Download or read book Parasites and Pathogens of Insects written by Nancy E. Beckage and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both volumes of Parasites and Pathogens of Insects provide in-depth coverage of the interface between insect parasites and pathogens and hosts, and explore the relationships between these partners. They emphasize biochemical and molecular interactions, basic biology, and the roles of hormones, receptors, and other cellular components in modulating interactions between host insects and attacking agents. These topics also are assessed in relation to biotechnology and biological control.In the short term, these volumes fill a void in current literature by emphasizing basic interactions at the biochemical and molecular levels. In the long term, these interactions may provide avenues for exploitation to enhance the rate of "beneficial" parasitism or to reduce the rates of disease transmission and infection of vertebrate hosts. - Presents the latest information on insect parasites and pathogens - Describes biochemical and molecular host-parasite and host-pathogen relationships - Covers mechanisms of insect pathogenicity and resistance - Provides exceptional breadth of coverage and authoritative reviews - Special topics - Transposable elements in insect pathogens - Co-evolution and gene transfer between hosts and invaders - Biological control

Download or read book Parasite Communities Patterns and Processes written by Gerald W. Esch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We first discussed the possibility of organizing a symposium on helminth communities in June, 1986. At that time, we were engaged in writing a joint paper on potential structuring mechanisms in helminth communities; we disagreed on a number of issues. We felt the reason for such debate was because the discipline was in a great state of flux, with many new concepts and approaches being introduced with increasing frequency. After consider able discussion about the need, scope and the inevitable limitations of such a symposium, we decided that the time was ripe to bring other ecologists, engaged in similar research, face-to-face. There were many individuals from whom to choose; we selected those who were actively publishing on helminth communities or those who had expertise in areas which we felt were particularly appropriate. We compiled a list of potential participants, contacted them and received unanimous support to organize such a symposium. Our intent was to cover several broad areas, fully recognizing that breadth negates depth (at least with a publisher's limitation on the number of pages). We felt it important to consider patterns amongst different kinds of hosts because this is where we had disagreed among ourselves.

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 Hymenoptera and Biodiversity written by John LaSalle and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1993 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Increasing attention has been focused on biodiversity in recent years, based on a number of arguments to justify the conservation of the world's flora and fauna. Such arguments may be economic - that species may have potential for food or medicine - or ecological - that the extinction of any species affects the overall ecological balance. Little attention, however, has been focused on which groups have the greatest impact on maintaining diversity. Hymenoptera is one of these groups. It not only forms a major component of diversity itself, but is vital in sustaining diversity in other groups. Hymenoptera species (bees, wasps, ants and sawflies) are major plant pollinators, seed dispersers and parasitoids and predators of other arthropods (and hence important in biological control). This volume therefore tackles an important subject and concentrates on three key issues: how species of Hymenoptera affect diversity in other organisms; whether Hymenoptera is a group prone to extinction; and the consequences if Hymenoptera species are differentially removed from terrestrial ecosystems. The book is essential reading for entomologists and those concerned with biodiversity and conservation.

Download or read book Parasitoids written by H. Charles J. Godfray and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parasitoids lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other species of insect, and the parasitoid larvae develop by feeding on the host, causing its eventual death. Known for a long time to applied biologists for their importance in regulating the population densities of economic pests, parasitoids have recently proven to be valuable tools in testing many aspects of evolutionary theory. This book synthesizes the work of both schools of parasitoid biology and asks how a consideration of evolutionary biology can help us understand the behavior, ecology, and diversity of the approximately one to two million species of parasitoid found on earth. After a general introduction to parasitoid natural history and taxonomy, the first part of the book treats the different components of the reproductive strategy of parasitoids: searching for a host, host selection, clutch size, and the sex ratio. Subsequent chapters discuss pathogens and non-Mendelian genetic elements that affect sexual reproduction; evolutionary aspects of the physiological interactions between parasitoid and host; mating strategies; life history theory and community ecology. A special effort is made to discuss the theoretical background to the subject, but without the use of mathematics.

Download or read book Insect Immunology written by Nancy E. Beckage and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is the first book-length publication on the topic of insect immunology since 1991, complementing earlier works by offering a fresh perspective on current research. Interactions of host immune systems with both parasites and pathogens are presented in detail, as well as the genomics and proteomics, approaches which have been lacking in other publications. Beckage provides comprehensive coverage of topics important to medical researchers, including Drosophila as a model for studying cellular and humoral immune mechanisms, biochemical mediators of immunity, and insect blood cells and their functions. - Encompasses the most important topics of insect immunology including mechanisms, genes, proteins, evolution and phylogeny - Provides comprehensive coverage of topics important to medical researchers including Drosophila as a model for studying cellular and humoral immune mechanisms, biochemical mediators of immunity, and insect blood cells and their functions - Most up-to-date information published with contributions from international leaders in the field

Download or read book Wildlife Disease Ecology written by Kenneth Wilson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-14 with total page 693 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces readers to key case studies that illustrate how theory and data can be integrated to understand wildlife disease ecology.

Download or read book The Braconid and Ichneumonid Parasitoid Wasps written by Donald L. J. Quicke and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 756 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ichneumonoidea is a vast and important superfamily of parasitic wasps, with some 60,000 described species and estimated numbers far higher, especially for small-bodied tropical taxa. The superfamily comprises two cosmopolitan families - Braconidae and Ichneumonidae - that have largely attracted separate groups of researchers, and this, to a considerable extent, has meant that understanding of their adaptive features has often been considered in isolation. This book considers both families, highlighting similarities and differences in their adaptations. The classification of the whole of the Ichneumonoidea, along with most other insect orders, has been plagued by typology whereby undue importance has been attributed to particular characters in defining groups. Typology is a common disease of traditional taxonomy such that, until recently, quite a lot of taxa have been associated with the wrong higher clades. The sheer size of the group, and until the last 30 or so years, lack of accessible identification materials, has been a further impediment to research on all but a handful of ‘lab rat’ species usually cultured initially because of their potential in biological control. New evidence, largely in the form of molecular data, have shown that many morphological, behavioural, physiological and anatomical characters associated with basic life history features, specifically whether wasps are ecto- or endoparasitic, or idiobiont or koinobiont, can be grossly misleading in terms of the phylogeny they suggest. This book shows how, with better supported phylogenetic hypotheses entomologists can understand far more about the ways natural selection is acting upon them. This new book also focuses on this superfamily with which the author has great familiarity and provides a detailed coverage of each subfamily, emphasising anatomy, taxonomy and systematics, biology, as well as pointing out the importance and research potential of each group. Fossil taxa are included and it also has sections on biogeography, global species richness, culturing and rearing and preparing specimens for taxonomic study. The book highlights areas where research might be particularly rewarding and suggests systems/groups that need investigation. The author provides a large compendium of references to original research on each group. This book is an essential workmate for all postgraduates and researchers working on ichneumonoid or other parasitic wasps worldwide. It will stand as a reference book for a good number of years, and while rapid advances in various fields such as genomics and host physiological interactions will lead to new information, as an overall synthesis of the current state it will stay relevant for a long time.

Download or read book Multitrophic Level Interactions written by Teja Tscharntke and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-03-21 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The multitrophic level approach to ecology addresses the complexity of food webs much more realistically than the traditional focus on simple systems and interactions. Only in the last few decades have ecologists become interested in the nature of more complex systems including tritrophic interactions between plants, herbivores and natural enemies. Plants may directly influence the behaviour of their herbivores' natural enemies, ecological interactions between two species are often indirectly mediated by a third species, landscape structure directly affects local tritrophic interactions and below-ground food webs are vital to above-ground organisms. The relative importance of top-down effects (control by predators) and bottom-up effects (control by resources) must also be determined. These interactions are explored in this exciting volume by expert researchers from a variety of ecological fields. This book provides a much-needed synthesis of multitrophic level interactions and serves as a guide for future research for ecologists of all descriptions.

Download or read book Trophic and Guild Interactions in Biological Control written by Jacques Brodeur and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-06-03 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores modern concepts of trophic and guild interactions among natural enemies in natural and agricultural ecosystems - a field that has become a hot topic in ecology and biological control over the past decade. It is the first book on trophic and guild interactions to make the link to biological control, and is compiled by internationally recognized scientists who have combined their expertise.

Download or read book Eco Evolutionary Dynamics written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2014-08-12 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The theme of this volume is to discuss Eco-evolutionary Dynamics. - Updates and informs the reader on the latest research findings - Written by leading experts in the field - Highlights areas for future investigation

Download or read book Ecosystem Services From Biodiversity to Society Part 2 written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-01-30 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advances in Ecological Research is one of the most successful series in the highly competitive field of ecology. Each volume publishes topical and important reviews, interpreting ecology as widely as in the past, to include all material that contributes to our understanding of the field. Topics in this invaluable series include the physiology, populations, and communities of plants and animals, as well as landscape and ecosystem ecology. - Presents the most updated information on the field of ecology, publishing topical and important reviews - Provides all information that relates to a thorough understanding of the field - Includes data on physiology, populations, and communities of plants and animals - New ideas on ES - Integrative approach working across a variety of levels of biological organization and spatial and temporal scales - Diversity of relevant subjects covered

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 Novel Aspects of Insect Plant Interactions written by Pedro Barbosa and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1988-10-07 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents the first efforts to explore ecological interactions between insects and plants across several trophic levels, with special focus on mediation of complex interactions by plant allelochemicals. First section looks at effects of plant allelochemicals on predator-prey and host-parasitoid interactions. Second section reveals the role of microorganisms as mediators of interactions between insects and plants. Third section unifies and extends current theory to examine the effects of allelochemicals on the second and third trophic levels. Final section traces the physiological effects of plant allelochemicals in animal behavior, population regulation, maintenance of mimicry systems, and evolution of host range.

Download or read book Insect Ecology written by Peter W. Price and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-18 with total page 829 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combining breadth of coverage with detail, this logical and cohesive introduction to insect ecology couples concepts with a broad range of examples and practical applications. It explores cutting-edge topics in the field, drawing on and highlighting the links between theory and the latest empirical studies. The sections are structured around a series of key topics, including behavioral ecology; species interactions; population ecology; food webs, communities and ecosystems; and broad patterns in nature. Chapters progress logically from the small scale to the large; from individual species through to species interactions, populations and communities. Application sections at the end of each chapter outline the practicality of ecological concepts and show how ecological information and concepts can be useful in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Each chapter ends with a summary, providing a brief recap, followed by a set of questions and discussion topics designed to encourage independent and creative thinking.

Download or read book The Rasputin Effect When Commensals and Symbionts Become Parasitic written by Christon J. Hurst and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume focuses on those instances when benign and even beneficial relationships between microbes and their hosts opportunistically change and become detrimental toward the host. It examines the triggering events which can factor into these changes, such as reduction in the host’s capacity for mounting an effective defensive response due to nutritional deprivation, coinfections and seemingly subtle environmental influences like the amounts of sunlight, temperature, and either water or air quality. The effects of environmental changes can be compounded when they necessitate a physical relocation of species, in turn changing the probability of encounter between microbe and host. The change also can result when pathogens, including virus species, either have modified the opportunist or attacked the host’s protective natural microflora. The authors discuss these opportunistic interactions and assess their outcomes in both aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems, highlighting the impact on plant, invertebrate and vertebrate hosts.

Download or read book The Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Host Parasitoid Interactions written by Michael Hassell and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2000-06-08 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines our current understanding of the population dynamics of one kind of interaction - that between insect parasitoids and their hosts. Parasitoids are amongst the most abundant of all animals, and make up about 10% or more of metazoan species. Almost no insect species escape their attack. Host-parasitoid interactions were first modelled over fifty years ago, but for many years there was little good empirical information on the important factors that affect host and parasitoid populations. The models were very simple, and their predictions rather divorced from the complexity of what was visible in the field. Now, better data is available on many components of host-parasitoid systems, from field observations and laboratory and field experiments, and this allows a much closer correspondence between models and data. In particular, the past twenty years have seen major advances in our understanding of how host-parasitoid interactions are influenced by spatial processes, by age-structure effects, and by competition from additional host and parasitoid species. The result is a body of theory that makes direct contact with real systems in the field, and provides us with a detailed understanding of what underpins a whole area of population dynamics. In this book, Michael P Hassell pulls the theory and field data together to present an elegant illustration of the way in which ecological studies advance.