most of the other
papers in the volume, search to identify unifying patterns in a sometimes bewildering diversity.
Many subsequent chapters address particular plant-insect systems, and they typically
provide detailed accounts that eventually lead
ro conclusions of general importance. However, in a few rare exceptions, the amount
of (admittedly fascinating) detailed natural
hisrory overwhelms the punch line of the paper. This is certainly not ro say that detail
should be avoided. On the contrary, without
knowing enough detail we risk being taken
in by statistical patterns whose biological basis and significance are not understood.
Major developments in evolutionary ecology in recent years are well represented in
the book: for example, macroevolutionary
aspects of interactions are addressed using
phylogenetic analysis, and ecological genetics
is shown making inroads on issues such as
host specificity. For some well-studied systems, we now begin ro understand how factors such as life history, phytochemistry,
community context, and phylogenetic constraints interact ro generate complex patterns.
The individual chapters are too numerous
ro mention, but major sections are devoted
to mutualism (plant-frugivore and ant-plant),
antagonism (herbivore specificity, diversity,
and its effect on the host), and community
structure (in natural habitats and agroecosystems). A special section is devoted ro plantbutterAy interactions, which seems particularly appropriate given their prominence in
the studies of the old naturalist explorers. I
want ro give special praise ro a beautifully
written and argued chapter in that section
that demonstrate the continued utility of
plant-butterfly associations in modern biology. Larry Gilbert's twenty-year commit-
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ment to studies of Heliconius butterflies
demonstrates how attention to the manifold
aspects of natural history, community structure, physiology, genetics, and systematics of
a given group provides a depth of understanding of their ecology and evolution that
is of enormous general value to evolutionary
biology (particularly in an age when tropical
ecosystems are hitting the wood-chipper at
hectares per minute).
There are no obvious omissions of subject
in this well-rounded text, although treatises
on pollination and seed predation would have
been welcome. One obvious name is missing
from the list of authors: Dan Janzen. A renaissance biologist in the vein of those old
masters of tropical biology, he wrote or provoked many of the classical studies in tropical
plant-animal interactions of the past twentyfive years and is amply quoted in nineteen of
the twenty-seven chapters. I suspect that his
commitment to hands-on conservation work
may have taken precedence over the writing
of a book chapter.
A last point that I cannot leave without
comment is the pricing of the book. At a
whopping $125, the publisher not only is
misjudging the depth of researchers' pockets
in traditional markets, but also is insulting
libraries and individuals in developing countries, which will have a special interest in this
book. We can only hope that a reasonably
priced paperback version appears before long,
so that this important contribution to the
literature on plant-animal interactions can
get well-deserved dissemination.
Olle Pellmyr
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Freshwater
Macroinvertebrates of
Northeastern North
America
Barbara L. Peckarsky, Pierre R. Fraissinet,
Marjory A. Penton, and Don J. Conklin,
Jr.
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1990
442 pp., $26.50 (softcover)
ISBN 0-8014-9688-8
F
RESHWATER
Macroinvertebrates of
Northeastern North America is a manual that treats the aquatic insect and
major non-insect, invertebrate faunas primarily occurring in New York and also in
Winter 1991
Pennsylvania, the New England states, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. However, the authors state that the information
presented should be effective as far west as
Michigan and as far south as Virginia. The
book is the outgrowth of a course in aquatic
entomology and has been developed and refined during nine years of class use at Cornell
University. It is intended for use by future
classes and by those in the greater Northeast
who need to identify aquatic invertebrates.
The book is divided into nineteen chapters, each of which, except for the introduction, treats a taxonomic group or groups.
Chapter 2 provides a key to the orders of
aquatic insects and Collembola. Immatures
of all aquatic insects, as well as adults of
Hemiptera and Coleoptera, are identifiable
with the key. No higher level key is provided
to organisms other than insects or the adults
of groups that might be considered semiaquatic (for example, Diptera, Trichoptera,
Odonata, and others). Succeeding chapters
treat Collembola, Ephemeroptera (nymphs),
Odonata (nymphs), Plecoptera (nymphs),
aquatic and semiaquatic Hemiptera (nymphs
and adu Its), T richoptera (larvae), aquatic
Lepidoptera (larvae), Coleoptera (adults and
larvae), Megaloptera (larvae), aquatic Neuroptera (larvae), Diptera (larvae), Chironomidae (larvae), freshwater Crustacea, Hydrachnidia, freshwater Mollusca, aquatic
Oligochaeta, and Hirudinia.
Each chapter has a short introduction
treating classification, life history, habitat,
feeding, respiration, collection and preservation, and identification. This is followed
by a checklist of the taxa, which are identified
in the key. The bulk of each chapter consists
of a key that, with few exceptions, allows
identification to the generic level. However,
this varies depending on the ease with which
material can be identified and the taxonomic
information available. In the chapter on Diptera, for example, it is possible to identify
some specimens to genus while several of the
couplets terminate at a family designation.
In the chapters on mollusks, oligochaetes,
and leeches, a species determination is possible. Each chapter also has a separate list of
references, which includes regional, as well
as nationally and internationally important,
works. There is also a glossary that appears
to be relatively complete.
The first question that one need ask concerns the usefulness of this text when others
(Merritt & Cummins [1984] and Pennak
[1978], for example) are readily available. Indeed, the authors admit that they made extensive use of other texts in writing their own.
They justify the book, however, by stating
that many of the other available texts cover
too broad a geographic area, making them
cumbersome and difficult to use, especially
by the beginner. Although there is some truth
to this-this book covers only those organisms actually in the water (adults of Plecoptera, ,Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and others
are not covered)-other
texts still will be
needed by those looking at more than the
truly aquatic animals or those wishing to examine all stages.
Overall, for those in the Northeast, the
book will be a valuable addition to the literature on aquatic invertebrates, and I am
sure it will become a well-used reference.
The format is well conceived and the price
very reasonable for a quality book. The chapters on non-insect invertebrates and chironomids will be especially useful. Additionally,
many of the illustrations had a small arrow
pointing to that part of the structure that was
referred to in the key. This made the illustrations that much more valuable. I wish other authors would do this, especially in books
designed for non experts and beginners.
Richard S. Zack
Department of Entomology
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
The Social Biology of
Wasps
Kenneth G. Ross and Robert W. Matthews
[eds.}
Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1991
666 pp., $31.95 (softcover)
ISBN 0-8014-9906-2
s
A
NOTED IN THE PREFACE, this
is the first major review of social wasp
biology since the early 1970s when
Evans & West-Eberhard (1970. The wasps,
University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor),
and then Spradbery (1973. Wasps: an account
of the biology and natural history of social
and solitary wasps, Sidgwick & Jackson,
London.) published their classic texts on wasp
biology. Given the vast gains in knowledge
of social wasp biology during the intervening
period, one has to commend Ross & Matthews for undertaking such a daunting task.
Whereas one of the earlier works discussed
most groups of aculeate Hymenoptera (e.g.,
solitary wasps), the present text almost exclusively focuses on the eusocial members of
the family Vespidae, although two chapters
are devoted to the solitary and presocial Eumeninae, and the presocial and eusocial
Sphecidae. This departure from previous
books is probably one reason for this book's
success, as the editors were then able to con247