Journal or Publishing Institution: InTech
Date of Publication: 01/01/2012
Author(s): Cerritos, R., Wegier, A., and Alavez, V.
Article Type: Book
Abstract:
Most of the organisms that have negative impacts on agroecosystems and human health, namely bacteria, arthropods, fungi and weeds, share distinctive traits: short generation times, numerous offspring, and therefore large population sizes. These characteristics allow these organisms to change so fast that control of their population growth is difficult to achieve. However, species with these traits, viewed in an ecological context, are subjected to different selective pressures that impede unlimited growth. For instance, as insects are currently the most devastating group within agroecosystems, producing grave economic losses, farmers have resorted to the use of insecticides—whether natural, synthetic, or expressed in genetically modified organisms—as the main control method used to deal with this problem. While the use of insecticides can aid in the short-term control of insect pests these control methods present six fundamental problems that are environmentally irreversible: 1) the pest evolution of insecticide resistance; 2) eradication of non-target species; 3) elimination of ecological interactions; 4) modifications of the biogeochemical cycles; 5) environmental pollution; and 6) impact on human health. Currently, a great deal of knowledge about ecological and evolutionary processes and dynamics is becoming available; this can help to explain the issues mentioned above. In this chapter, we will analyze these processes to subsequently propose alternatives for a long-term integral pest management system.
Keywords: pest management, environmental effects, human health, insecticides, genetically modified organisms
Citation:
Cerritos, R., Wegier, A., and Alavez, V., 2012. Toward the Development of Novel Long-Term Pest Control Strategies Based on Insect Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics. Integrated Pest Management and Pest Control, InTech, 978-953.
Category:
- Health effects
- Environmental effects
- Regulatory issues
- Pesticide use
Record ID: 322
