Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems

by Rosalind James (Editor), Theresa L. Pitts-Singer (Editor)

Overview

Bees play a vital role as pollinators for countless agricultural crops as they engage in a dynamic relationship with the plant species they visit and the ecosystems that contain them. In this volume, Rosalind R. James and Theresa L. Pitts-Singer, joined by a team of expert authors, detail the interplay of bees, agriculture, and the environment.

As bees pass pollen from one plant to the next, they impact the broader ecosystem in complex ways. They can enhance the unintentional spread of genes from genetically engineered plants. They may increase the spread of invasive weeds, but are in turn affected by the plants they pollinate. Transporting bees from native ranges to new areas for pollination services can be problematic and should be done only after assuring that such moves will not disrupt various ecosystems. Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems covers the factors that need to be accounted for in managing bees for pollination; the book includes the natural history, physiology, pathology, and behavior of these intriguing insects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190295554
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/09/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Rosalind R. James is Research Leader of the USDA Agricultural Research Services Pollinating Insect Biology, Systematics, and Management Research Unit in Logan, Utah.

Theresa L. Pitts-Singer is a Research Entomologist in the USDA Agricultural Research Services Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory in Logan, Utah.

Table of Contents

Forword Christopher O'Toole v

Contributors xiii

Part 1 Bee-Provided Delivery Services

Chapter 1 Bees in Nature and on the Farm Theresa L. Pitts-Singer Rosalind R. James 3

Chapter 2 Crop Pollination Services From Wild Bees Claire Kremen 10

Chapter 3 Crop Pollination in Greenhouses José M. Guerra-Sanz 27

Chapter 4 Pollinating Bees Crucial to Farming Wildflower Seed for U.S. Habitat Restoration James H. Cane 48

Chapter 5 Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, and Biocontrol: New Alliances Between Old Friends Peter G. Kevan Jean-Pierre Kapongo Mohammad Al-mazra'awi Les Shipp 65

Part 2 Managing Solitary Bees

Chapter 6 Life Cycle Ecophysiology of Osmia Mason Bees Used as Crop Pollinators Jordi Bosch Fabio Sgolastra William P. Kemp 83

Chapter 7 Past and Present Management of Alfalfa Bees Theresa L. Pitts-Singer 105

Chapter 8 The Problem of Disease When Domesticating Bees Rosalind R. James 124

Part 3 Environmental Risks Associated With Bees

Chapter 9 Environmental Impact of Exotic Bees Introduced for Crop Pollination Carlos H. Vergara 145

Chapter 10 Invasive Exotic Plant-Bee Interactions Karen Goodell 166

Chapter 11 Estimating the Potential for Bee-Mediated Gene Flow in Genetically Modified Crops James E. Cresswell 184

Chapter 12 Genetically Modified Crops: Effects on Bees and Pollination Lora A. Morandin 203

Chapter 13 The Future of Agricultural Pollination Rosalind R. James Theresa L. Pitts-Singer 219

Index 223

Editorial Reviews

"This book will go a long way toward keeping non-Apis bees in the limelight. It represents a compendium of the latest thinking on the issues surrounding the place of wild bees in sustainable agriculture. I highly recommend it for readers interested in the public conversation on bee decline and pollination."—Keith S. Delaplane, The Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher