Insect Fungus Symbiosis

The fungi versus the arthropods; Lipids of Ambrosia fungi and the life of mutualistic beetles; The mutualistic fungi of Xyleborini beetles; The fungi symbiotic with anobiid beetles; Fungus-culturing by ants; Termite-fungus mutualism; The role of fungi in the biology and ecology of woodwasps; Commensalism of the trichomycetes; The laboulbeniales and their arthropod hosts; Symbiosis, commensalism and aposymbiosis.

There is an increasing interest in using fungi as bio control agents for insect pests in agricultural systems, and also a growing interest in the basic biology of insect-fungal associations from the perspective of parasitism, symbiosis and infection. This title covers topics in this field, incorporating new molecular techniques wherever possible.

Summarizing current knowledge on symbiotic organisms in the biology of insects, Insect Symbiosis, Volume IIdescribes 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, phy

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 resear

Classification of symbiotic fungi. Fungi the capture microscopic animals. Endosymbiotic fungi of microscopic animals. Fungi that attack insects. Fungi of larger invertebrates and vertebrates. Neutral fungi. Mutualistic symbioses with insects. Facultative necrotrophs. Biotrophs. Obligate necrotrops and hemibiotrophs. Ectomycorrhizas. Endomycorrhizas. Lichens. Antagonisms between fungi.

Biologists have long been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues in the evolution and ecology of the social behaviour of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. This text presents an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants and shows how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology.