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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #213337
Title: New experimental techniques for studying root herbivores

Author
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: 11/16/2007
Publication Date: 6/1/2008
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.20-32.

Interpretive Summary:

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).