Insect Learning : Ecology and Evolutionary Perspectives

__Insect Learning__ is a comprehensive review of a new field. Until recently, insects were viewed as rigidly programmed automatons; now, however, it is recognized that they can learn and that their behavior is plastic. This fundamental change in viewpoint is causing a re-examination of all aspects of the relationship between insects and their environment. This change in perspective is occurring at a time of heightened interest in brain function in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Insects potentially play a major role in this expanding area. Because of their experimental tractability and genetic diversity, they provide unique opportunities for testing hypotheses on the ecology and evolution of learning. As organisms of economic importance, they are perennial objects of research by both basic and applied scientists. __Insect Learning__ covers both social and non-social insects from multiple perspectives. The book covers mechanisms; syntheses of work on physiology, behavior, and ecology; and micro- and macroevolution. The concluding section discusses future directions for research, including applications to pest management. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Aversion Learning and Feeding....Pages 1-17 Ethological and Comparative Perspectives on Honey Bee Learning....Pages 18-50 Learning of Host-Finding Cues by Hymenopterous Parasitoids....Pages 51-78 Functional Organization of Appetitive Learning and Memory in a Generalist Pollinator, the Honey Bee....Pages 79-125 Merging Mechanism and Adaptation: An Ethological Approach to Learning and Generalization....Pages 126-157 Motivation, Learning, and Motivated Learning....Pages 158-173 Choosing Hosts and Mates: The Value of Learning....Pages 174-194 Learning and Behavioral Ecology: Incomplete Information and Environmental Predictability....Pages 195-218 Learning and the Evolution of Resources: Pollinators and Flower Morphology....Pages 219-242 Automatic Behavior and the Evolution of Instinct: Lessons From Learning in Parasitoids....Pages 243-272 Comparative and Experimental Approaches to Understanding Insect Learning....Pages 273-307 Application of Learning to Pest Management....Pages 308-342 Cognition in Bees: From Stimulus Reception to Behavioral Change....Pages 343-373 Afterword: Learning, Adaptation, and the Lessons of O ....Pages 374-386 Back Matter....Pages 387-398