| Mission |
The research concentrates on the ecology and ecophysiology of insects. This concerns (1) insects and mites that are pests on crop plants, food storage or as vector of diseases of plants, animals and man, (2) insects and mites that parasitize or consume pest insects, e.g. insect predators or parasitoids and (3) insects that provide man with food, such as honey bees. The aim of the research is to increase fundamental knowledge of insect biology and to develop methods that can be applied to prevent insects pests and to develop novel methods of environmentally beign pest control, especially in the context of integrated pest control. This is done especially by improving biological control and host plant resistance, as well as by successfully integrating these two pest control strategies. The activities relate to both temperate and tropical areas. An overview of all courses (entomology and animal ecology) provided by the Laboratory are tobe found on the laboratory website (for address see above). In all areas both fundamental and applied projects are carried out. The main research topics are: 1.plant-carnivore mutualism through chemical information conveyance 2.phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation in foraging behaviour of natural enemies 3.optimality, population dynamics and evolutionary stable strategies in parasitoids and predators 4.evolutionary ecology of asexuality and sex ratio distortion 5.biological and integrated pest/vector management 6.chemosensory basis of food searching and selection behaviour |
