Biological control is more than just natural enemies
| Authors: | Dean E. Pearson |
| Year: | 2005 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Rocky Mountain Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.07.013 |
| Source: | Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 20(1): 10-11. |
Abstract
The past decade has given rise to exciting new developments in the field of community ecology that have profound implications for biological control. The recognition that biological invasions offer unprecedented opportunities to investigate the nature of community assembly has swept invasive species studies to the forefront of popular ecology. Meanwhile, progress in research on facilitation, competition, predation, parasitism, behavior, complexity and diversity has lead to greater understandings of the roles these forces play in determining the strength and nature of direct and indirect effects in community ecology. Given that biological control is, fundamentally, deliberate community assembly, applying knowledge of how these forces converge to determine the outcome of community assembly holds great promise for the advancement of biological control. For these reasons, I was excited at the prospect of finding this new information integrated into the latest textbook on biological control.