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

The increasing use of integrated crop management, often requiring a reduction in the reliance upon chemical control, means that the need to rapidly identify pest nematodes has never been greater. This second edition of this standard reference work familiar to all plant nematologists is therefore even more useful than its predecessor published in 1986.The in-depth description of the life histories of the genera of the Tylenchida have been retained and brought up-to-date through the inclusion of all the research carried out between the publication of the last edition and this new edition. This expanded edition includes detailed diagnoses of well over 200 genera and familial and ordinal groups, and is well-illustrated with drawings of type or representative species. These, together with comprehensive lists of species and genera and their synonymies provide the foundation for the status and validation of each taxon within the Tylenchida. A considerable amount of information is provided regarding the biology, ecology and pathogenicity of these parasites.

This volume contains the invited lectures presented in a symposium entitled "Evolutionary strategies of parasitic insects and mites" at the national meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2-5 December, 1974. The intent was to bring together biologists who have worked on arthropods that are either plant or animal parasites in order to foster consideration of general aspects of the parasitic way of life. There seems to be a deficiency of ecological and evolutionary concepts relating to parasitism, in contrast to the burgeoning literature on predation, and it appeared that an amalgamation of studies on plant and animal parasites might help development of some generalities. Since parasities are far more numerous than predators in the world fauna, or in any particular community, emphasis on their study is justified. I freely admit that para sitoids have been usefully regarded as predators by ecologists, and many concepts on predation have been derived from their study. Also, in whichever category one places the parasitoids, that is the one which contains the most species. However, from an evolu tionary point of view they show many characteristics that must be regarded as those of a parasite. Notably, they are small, highly specific to their host, highly coevolved with it, as a result many species can coexist, and their adaptive radiation has produced the majority of the species diversity seen on Earth today.

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

Blood-sucking insects are the vectors of many of the most debilitating parasites of man and his domesticated animals. In addition they are of considerable direct cost to the agricultural industry through losses in milk and meat yields, and through damage to hides and wool, etc. So, not surprisingly, many books of medical and veterinary entomology have been written. Most of these texts are organized taxonomically giving the details of the life-cycles, bionomics, relationship to disease and economic importance of each of the insect groups in turn. I have taken a different approach. This book is topic led and aims to discuss the biological themes which are common in the lives of blood-sucking insects. To do this I have concentrated on those aspects of the biology of these fascinating insects which have been clearly modified in some way to suit the blood-sucking habit. For example, I have discussed feeding and digestion in some detail because feeding on blood presents insects with special problems, but I have not discussed respiration because it is not affected in any particular way by haematophagy. Naturally there is a subjective element in the choice of topics for discussion and the weight given to each. I hope that I have not let my enthusiasm for particular subjects get the better of me on too many occasions and that the subject material achieves an overall balance.

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.