Chasing the Red Queen: The Evolutionary Race Between Agricultural Pests and Poisons
by Andy Dyer
Island Press, 2015 Paper: 978-1-61091-519-9 | eISBN: 978-1-61091-520-5 | Cloth: 978-1-61091-518-2 Library of Congress Classification SB957.D94 2014 Dewey Decimal Classification 632.95042
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
In the race to feed the world’s seven billion people, we are at a standstill. Over the past century, we have developed increasingly potent and sophisticated pesticides, yet in 2014, the average percentage of U.S. crops lost to agricultural pests was no less than in 1944. To use a metaphor the field of evolutionary biology borrowed from Alice in Wonderland, farmers must run ever faster to stay in the same place—i.e., produce the same yields.
With Chasing the Red Queen, Andy Dyer offers the first book to apply the Red Queen Hypothesis to agriculture. He illustrates that when selection pressure increases, species evolve in response, creating a never-ending, perpetually-escalating competition between predator (us) and prey (bugs and weeds). The result is farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of chemical dependence, stuck using increasingly dangerous and expensive toxics to beat back progressively resistant pests.
To break the cycle, we must learn the science behind it. Dyer examines one of the world’s most pressing problems as a biological case study. He presents key concepts, from Darwin’s principles of natural selection to genetic variation and adaptive phenotypes. Understanding the fundamentals of ecology and biology is the first step to “playing the Red Queen,” and escaping her unwinnable race. The book’s novel frame will help students, researchers, and policy-makers alike apply that knowledge to the critical task of achieving food security.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Andy Dyer is Professor of Biology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. He is the author or coauthor of thirty journal articles and book chapters in plant ecology. Dr. Dyer's research interests are in population and community ecology, invasive species ecology, and habitat restoration. His current research focuses on population biology of invasive grasses, including competitive ability and germination traits.
REVIEWS
"An unsuspecting advocate of the agricultural status quo who attempts this book may find herself seduced by the calm clarity with which the author makes his arguments. ...the elegance of Dyer's rhetorical scaffolding ...a voice of reason."
— Acres USA
"insightful...A well-written and timely analysis of an increasingly dire agricultural dilemma."
— Booklist
"Dyer endeavors to scientifically inspire a paradigm shift in the practice of production agriculture."
— Choice
"A very thoughtful and well-written book...a good read and a great synthesis of ecology, evolutionary theory, and sustainable agriculture."
— Natural Areas Journal
"Illustrates the unwise, nature alien use of chemicals…however, the book offers more than an alarming cry…its message appeals to anyone concerned with the long-term viability of the post-modern food production system."
— Environment, Development, and Sustainability
"Its message appeals to anyone concerned with the long-term viability of the post-modern food production system."
— Environment, Development, and Sustainability
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
PART I. Introducing the Red Queen
Chapter 1. The Never-ending Race: Adaptation and Environmental Stress
- All the genetics you'll need
- The scale of evolution
Chapter 2. The Evolution of Farming: Scaling Up Productivity
- Patches, pests, and time lags
Chapter 3. Survival of the Fittest: Darwin's Principles
-Exponential growth
Chasing the Red Queen: The Evolutionary Race Between Agricultural Pests and Poisons
by Andy Dyer
Island Press, 2015 Paper: 978-1-61091-519-9 eISBN: 978-1-61091-520-5 Cloth: 978-1-61091-518-2
In the race to feed the world’s seven billion people, we are at a standstill. Over the past century, we have developed increasingly potent and sophisticated pesticides, yet in 2014, the average percentage of U.S. crops lost to agricultural pests was no less than in 1944. To use a metaphor the field of evolutionary biology borrowed from Alice in Wonderland, farmers must run ever faster to stay in the same place—i.e., produce the same yields.
With Chasing the Red Queen, Andy Dyer offers the first book to apply the Red Queen Hypothesis to agriculture. He illustrates that when selection pressure increases, species evolve in response, creating a never-ending, perpetually-escalating competition between predator (us) and prey (bugs and weeds). The result is farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of chemical dependence, stuck using increasingly dangerous and expensive toxics to beat back progressively resistant pests.
To break the cycle, we must learn the science behind it. Dyer examines one of the world’s most pressing problems as a biological case study. He presents key concepts, from Darwin’s principles of natural selection to genetic variation and adaptive phenotypes. Understanding the fundamentals of ecology and biology is the first step to “playing the Red Queen,” and escaping her unwinnable race. The book’s novel frame will help students, researchers, and policy-makers alike apply that knowledge to the critical task of achieving food security.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Andy Dyer is Professor of Biology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken. He is the author or coauthor of thirty journal articles and book chapters in plant ecology. Dr. Dyer's research interests are in population and community ecology, invasive species ecology, and habitat restoration. His current research focuses on population biology of invasive grasses, including competitive ability and germination traits.
REVIEWS
"An unsuspecting advocate of the agricultural status quo who attempts this book may find herself seduced by the calm clarity with which the author makes his arguments. ...the elegance of Dyer's rhetorical scaffolding ...a voice of reason."
— Acres USA
"insightful...A well-written and timely analysis of an increasingly dire agricultural dilemma."
— Booklist
"Dyer endeavors to scientifically inspire a paradigm shift in the practice of production agriculture."
— Choice
"A very thoughtful and well-written book...a good read and a great synthesis of ecology, evolutionary theory, and sustainable agriculture."
— Natural Areas Journal
"Illustrates the unwise, nature alien use of chemicals…however, the book offers more than an alarming cry…its message appeals to anyone concerned with the long-term viability of the post-modern food production system."
— Environment, Development, and Sustainability
"Its message appeals to anyone concerned with the long-term viability of the post-modern food production system."
— Environment, Development, and Sustainability
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
PART I. Introducing the Red Queen
Chapter 1. The Never-ending Race: Adaptation and Environmental Stress
- All the genetics you'll need
- The scale of evolution
Chapter 2. The Evolution of Farming: Scaling Up Productivity
- Patches, pests, and time lags
Chapter 3. Survival of the Fittest: Darwin's Principles
-Exponential growth