Unsurpassed, profusely illustrated text details lives, structures of numerous representative parasites of wild and domestic animals of North America. Exercises. Bibliographies.

Parasites have evolved independently in numerous animal lineages, and they now make up a considerable proportion of the biodiversity of life. Not only do they impact humans and other animals in fundamental ways, but in recent years they have become a powerful model system for the study of ecology and evolution, with practical applications in disease prevention. Here, in a thoroughly revised and updated edition of his influential earlier work, Robert Poulin provides an evolutionary ecologist's view of the biology of parasites. He sets forth a comprehensive synthesis of parasite evolutionary ecology, integrating information across scales from the features of individual parasites to the dynamics of parasite populations and the structuring of parasite communities. Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites presents an evolutionary framework for the study of parasite biology, combining theory with empirical examples for a broader understanding of why parasites are as they are and do what they do. An up-to-date synthesis of the field, the book is an ideal teaching tool for advanced courses on the subject. Pointing toward promising directions and setting a research agenda, it will also be an invaluable reference for researchers who seek to extend our knowledge of parasite ecology and evolution.

This book offers the first comprehensive review of parasitic Crustacea, which are among the most successful and diverse parasites. Starting with an introductory chapter, followed by an historic overview and topic-specific chapters, each presenting a different aspect of parasitic crustacean biology, it enables readers to gain a better understanding of how these parasites function and allows direct comparisons between the different parasitic crustacean groups. The authors also discuss, in depth, the adaptations and interactions that have made parasitic Crustacea as successful as they are today, covering topics ranging from the history of their discovery, their biodiversity, phylogeny, evolution and life strategies to their role as vectors, or hosts of other organisms, and their significance in ecological processes. Consisting of ten chapters from leading international experts in the field, this volume offers a one-stop resource for all researchers, lecturers, students and practitioners.

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.

Explains parasite biology as a branch of ecology - essential reading for zoology and ecology students.

This manual has been developed to provide those who are involved in the diagnosis of parasitic diseases with a resource that encompasses the basic technology required for detection of parasites and identification of their diagnostic stages in feces, blood, other body fluids, and tissues. In addition to the technical procedures described, a summary of the morphologic charateristics that are used in the identification of protozoa and helminths is provided as well as line drawings, original color representations of the stages of the human malarial parasites, and photomicrographs of the diagnostic stages of many parasites.

By joining phylogenetics and evolutionary ecology, this book explores the patterns of parasite diversity while revealing diversification processes.