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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Combes, Claude, author.

Contributor:

Simberloff, Daniel, translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Parasites.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (291 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Chicago ; London : 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:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Introduction:What Is a Symbiosis?

1 Arms Races

2 How Does One Become a Parasite?

3 The Profession of Parasite

4 The Profession of Host

5 The Profession of Mutualist

6 Alice and the Red Queen

7 Sexual Selection and Parasitism

8 Parasites in Space and Time

9 Emerging Diseases and the Future Arms Race

Notes

Glossary

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780226778723

022677872X

OCLC:

1159164617