Insect Symbiosis, Volume 2

Hardback  304 pp  ISBN 0849341949      £74.00

• Describes detailed electron microscopy (EM) studies of bacteria from the ovary of Ixodes ricinus
• Focuses on the more specialized intracellular symbionts with exclusive or almost exclusive transmission from mother to offspring
• Reviews recent advances in understanding of the origin and evolutionary elaboration of mutualism in termites
• Provides an overview about what is known about the diverse relationships of spiroplasmas and phytoplasmas with their insect and plant hosts
• Outlines the current state of the art in Buchnera aphidicola research, with a special focus on the main gene and genomic features of this bacteria that are a consequence of the symbiotic integration
• Describes the discovery of insecticidal proteins and speculates on their role in the biology of the bacteria-nematode-insect tritrophic interaction
• Investigates the use of the incompatible insect technique (IIT) and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of both the sterile insect technique and IIT

Summarizing current knowledge on symbiotic organisms in the biology of insects, Insect Symbiosis, Volume II describes the diversity of symbiotic bacteria associated with pests such as whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, psyllids, and tsetse flies. The book illustrates how symbiosis research has important ramifications for evolutionary biology, physiology, parasitology, genetics, and animal behavior and is especially relevant to the control of agricultural and disease-carrying pests.

In this second volume, a few repeat authors describe brand new aspects of their research, while a new group covers recently developing aspects of symbiotic relationships. The book includes updated information on Wolbachia biology and how it influences insect life, supplies two new examples of using symbionts in crop protection, and discusses the recent "bug in a bug" mealy bug case. The book provides analysis and synthesis of cutting-edge research in insect symbiosis that sheds light on the evolution of the host/symbiont relationship, and in turn, on the general study of evolution, physiology, and genetics.

Contents

• Diversity of Prokaryote-Insect Associations within the Sternorrhyncha (psyllids, whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs), P. Baumann
• An Alpha-Proteobacterium Invades the Mitochondria of the Tick Ixodes ricinus, N. Lo, T. Beninati, L. Sacchi, and C. Bandi
• Inherited Bacteroidetes Symbionts in Arthropods, M.S. Hunter and E. Zchori-Fein
• Complexity of Insect-Fungal Associations: Exploring the Influence of Microorganisms on Attine Ant-Fungus Symbiosis, M. Poulsen and C.R. Currie
• The Evolutionary Origin and Maintenance of the Mutualistic Symbiosis Between Termites and Fungi, D.K. Aamen and K.K. Boomsma
• Mollicutes Associated with Arthropods and Plants, E.-D. Ammar and S.A. Hogenhout
• A Newly Discovered Virus Manipulates Superparasitism Behavior in a Parasitoid Wasp, J. Varaldi, S. Gandon, A. Rivero, S. Patot, and F. Fleury
• Symbiont Culture, A.C. Darby and S.C. Welburn
• Comparative Genomics in Buchnera aphidicola, Primary Endosymbiont of Aphids, A. Latorre and A. Moya
• Wolbachia Genomics: Accelerating Our Understanding of a Pervasive Symbiosis, J.C. Brownlie and S.L. O'Neill
• The Role of Wolbachia in the Biology and Pathogenesis of Filari, J.D. Turner, J.M. Foster, M. Ganatra, B.E. Slatk, and M.J. Taylor
• Paternal Sex Ratio Chromosomes in Parasitoid Wasps: An Overview of the Ins and Outs of These Extremely Selfish B chromosomes, J.J.F.A. van Vugt, H. de Jong, and R. Stouthamer
• Insecticidal Bacterial Effectors from Symbionts of Insect-Killing Nematodes, R.H. ffrench-Constant, A. Dowling, and N. Waterfield
• Insect Pest Control Using Wolbachia and/or Radiation, K. Bourtzis and A.S. Robinson
• Paratransgenesis Applied to Control Insect-Transmitted Plant Pathogens: The Pierce's Disease Case , T. Miller, C. Lauzon, D. Lampe, R. Durvasula, and S. Matthews
• Index