This award will support cooperative research between Professor C.W. Berisford of the University of Georgia, Dr. D.L. Dahlsten of the University of California, Berkeley, and Dr. F.D.Morgan of the University of Adelaide, Australia. The investigators will study the effects of insect parasites and predators on the pine bark beetle in Australia and, in so doing, will also develop a reliable sampling technique for future evaluations of this type. The Australian environment is a uniquely suitable one for this study, since the pine bark beetle is the only species of bark beetle there, and its interaction with parasites and predators can therefore be studied without the confounding effects of competitor species. The project combines the experience and expertise of the three inves- tigators; those from the U.S. are experts on the parasites and predators of the pine bark beetle, and their Australian collaborator has been directing a biological control program for these insects. The work has the potential to increase our understanding of the biological control process for agricultural pests, as well as of some basic aspects of classical biological control, such as single vs. multiple introductions of biological enemies.
