The art of being a parasite / Claude Combes ; translated by Daniel Simberloff.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Combes, Claude.

Standardized Title:

Associations du vivant. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Parasites.

Parasitism.

Physical Description:

291 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Summary:

Parasites are a masterful work of evolutionary art. The tiny mite "Histiostoma laboratorium," a parasite of" Drosophila," launches itself, in an incredible display of evolutionary engineering, like a surface-to-air missile at a fruit fly far above its head. Gravid mussels such as "Lampsilis ventricosa "undulate excitedly as they release their parasitic larval offspring, conning greedy predators in search of a tasty meal into hosting the parasite."The Art of Being a Parasite" is an extensive collection of these and other wonderful and weird stories that illuminate the ecology and evolution of interactions between species. Claude Combes illustrates what it means to be a parasite by considering every stage of its interactions, from invading to reproducing and leaving the host. An accessible and engaging follow-up to Combes's "Parasitism," this book will be of interest to both scholars and nonspecialists in the fields of biodiversity, natural history, ecology, public health, and evolution.

Contents:

Introduction: What Is a Symbiosis? 1

1 Arms Races 8

2 How Does One Become a Parasite? 21

3 The Profession of Parasite 41

4 The Profession of Host 103

5 The Profession of Mutualist 124

6 Alice and the Red Queen 155

7 Sexual Selection and Parasitism 175

8 Parasites in Space and Time 191

9 Emerging Diseases and the Future Arms Race 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-282) and index.

ISBN:

0226114295

0226114384

OCLC:

57422689