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Discoveries
in Natural History & Exploration Purpose and Endorsement The University of California at Riverside and Berkeley in 1962
engaged Dr. Erich Fred Legner as Foreign Explorer in the statewide Department
of Biological Control, to search worldwide for beneficial organisms to combat
invaded arthropod pests of medical and agricultural importance. In order to locate the place of origin of
a particular pest species and its natural enemies he was required to consider
many aspects of their history such as how did they arrive and how long had
they been in the invaded territory.
This naturally led to investigations of human migrations to the
Americas, which ultimately led to a consideration of Pre-Columbian visitors from
Europe and Asia. Numerous
inscriptions on petroglyphs that occur all over North America provided leads
to where the migrants came from, and provided clues to what pests they might
have carried with them (VITA: E. F. Legner). This site is an
international, intergovernmental, not-for-profit database coordinated by
researchers at the University of California and associated agencies
worldwide. Its mission is to
facilitate the dissemination, application and generation of scientific
knowledge in support of sustainable solutions to problems in agriculture,
forestry, human health and the management of natural resources, and with
particular attention to the needs of developing countries. Contentious published material is included
for discussion and evaluation, and is not part of formal curricula at the
University of California. This is a self-contained database with a minimum of
links outside its limits. Independent
Internet searches are encouraged for greater detail on a particular subject. “Discoveries in
Natural History & Exploration” includes a Biological Pest Management database that
incorporates lecture notes and a Biological Pest Management text developed over
many years as teaching materials for courses at the University of
California. The database, which is
for educational purposes only, is a 'one-stop shop' for the student of
Biological Pest Management, and especially Classical Biological Pest
Management that involves the deployment of a pest's natural enemies. This
database has a long and distinguished history. It began as a course taught by the founder of the Department of
Biological Control, Harry Scott Smith.
Later Dr. Paul DeBach, Dr. Charles Fleschner and Dr. Ernest Bay
developed the course further, with Dr. E. F. Legner teaching the final
version for advanced students, which is what comprises most of the Database
on this Internet site. Now retired
from the University of California Professor Legner is devoting time to
developing an unparalleled Internet resource. Exhaustive
coverage is made of the theory and practice of Biological Pest Control. Sections covering this subject
on a group-by-group basis, and also on a regional basis back everything from
ecological theory to implementation and evaluation methods. The extensive coverage afforded by the
database allows inclusion of topics often given scant space elsewhere and for
which summarized information can be difficult to find. There is, for example, an in-depth review
in the section, Economic Gains from Biological Pest Management of not only its measurable monetary costs and benefits but also
less-easily quantifiable economic gains from increased food security and
reduced pesticide use. Professor
Legner has considerably enlarged the database to include peripheral aspects
of Biological Pest Management, such as Entomology, Insect Morphology and Taxonomy
and Integrated Pest
Management, Insect
Pollination, Economic Botany, Mycology, Invertebrate
Zoology and Pre-Columbian
Explorations,
etc. Other links developed naturally
from the numerous travels that he made to secure natural enemies of
arthropods and weeds from many lands. There is a
disheartening endnote, though. The
University of California, Riverside used to have a statewide Department of
Biological Control of international renown.
In 1962 there were over 40 full-time faculty and staff devoted to the
deployment of natural Biological Pest Management. Most efforts involved the importation of natural enemies to
combat alien pest insects, weeds and mites.
There cannot be many readers of this journal who have not benefited
either directly or indirectly from the work and research of this group of
researchers, yet today only remnants remain. An enduring
legacy of the people who worked there, though, is this authoritative and
comprehensive database. There are no
restrictions on the use and dissemination of information, as long as it is
for non-profit educational purposes.
Dr. Legner is still developing the site, and is still in the process
of obtaining continuous feedback from colleagues; parts of it are changing
daily. Text and illustrations are available under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike License It is impossible
to give more than a flavour of what the site contains here, so readers are
encouraged to take a look for themselves. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - Sincerest
gratitude to Rebecca Murphy CABI
Bioscience UK Centre (Ascot), Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire
SL5 7TA, UK Phone:
+44 1491 829121 / +44 1344 872999 Fax: +44
1491 829123 |