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The authoritative overviews in this volume provide a wealth of practical information on current approaches to the study of insect-plant interactions. Methods described include direct behavioral observation; assays of host finding, oviposition, and feeding behavior of insect herbivores; post-ingestion physiological effects; measurement of food quality and sensory responses of insects to plant stimuli; chemical isolation and identification of active phytochemicals; evaluation of plant resistance to insects; and the biochemistry of allelochemic interactions.

Insects as a group occupy a middle ground in the biosphere between bacteria and viruses at one extreme, amphibians and mammals at the other. The size and general nature of insects present special problems to the student of entomology. For example, many commercially available instruments are geared to measure in grams, while the forces commonly encountered in studying insects are in the milligram range. Therefore, techniques developed in the study of insects or in those fields concerned with the control of insect pests are often unique. Methods for measuring things are common to all sciences. Advances sometimes depend more on how something was done than on what was measured; indeed a given field often progresses from one technique to another as new methods are discovered, developed, and modified. Just as often, some of these techniques find their way into the classroom when the problems involved have been suffi­ ciently ironed out to permit students to master the manipulations in a few lab­ oratory periods. Many specialized techniques are confined to one specific research laboratory. Although methods may be considered commonplace where they are used, in another context even the simplest procedures may save considerable time. It is the purpose of this series (1) to report new developments in methodology, (2) to reveal sources of groups who have dealt with and solved particular entomo­ logical problems, and (3) to describe experiments which may be applicable for use in biology laboratory co~rses.

Insects as a group occupy a middle ground in the biosphere between bac­ at one extreme, amphibians and mammals at the other. teria and viruses of insects present special problems to the The size and general nature study of entomology. For example, many commercially available instru­ ments are geared to measure in grams, while the forces commonly en­ countered in studying insects are in the milligram range. Therefore, tech­ niques developed in the study of insects or in those fields concerned with the control of insect pests are often unique. Methods for measuring things are common to all sciences. Advances sometimes depend more on how something was done than on what was measured; indeed a given field often progresses from one technique to another as new methods are discovered, developed, and modified. Just ofthese techniques find their way into the classroom when as often, some the problems involved have been sufficiently ironed out to permit students to master the manipulations in a few laboratory periods. Many specialized techniques are confined to one specific research lab­ oratory. Although methods may be considered commonplace where they are used, in another context even the simplest procedures may save con­ siderable time. It is the purpose of this series (1) to report new devel­ opments in methodology, (2) to reveal sources of groups who have dealt with and solved particular entomological problems, and (3) to describe experiments which may be applicable for use in biology laboratory courses.

Insects as a group occupy a middle ground in the biosphere between bacteria and viruses at one extreme, amphibians and mammals at the other. The size and general nature of insects present special problems to the study of ento­ mology. For example, many commercially available instruments are geared to measure in grams, while the forces commonly encountered in studying insects are in the milligram range. Therefore, techniques developed in the study of insects or in those fields concerned with the control of insect pests are often unique. Methods for measuring things are common to all sciences. Advances some­ times depend more on how something was done than on what was measured; indeed a given field often progresses from one technique to another as new methods are discovered, developed, and modified. Just as often, some of these techniques find their way into the classroom when the problems involved have been sufficiently ironed out to permit students to master the manipulations in a fewlaboratory periods. Many specialized techniques are confined to one specific research labora­ tory. Although methods may be considered commonplace where they are used, in another context even the simplest procedures may save considerable time. It is the purpose of this series (1) to report new developments in method­ ology, (2) to reveal sources of groups who have dealt with and solved particular entomological problems, and (3) to describe experiments which may be appli­ cable for use in biology laboratory courses.