Abstract[1] Natural resources as a source of wealth can increase prosperity or impede economic growth.  Empirical studies with different specifications and data are also mixed on whether natural resources are curse or blessing. In fact, the variety of model specifications, measurements, and samples in the empirical literature makes it difficult to generalize the results. In this study, a growth...

Seed dispersal patterns affect the rate at which offspring encounter specialized natural enemies, and thereby the strength of the associated interspecific interaction (Howe and Smallwood, 1982). Relatively specialized natural enemies such as pathogens and insect herbivores are expected to be found in higher densities near plants of their host species (Janzen, 1970). Because dispersing offspring...

This chapter discusses whether plant chemical communication is a mechanism by which plant genetic diversity can affect the natural enemies of herbivores. Plant genetic diversity influences natural enemies, and these insects use volatile chemical cues to locate suitable habitats. However, the importance of chemical communication for these interactions has not been considered. In this chapter, th...

Pesticides including insecticides and miticides are primarily used to regulate arthropod (insect and mite) pest populations in agricultural and horticultural crop production systems. However, continual reliance on pesticides may eventually result in a number of potential ecological problems including resistance, secondary pest outbreaks, and/or target pest resurgence [1,2]. Therefore, implement...

This survey focuses on political economy theories of the resource curse and scrutinizes how well, or poorly, these theories have been integrated with empirical work. One reason why this integration is important lies in the practical importance of pinning down the causal links involved in the resource curse. A second reason for focusing on integration of theory and empirics is that the resource ...

In the laboratory and in cages in the greenhouse, we evaluated the toxicity of two insecticides (lambda-cyhalothrin and spinosad) on the parasitoid,Diadegma insulare (Cresson), and the predator, Coleomegilla maculate (DeGeer), both natural enemies of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). Lambda-cyhalothrin was very toxic to both natural enemies. Spinosad was less toxic toC.maculata ad...

Biological control or the use of natural enemies is an alternative pest management strategy for dealing with arthropods. However, natural enemies may not always provide adequate control of plant-feeding insects and mites in greenhouses. As a result, research has assessed the concept of using natural enemies in conjunction with pesticides and the potential compatibility when both pest management...