Natural Enemies: The Population Biology of Predators, Parasites and Diseases

This book is about disease and death! An international team of experts has been gathered together from the very best names in Zoology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to present a complete description of the evolution and ecology of all carnivorous organisms from whales and lions, down to virus and bacteria. This is the first volume to to give a complete description of all carnivorous organisms and the first synthesis of the population biology of this diverse group of organisms to tackle the following questions: How do natural enemies affect the distribution and abundance of their prey, and how have natural enemies functioned as agents of natural selection effecting the evolution of behaviour and morphology in their prey?

Spis treści:
Part 1: Background; Evolution of exploiter – victim relationships; Correlates of carnivory: approaches and answers; Population dynamics of natural enemies and their prey; Foraging theory;Part 2: Population biology of natural enemies; Large carnivores; Birds of prey; Insectivorous mammals; Marine mammals; Marine invertebrates; Predatory arthropods; Bloodsucking arthropods; Spiders as representative sit–and–wait predators; Macroparasites: worms and others; Macroparasites: viruses and bacteria;Part 3: Synthesis; Predator psychology and the evolution of prey coloration; Natural enemies and community dynamics; Biological control; The dynamics of predator–prey and resource–harvester systems; Prey defence and predator foraging; Overview; References; Index

Okładka tylna:
This book is about disease and death! An international team of experts has been gathered together from the very best names in Zoology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to present a complete description of the evolution and ecology of all carnivorous organisms from whales and lions, down to virus and bacteria. This is the first volume to to give a complete description of all carnivo rous organisms and the first synthesis of the population biology of this diverse group of organisms to tackle the following questions: How do natural enemies affect the distribution and abundance of their prey, and how have natural enemies functioned as agents of natural selection effecting the evolution of behaviour and morphology in their prey?