Insect Symbiosis

The associations between insects and microorganisms, while pervasive and of paramount ecological importance, have been relatively poorly understood. The third book in this set, Insect Symbiosis, Volume 3, complements the previous volumes in exploring this somewhat uncharted territory. Like its predecessors, Volume 3 illustrates how symbiosis research has important ramifications for evolutionary biology, microbiology, parasitology, physiology, genetics, and animal behavior, and is especially relevant to the control of agricultural and disease-carrying pests worldwide.

Insect Symbiosis, Volume 3, includes pioneering chapters on Paratransgenesis in termites, Bacterial symbionts in anopheles spp. and other mosquito vectors, Endosymbionts of lice, and the Structure and function of the bacterial community associated with the Mediterranean fruit fly. These individual studies suggest practical applications in pest control involving novel, pesticide-free, biological control approaches.

This new volume adds to the growing body of knowledge on the ubiquitous endosymbiont Wolbachia. This bacterial genus and its potential as a weapon against insect pests and vectors have been covered in the first two volumes of Insect Symbiosis. Volume 3 contains chapters on Wolbachia and anopheles mosquitoes, Feminizing Wolbachia and the evolution of sex determination in isopods, and Wolbachia–induced sex reversal in Lepidoptera.

The book examines symbiotic relationships in the context of how host organisms recognize their own cells as self and other cells or potentially parasitic or pathogenic organisms as nonself, allowing researchers to make predictions of compatible and incompatible interactions. Following in the tradition of the first two volumes, this book serves as a great reference on host-parasitic relationships for professionals from a broad range of disciplines.