Download or read book Natural Enemies written by Michael J. Crawley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-07-30 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about disease and death. It is an ecologist's view of Darwin's vivid evocation of Nature, red in tooth and claw. An international team of authors examines broad patterns in the population biology of natural enemies, and addresses general questions about the role of natural enemies in the population dynamics and evolution of their prey. For instance, how do large natural enemies like wolves differ from small natural enemies like bacterial diseases in their effects on prey abundance? Is it better to chase after prey, or sit and wait for it to come to you? How should prey behave in order to minimize the risk of being eaten? The answers are all in this fascinating senior undergraduate/postgraduate text.
Download or read book Pollinators Predators Parasites written by Clarke Scholtz and published by Penguin Random House South Africa. This book was released on 2021-03-10 with total page 1271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pollinators, parasites, purifiers, predators, decomposers – insects arguably play the most important roles in the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems. This lavishly illustrated and highly authoritative book is structured around southern Africa’s 13 distinct biomes; it reflects the essential role insects play in most ecological processes such as pollination, predation, parasitism, soil modification and nutrient recycling; details how they serve as food for multitudes of other organisms, including bacteria and fungi, as well as specially adapted plants, insect-feeding arthropods, reptiles, birds and mammals; depicts the insects and phenomena described in some 2,000 photographs that accompany the accessible text; highlights the crucial role insects play as ecosystem service providers, giving intimate insight into the beauty and importance of insects in the natural world. Includes a guide to each of the 25 insect orders found in southern Africa, with images showing their diagnostic characters. This key publication detailing the latest research in the field of entomology will appeal to academics and nature enthusiasts alike.
Download or read book Predators and Parasitoids written by Opender Koul and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2003-03-13 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Their natural enemies largely determine the population size and dynamic behavior of many plant-eating insects. Any reduction in enemy number can result in an insect outbreak. Applied biological control is thus one strategy for restoring functional biodiversity in many agroecosystems. Predators and Parasitoids addresses the role of natural enemies i
Download or read book The Wild Life of Our Bodies written by Rob Dunn and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2011-06-21 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Extraordinary. . . . takes the reader into the overlap of medicine, ecology, and evolutionary biology to reveal an important domain of the human condition.” —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Anthill and The Future of Life We evolved in a wilderness of parasites, mutualists, and pathogens, but we no longer see ourselves as being part of nature. In the name of progress and clean living, we scrub much of nature off our bodies and try to remove whole kinds of life—parasites, bacteria, mutualists, and predators—to allow ourselves to live free of wild danger. Nature, in this new world, is the landscape outside, a kind of living painting that is pleasant to contemplate but nice to have escaped. The truth, though, according to biologist Rob Dunn, is that while “clean living” has benefited us in some ways, it has also made us sicker in others. As Dunn reveals, our modern disconnect from the web of life has resulted in unprecedented effects that immunologists, evolutionary biologists, psychologists, and other scientists are only beginning to understand. Diabetes, autism, allergies, many anxiety disorders, autoimmune diseases, and even tooth, jaw, and vision problems are increasingly plaguing bodies that have been removed from the ecological context in which they existed for millennia. In this eye-opening book, Dunn considers the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Through the stories of visionaries, Dunn argues that we can create a richer nature, one in which we choose to surround ourselves with species that benefit us, not just those that, despite us, survive. “A pleasure to read.” —Boston Globe “[Dunn’s] sure use of language, scientific research, and humor . . . keep the reader highly engaged.” —New York Journal of Books “Not merely interesting but gripping.” —Booklist, starred review
Download or read book Parasites in Ecological Communities written by Melanie J. Hatcher and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-16 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interactions between competitors, predators and their prey have traditionally been viewed as the foundation of community structure. Parasites – long ignored in community ecology – are now recognized as playing an important part in influencing species interactions and consequently affecting ecosystem function. Parasitism can interact with other ecological drivers, resulting in both detrimental and beneficial effects on biodiversity and ecosystem health. Species interactions involving parasites are also key to understanding many biological invasions and emerging infectious diseases. This book bridges the gap between community ecology and epidemiology to create a wide-ranging examination of how parasites and pathogens affect all aspects of ecological communities, enabling the new generation of ecologists to include parasites as a key consideration in their studies. This comprehensive guide to a newly emerging field is of relevance to academics, practitioners and graduates in biodiversity, conservation and population management, and animal and human health.
Download or read book Host Manipulation by Parasites written by Richard Dawkins and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2012-06-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parasites that manipulate the behaviour of their hosts represent striking examples of adaptation by natural selection. This field of study is now moving beyond its descriptive phase and into more exciting areas where the processes and patterns of such dramatic adaptations can be better understood. This innovative text provides an up-to-date, authoritative, and challenging review of host manipulation by parasites that assesses the current state of developments in the field and lays out a framework for future research. It also promotes a greater integration of behavioral ecology with studies of host manipulation (behavioral ecology has tended to concentrate mainly on behaviour expressed by free living organisms and is far less focused on the role of parasites in shaping behaviour). To help achieve this, the editors adopt a novel approach of having a prominent expert on behavioral ecology (but who does not work directly on parasites) to provide an afterword to each chapter.
Download or read book Parasitism written by Claude Combes and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 743 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Parasitism, Claude Combes explores the fascinating adaptations parasites have developed through their intimate interactions with their hosts. He begins with the biology of parasites—their life cycles, habitats, and different types of associations with their hosts. Next he discusses genetic interactions between hosts and parasites, and he ends with a section on the community ecology of parasites and their role in the evolution of their hosts. Throughout the book Combes enlivens his discussion with a wealth of concrete examples of host-parasite interactions.
Download or read book Natural Enemies written by Ann E. Hajek and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-02-12 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description
Download or read book Infectious Disease Ecology written by Richard S. Ostfeld and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-16 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: News headlines are forever reporting diseases that take huge tolls on humans, wildlife, domestic animals, and both cultivated and native plants worldwide. These diseases can also completely transform the ecosystems that feed us and provide us with other critical benefits, from flood control to water purification. And yet diseases sometimes serve to maintain the structure and function of the ecosystems on which humans depend. Gathering thirteen essays by forty leading experts who convened at the Cary Conference at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in 2005, this book develops an integrated framework for understanding where these diseases come from, what ecological factors influence their impacts, and how they in turn influence ecosystem dynamics. It marks the first comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the rich and complex linkages between ecology and disease, and provides conceptual underpinnings to understand and ameliorate epidemics. It also sheds light on the roles that diseases play in ecosystems, bringing vital new insights to landscape management issues in particular. While the ecological context is a key piece of the puzzle, effective control and understanding of diseases requires the interaction of professionals in medicine, epidemiology, veterinary medicine, forestry, agriculture, and ecology. The essential resource on the subject, Infectious Disease Ecology seeks to bridge these fields with an ecological approach that focuses on systems thinking and complex interactions.
Download or read book Disease Ecology written by Sharon K. Collinge and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-01-26 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Summary: The chapters in this book llustrate aspects of communityy ecology that influence pathogen transmission rates and disease dynamics in a wide variety of study systems.
Download or read book Parasite Rex written by Carl Zimmer and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001-11-09 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites. WELCOME TO EARTH. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.
Download or read book The Art of Being a Parasite written by Claude Combes and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-06-05 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parasites are a masterful work of evolutionary art. The tiny mite Histiostoma laboratorium, a parasite of Drosophila, launches itself, in an incredible display of evolutionary engineering, like a surface-to-air missile at a fruit fly far above its head. Gravid mussels such as Lampsilis ventricosa undulate excitedly as they release their parasitic larval offspring, conning greedy predators in search of a tasty meal into hosting the parasite. The Art of Being a Parasite is an extensive collection of these and other wonderful and weird stories that illuminate the ecology and evolution of interactions between species. Claude Combes illustrates what it means to be a parasite by considering every stage of its interactions, from invading to reproducing and leaving the host. An accessible and engaging follow-up to Combes's Parasitism, this book will be of interest to both scholars and nonspecialists in the fields of biodiversity, natural history, ecology, public health, and evolution.
Download or read book Predation written by W. Charles Kerfoot and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twenty-four essays from a symposium sponsored by the Ecological Society of America, Fort Collins, CO, 1984. The focus is on a single theme: that the mere presence of a predator can influence interactions between two or more competing species in many important ways, all of which have previously been included under the nebulous term effects. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Parasitic Diseases of Wild Birds written by Carter T. Atkinson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-03-20 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parasitic Diseases of Wild Birds provides thorough coverage of major parasite groups affecting wild bird species. Broken into four sections covering protozoa, helminths, leeches, and arthropod parasites, this volume provides reviews of the history, disease, epizootiology, pathology, and population impacts caused by parasitic disease. Taking a unique approach that focuses on the effects of the parasites on the host, Parasitic Diseases of Wild Birds fills a unique niche in animal health literature.
Download or read book Psychic Vampires written by Joe H. Slate and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2002 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consuming energy instead of blood, psychic vampires come in a variety of unsuspecting guises. This unique approach to the subject will introduce you to a trio of new thieves: group vampires, parasitic vampires, and global vampirism. Exploring environmental, developmental, and past-life factors, Psychic Vampires presents effective step-by-step empowerment procedures you can use to protect yourself and replenish your energy reserves. This practical guide offers: An exploration of previously unknown forms of psychic vampirism Methods to identify and counteract the effects of psychic attacks Thirteen photos illustrating the "Vampire Shadow Phenomenon," the "Halo Effect," and more A Seven-Day Psychic Protection Plan
Download or read book Parasitism and Ecosystems written by Frédéric Thomas and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2005-01-06 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For several years there has been a growing interest in understanding the dynamics of parasites in ecosystems, as well as the diversity of ways in which they influence ecosystem functioning through their effects on host populations and communities. Ecologists, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, and other scientists are increasingly coming to realise that parasites must be taken into account when studying ecosystems. Parasitism and Ecosystems summarizes current knowledge on this topic, providing a comprehensive overview for researchers and students. It represents the first synthesis of both the roles and the consequences of pathogens in ecosystems, utilising well-documented case-studies to illustrate the main issues as well as identifying prospects for future research.
Download or read book The Middleman Economy written by Marina Krakovsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-30 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the rise of the Internet, many pundits predicted that middlemen would disappear. But that hasn't happened. Far from killing the middleman, the Internet has generated a thriving new breed. In The Middleman Economy , Silicon Valley-based reporter Marina Krakovsky elucidates the six essential roles that middlemen play.
