Evolutionary Biology of Parasites. (MPB-15), Volume 15 PDF Download

Author: Peter W. Price
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691209421
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
In spite of the fact that parasites represent more than half of all living species of plants and animals, their role in the evolution of life on earth has been substantially underestimated. Here, for the first time within an evolutionary and ecological framework, Peter Price integrates the biological attributes that characterize parasites ranging from such diverse groups as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, to helminths, mites, insects, and parasitic flowering plants. Synthesizing systematics, ecology, behavioral biology, genetics, and biogeography, the author outlines the success of parasitism as a mode of life, the common features of the wide range of organisms that adopt such a way of life, the reasons for parasites' extraordinary potential for continued adaptive radiation, and their role in molding community structure by means of their impact on the evolution of host species. In demonstrating the importance of parasitic interactions for determining population patterns and geographical distributions, Dr. Price generates further discussion and suggests new areas for research.

Author: Robert Poulin
Publisher: Elsevier Science Health Science Division
ISBN: 9780444504029
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
This book brings together recent theoretical and empirical developments in all aspects of the study of host-parasite coevolution, including epidemiology, the evolution of parasite virulence, specificity and life history traits, and the evolution of host defences and life history strategies. The book covers all host and parasite taxa, and also explores some of the practical consequences of host-parasite evolution for veterinary and medical sciences.

Author: Claude Combes
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226114465
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 743

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Book Description
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.

Author: Serge Morand
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199561346
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This edited volume demonstrates how the latest developments in biogeography (for example in phylogenetics, macroecology, and geographic information systems) can be applied to studies in the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions in order to integrate spatial patterns with ecological theory.

Author: G.W. Esch
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401123527
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
Series Editor: Peter Calow, Department of Zoology, University of Sheffield, England The main aim of this series will be to illustrate and to explain the way organisms 'make a living' in nature. At the heart of this - their functional biology - is the way organisms acquire and then make use of resources in metabolism, movement, growth, reproduction, and so on. These processes will form the fundamental framework of all the books in the series. Each book will concentrate on a particular taxon (species, family, class or even phylum) and will bring together information on the form, physiology, ecology and evolutionary biology of the group. The aim will be not only to describe how organisms work, but also to consider why they have come to work in that way. By concentration on taxa which are well known, it is hoped that the series will not only illustrate the success of selection, but also show the constraints imposed upon it by the physiological, morphological and developmental limitations of the groups. Another important feature of the series will be its organismic orientation. Each book will emphasize the importance of functional integration in the day to-day lives and the evolution of organisms. This is crucial since, though it may be true that organisms can be considered as collections of gene determined traits, they nevertheless interact with their environment as integrated wholes and it is in this context that individual traits have been subjected to natural selection and have evolved.

Author: Lien Luong
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889719138
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 89

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Book Description

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Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080950884
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
This volume covers a wide range of systems, exemplified by a broad spectrum of micro- and macro-parasites, impacting humans, domestic and wild animals and plants. It illustrates the importance of evolutionary considerations and concepts, both as thinking tools for qualitative understanding or as guiding tools for decision making in major disease control programs. * Brings together a range of articles from scientists from different fields of research and/or disease control, but with a common interest in studying the biology of a variety of parasitic diseases* Evolutionary theory has an important role to play in both the interpretation of host and parasitic dynamics and the design and application of disease control programs

Author: Robert Poulin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 041280560X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Parasites evolve under selective pressures which are different from those acting on free-living organisms. The aim of this textbook is to present these pressures and to show how they have shaped the ecology of parasites over evolutionary time. Broad theoretical concepts are explained simply and clearly and illustrated throughout with example organisms. The book will be an invaluable text for advanced undergraduate biologists who are studying evolutionary biology, ecology, population biology, parasitology and evoluationary ecology. It will also prove to be a valuable reference to postgraduate students and researchers in the same fields.

Author: Frédéric Thomas
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191523887
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
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.

Author: Paul Schmid-Hempel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192568159
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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Book Description
Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent forces shaping the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of their hosts, even as far as the structure of entire ecosystems. Hosts, in turn, have evolved complex defences, with immune systems being among the most sophisticated processes known in nature. In response, parasites have again found ways to manipulate and exploit their hosts. Ever since life began, hosts and parasites have taken part in this relentless co-evolutionary struggle with far-reaching consequences for us all. Today, concepts borrowed from evolution, ecology, parasitology, and immunology have formed a new synthesis for the study of host-parasite interactions. Evolutionary parasitology builds on these established fields of scientific enquiry but also includes some of the most successful inter-disciplinary areas of modern biology such as evolutionary epidemiology and ecological immunology. The first edition of this innovative text quickly became the standard reference text for this new discipline. Since then, the field has progressed rapidly and an update is now required. This new edition has been thoroughly revised to provide a state-of-the-art overview, from the molecular bases to adaptive strategies and their ecological and evolutionary consequences. It includes completely new material on topics such as microbiota, evolutionary genomics, phylodynamics, within-host evolution, epidemiology, disease spaces, and emergent diseases. Evolutionary Parasitology is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate level students, and interdisciplinary researchers from a variety of fields including immunology, genetics, sexual selection, population ecology, behavioural ecology, epidemiology, and evolutionary biology. Those studying and working in adjacent fields such as conservation biology, virology, medicine, and public health will also find it an invaluable resource for connecting to the bases of their science.