Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Olff H., Brown VK. and Drent RH. eds. 1999. Herbivores: Between Plants and Predators. Blackwell Science. pp x + 639. ISBN 0 632 05204 X. £25.

This book is the report of the 38th BES Symposium which was convened in Holland in 1997. Herbivores are seen as crucial in controlling the development of ecosystems. Obviously they have a great impact on plants but this can be reciprocated where plants have defence mechanisms. On the other side of the food chain there are the carnivores. Herbivores sit uneasily between the two. The aim of the symposium was to investigate the nature of this relationship and to produce a volume highlighting current theory and practice. The simple plant-herbivore-carnivore studies of the 1960s have given way to complex studies ranging from chemical ecology to community processes and evolution. The 19 contributions are divided into 4 parts with each chapter taking an illustrative example of the whole. Part one looks at the way in which plants influence herbivore behaviour. Part two gives examples of the ways in which herbivores can affect vegetation succession. Part three investigates the scaling up process - a crucial area given the limited studies one can carry out. Finally, the impact of carnivores or herbivores is noted in several contributions.

The value of this text lies in the shapshot it gives of current research. Given that symposia do not aim to be comprehensive but highlight research trends this text is a useful addition.