Mites: Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour PDF Download

Author: David Evans Walter
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400771649
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 505

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Book Description
More than 40,000 species of mites have been described, and up to 1 million may exist on earth. These tiny arachnids play many ecological roles including acting as vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. But despite the grand diversity of mites, even trained biologists are often unaware of their significance. Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (2nd edition) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, mites and human disease, and mites as models for ecological and evolutionary theories.

Author: Cabi
Publisher: C A B International
ISBN: 9780851993751
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
There are over 40,000 named species of mite, and if estimates for unnamed species are included, then up to 1 million may grace the planet. By comparison, there are approximately 40,000 species of vertebrates, half of them fish, alive today. Mites are predators, parasites, herbivores and detritivores. They live in the dark depths of the ocean, in the lungs of birds, on the leaves of rainforest plants, and in human clothes and bedding. They are vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. Despite the grand diversity of mites, these small arthropods are often overlooked, and even trained biologists can be unaware of their significance. This books aims to fill the gap in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behavior, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites, without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. The text is richly illustrated with line drawings and photographs. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, and mites as models of ecological and evolutionary theories.

Author: Marilyn A. Houck
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461523893
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
Many mites possess extremely intricate life styles in close association with plant and animal hosts. Their polymorphism has made classification a challenge, and their ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually has made efforts to control their populations difficult. This, however, has given rise to theories to explain the origin and function of sexual reproduction in general. In numbers of species and geographic distribution, mites may even surpass the insects. In soils, they are a major component in the system for cycling nutrients. Unlike insects, they have invaded the marine environment. These and a number of other topics are explored in Mites. Because of their extremely small size, mites have been ignored during the development of major evolutionary and ecological theories. Yet mites routinely violate fundamental concepts such as heterochrony, sexual selection, the evolution of sex ratio, and ontogeny. Recent research methodologies have made it practical for the first time to perform experimental work with mites, and since they offer short generation times and rapid research results, they are excellent model systems. Mites announces these results and should appeal to professionals in entomology, acarology, ecology, population genetics, and evolutionary biology.

Author: Maciej Skoracki
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783725814596
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Mites, though often overlooked, are crucial architects in biodiversity that impact ecosystems globally. This Special Issue, titled "The Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Behaviour of Mites," compiles studies that enhance our understanding of mites through co-evolution, taxonomy, molecular biology, and ecology. Discoveries encompass insights into host-parasite dynamics, taxonomic revisions, and molecular techniques, revealing interesting findings regarding biodiversity. Ecological studies highlight mites' adaptive strategies and roles in various habitats. This interdisciplinary research underscores mites' significance in ecosystems and the necessity of diverse approaches to fully grasp their complex biological interactions.

Author: Yutaka Saito
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 4431994564
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
Mites are very small animals, characterized by wingless and eyeless bodies, in which sociality has been discovered. This book offers detailed descriptions of the diverse social systems and the social evolution of mites, ranging from genetic to ecological aspects. Through a broad spectrum of studies including traditional natural history, taxonomy, modern evolutionary and behavioral ecology, and theoretical models as well, the book addresses a number of important findings on plant mite evolution and species radiation, with the author succeeding in combining theoretical and practical approaches in behavioral ecology by proposing a new game theory. These findings reflect the complex evolutionary history of these taxa and also help to point out clearly what is known and what is not yet known to date. Mites have been considered a minor animal group, but the author shows that mites actually possess great diversity and therefore make unique materials for evolutionary and behavioral studies.

Author: David Evans Walter
Publisher: University of New South Wales Press
ISBN:
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
A comprehensive natural history of mites - a standard reference that covers not only housemites but all others too, illustrated with scanning electron microscope images.

Author: John L. Capinera
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9781402062421
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 4346

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Book Description
This text brings together fundamental information on insect taxa, morphology, ecology, behavior, physiology, and genetics. Close relatives of insects, such as spiders and mites, are included.

Author: Jae C. Choe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521589772
Category : Arachnida
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
'Social' insects and arachnids exhibit complex forms of behavior that involve cooperation in building a nest, defending against attackers or rearing offspring. This book is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to sociality and its evolution in a wide range of taxa.

Author: Heather Proctor
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401704295
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Although the ancestral home of chelicerates was the sea, the vast majority of modern species live on land. Most students of spiders and mites also restrict themselves to terrestrial habitats. However, a surprising number of mites (Arachnida: Acari) have returned to a watery existence. Approximately 7000 species from the Mesostigmata, Astigmata, Oribatida, and especially the Prostigmata, now live in marine and freshwater habitats. In Aquatic Mites, a dozen chapters explore the distribution, ecology, behavior, genetics, and evolution of the most diverse of these astonishing arachnids. The results of these studies raise as many interesting questions as they answer, and should provoke more investigations of the biology of freshwater and marine Acari.

Author: Michael Stock
Publisher: University of Alberta
ISBN: 1772126446
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
“My work as a scientist who studies bird parasites causes me to wonder about the hidden part of the drama unfolding before my eyes: the flying zoo that makes each bird what it is. As I gaze out at my favourite birds, I wonder what role their parasites have played in shaping their fascinating behaviours and alluring appearance.” — From Chapter 1 In The Flying Zoo, Michael Stock gives readers an enthusiastic tribute to birds and the parasites that live in and on them. From the Crozet Archipelago and the Galapagos Islands to our own backyards, parasites—fleas, lice, ticks, and flukes—live in a sinister yet symbiotic relationship with their host birds. With a scientist’s exuberance, Stock reveals a co-evolutionary dance among an astounding cast of creatures living in a complex and paradoxical co-habitation. Following in the footsteps of Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos, this contemporary classic deserves a place on the shelves of students and teachers of biology, natural history buffs, and birders.