Mites: ecology, evolution and behaviour : life at a microscale / David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor

Incluye bibliografía e índice: páginas 471-494

1 What Good Are Mites?.. What Is a Mite?.. Why Study Mites?.. What Follows?.. References.. 2 The Origin of Mites: Fossil History and Relationships.. The Cambrian Explosion and the Rise of the Arthropoda.. The First Major Dichotomy: Mandibulata Versus Chelicerata.. A Review of Arthropod Limb Structure, Metamerism and Tagmosis.. Marine Euchelicerates.. Scorpionida: The First Arachnids?.. The Origin of the Arachnids: A Palaeofantasy.. Arachnids and the Colonisation of Land.. Fossil Mites.. Fossil Acariformes.. Fossil Parasitiformes.. Potential Arachnid Relatives of Mites.. Palpigradi.. Opiliones.. Ricinulei.. Pseudoscorpionida.. Solifugida.. Summary and Preview.. References.. 3 Systematic and Morphological Survey.. What Is 'Acari'? The Question of Mite Monophyly.. Parasitiformes: Ticks and Their Relatives.. Acariformes: The Mite-Like Mites.. How Do Mites Do the Things They Do?.. Sensing, Feeding, Silk and Sex: The Gnathosoma.. Moving, Sensing and Interacting: The Legs.. Reproduction.. Digestion and Excretion.. Keeping It All In: The Cuticle.. Identifying Mite Superorders and Orders.. Key to the Superorders and Orders of the Acari.. Summary.. References.. 4 Life Cycles, Development and Size.. Oviposition.. Parental Care.. Egg Number and Egg Size.. Postembryonic Development.. Prelarva and Larva.. Suppression and Skipping of Stages.. Life Cycle of the Parasitengona.. Paedomorphosis, Progenesis and Neoteny.. Size, Developmental Rate and Generation Times.. Overview of Mite Size Patterns.. Developmental Rates and Generation Times.. Dissociation Between Body Size and Developmental Rate in Mesostigmata.. Dispersal, Migration and Phoresy.. Migratory Stages.. Phoresy.. Summary.. References.. 5 Sex and Celibacy.. Modes of Sperm Transfer .. Distribution of Sperm-Transfer Modes Among Non-Acarine Animals.. Diversity of Sperm-Transfer Behaviours in Mites.. Reproductive Anatomy.. The Parasitiformes: Elaborations on a Theme

The Adventurous Acariformes.. Spermatophore Structure and Function.. Exploding Sperm Packets.. Fields of Fragrant Spermatophores.. Sexual Selection.. Intrasexual Competition: Male Modifi cations for Mate Monopolisation.. Intersexual Selection as an Agent of Morphological and Behavioural Change.. Contentsxi Parthenogenesis.. Why Have Sex?.. Distribution of Parthenogenesis in Mites.. Sex-Ratio Manipulation.. Immaculate Conception: Did Sexual Astigmatans Arise from Asexual Oribatids?.. Summary.. References.. 6 Mites in Soil and Litter Systems.. The Enigma of Soil Biodiversity.. What Is Soil?.. Forest Floor Habitats.. Ephemeral Versus Stable Soil-Litter Habitats.. Mites, the Rhizosphere and Mycorrhizae.. How Deep Is Soil?.. Mites and Decomposition.. Soil Mites in a Simple System: Antarctica.. Antarctic Mites.. An Antarctic Food Web.. Feeding Guilds and Functional Groups.. Comminuting Microbivore-Detritivores: Grazers and Browsers.. Piercing-Sucking Microbivores.. Filter-Feeding Microbivores.. Direct Plant Parasites.. Mites and Moss.. Indirect Plant Parasites.. The Worm-Eaters: Nematophages.. Predators of Arthropods.. Predation in the Soil.. Cruise and Pursuit Predators.. Ambush or Sit-and-Wait Predators.. Saltatory Search.. Constraints and Variations.. Intraguild Predation.. Cannibalism.. Avoiding Predation: Defences of Mites and Mite Prey.. Jumping.. Chemical Defence.. Autotomy, Armour, Hairs, Dirt and Thanatosis.. Acarophagy: Mites as Food for Larger Animals.. Eating Armoured Mites.. Vertebrates That Eat Mites.. Poison Frogs and Cleptotoxins.. Body Size Patterns.. Contentsxii Sensitivity and Diversity: Soil Mites as Environmental Indicators.. Mites and Earthworms.. Palaeoacacrology.. Summary.. References.. 7 Acari Underwater, or, Why Did Mites Take the Plunge?.. Taxonomic Distribution of Secondarily Aquatic Arthropods.. Repeated Invasions of Water.. Parasitiformes.. Oribatida.. Astigmata.. Prostigmata

Number of Invasions into Different Aquatic Habitats.. Phytotelmata.. Temporary Freshwater Bodies.. Standing Fresh Water.. Running Fresh Water.. Interstitial Fresh Water.. Brackish Water.. Marine Intertidal Zone.. Marine Subtidal Zone (Including Abyssal.. (PreAdaptations to Subaquatic Life.. Gas Exchange.. Feeding.. Osmoregulation.. Sperm Transfer.. Predation: The Correlation Between Foul Taste and Bright Colour.. Locomotion.. Swimming.. Levitation.. Sensitivity and Diversity: Water Mites as Environmental Indicators.. Temperature.. Depth.. Substrate.. Standing Versus Running Water.. pH.. Organic Pollution.. Summary.. References.. 8 Mites on Plants.. Mites on Plants: Where Do They Come From?.. Plant Parasites.. Rust, Gall and Erinose Mites: Eriophyoidea.. Earth Mites: Penthaleidae and Its Kin.. Contentsxiii Spider Mites and Their Kin.. Duckweeed and Water Hyacinth Mites.. Fruit and Fig Mites.. Venereal Diseases of Plants.. Hunting on Leaves.. Predatory Prostigmata.. Foliar Mesostigmata.. Development and Reproduction of Phytoseiid Mites.. Feeding Biology of Phytoseiid Mites.. Mites and Leaf Domatia.. Structure and Distribution of Leaf Domatia.. What Lives in Leaf Domatia?.. Domatia as a Constitutive Plant Defence.. What's in It for the Mites?.. Arboreal Scavengers and Fungivores.. Scavenging on Leaves.. Moss and Lichen Mites.. Fungal Sporocarps.. Under Bark.. Mites and Biological Control.. Infochemicals.. Induced Resistance.. Transgenic Mites.. Biocontrol of Weeds.. Summary.. References.. 9 Animals as Habitats.. Types of Ecological Interactions.. Evolutionary Pathways Between Interactions.. Life with Invertebrates.. Taxonomic Survey of Associates.. Phoresy and Dispersal.. Commensalism.. Parasitism and Parasitoidism.. Mutualism.. Acarinaria.. Life with Vertebrates.. Mammals and Their Homes.. Mites on, in and Around Birds.. Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and the Mystery of Mite Pockets

Effects of Parasitic Mites on Their Hosts.. Differential Host Susceptibility to Parasitism.. The Evil That Mites Do: Adverse Effects of Acarine Symbionts.. Parasitic Mites and Mate Choice by Hosts.. Contentsxiv Mite-Host Coevolution: Any Evidence?.. Coevolution by Mutual Adaptation.. Cospeciation.. Summary.. References.. 10 Mites That Cause and Transmit Disease.. Critical Concepts and Terminology.. Mite-Caused Diseases.. The Human Itch Mite: A Life in the Skin.. Demented Dermanyssoidea: Biting Mites of Birds, Rodents, and Whatever Else Is Nearby.. Perverse Prostigmata: Whirligigs, Straw Itch, and Walking Dandruff.. Mite- and Tick-Borne Diseases.. Trombiculoidea (Chiggers: Scrub Typhus.. Ixodoidea (Ticks.. Diseases That Mites Do Not Cause.. Mystery Bites.. Delusions of Mite-Bites.. Summary.. References.. 11 Mites and Biological Diversity.. Mites and Microhabitats.. Mites and Complementarity.. Size and Biodiversity.. Host Specifi city, Size and Diversity.. Summary.. References.. 12 Mites as Models.. Theoretical and Applied Population Ecology.. Microcosms.. Moss Islands.. Biomonitoring.. Transgenic Releases.. The Evolution of Host Specifi city and Virulence.. Sexual Selection and Diversifi cation.. Sex-Ratio Control and the Devolution of Sex.. Pushing the Limits of Physiology and Morphology.. Selection at More Than One Level.. Summary.. References.. Index

More than 40,000 species of mites have been described, and up to 1 million may exist on earth. These tiny arachnids play many ecological roles including acting as vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. But despite the grand diversity of mites, even trained biologists are often unaware of their significance. Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (2nd edition) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, mites and human disease, and mites as models for ecological and evolutionary theories. eng