List of boxes; Foreword John C. Holmes; Preface and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Immunological aspects of parasitism; 3. Protista: the unicellular eukaryotes; 4. Microsporida: the intracellular fungi; 5. Myxozoa: the spore-forming cnidarians; 6. Platyhelminthes: the flatworms; 7. Acanthocephala: the thorny-headed worms; 8. Nematoda: the roundworms; 9. Nematomorpha: the horsehair worms; 10. Pentastomida: the tongue worms; 11. Arthropoda: the joint-legged animals; 12. Parasite population ecology; 13. Parasite community ecology; 14. Parasite biogeography and phylogeography; 15. Effects of parasites on their hosts: from individuals to ecosystems; 16. Evolution of host-parasite interactions; 17. Environmental parasitology: parasites as bioindicators of ecosystem health; Glossary; Index.
Synthesizes the latest developments in the ecology and evolution of animal parasites for a new generation of parasitologists.
Timothy M. Goater is Professor and former Chair in the Biology Department at Vancouver Island University, British Columbia, Canada. During the past twenty years he has taught courses in introductory biology, parasitology, ecological parasitology, invertebrate zoology and entomology. His research interests focus on the population and community ecology of parasites. Cameron P. Goater is Associate Professor and former Chair in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His parasitological research roots are in the community ecology of helminths of waterfowl on the Canadian prairies and over the past fifteen years he has taught courses in introductory biology, invertebrate biology, field biology and symbiotic interactions. His current research interests are in the experimental ecology of helminth-host interactions. Gerald W. Esch is Charles M. Allen Professor of Biology at Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA, where he has taught for forty-seven years. He is widely regarded to be one of the world's leading ecological parasitologists and served as Editor of the Journal of Parasitology for nineteen years.
'Combining the classical approach of presenting a summary of the
biology of the major groups of parasites, with a broad overview of
parasite ecology and evolution, this new edition will be a
wonderful resource for teachers of undergraduate parasitology
courses. The well-illustrated and easy-to-read text is unrivalled
at the moment and will be a great tool to turn on a new generation
of young minds to the wonders of parasitic organisms. A true
parasitological tour de force!' Robert Poulin, University of
Otago
'This is an extremely well written book that does an excellent job
of integrating conceptual and organismal aspects of parasitology,
which is not easy. The chapter on the evolution of host-parasite
interactions does a very nice job of integrating micro- and
macro-evolutionary approaches to this topic. The use of boxes to
contain historical information and case studies is very effective.
Personal accounts of the authors' own experiences studying and
teaching parasitology are interesting and effective.' Dale H.
Clayton, University of Utah
'The authors have done a terrific job of implementing the dual
approach stated in the title. The book combines a comprehensive and
balanced presentation of parasite biodiversity with an insightful
treatment of the various aspects of the ecology of host/parasite
interactions. Their approach is synthetic, refreshingly original
and effectively blends coverage of long-standing fundamentals of
parasitology with modern advances in the field. Their clever use of
text boxes highlighting intriguing parasitological examples is sure
to capture the imagination of students of parasitology and other
fields of biology alike, serving to illustrate the relevance and
importance of the discipline overall.' Janine N. Caira, University
of Connecticut
'Interest in the ecology of infectious disease is exploding, often
drawing in researchers with little background in the zoology of
parasites. Parasitism gives the student both the systematic and
zoological background to understand parasitology and the ecological
and evolutionary context to understand why it is important to
understand parasites. The authors, all extreme parasitophiles, have
unmatched histories of teaching parasites to past and current
generations of students. It is safe to say that Jerry Esch has read
more papers about parasites than any living human. As a team, their
approach is clear and scholarly, with many important updates since
the first edition.' Kevin D. Lafferty, US Geological Survey,
University of California, Santa Barbara
'This is a wonderful and tractable text well suited for the
undergraduate taking survey-type parasitology courses and those
senior undergraduates enrolled in specialized courses on the
ecology and evolution of parasites. It is a ready reference for
researchers interested in the current state of knowledge of similar
study problems as their own. There is a wealth of detail for
well-selected examples, building on the rich experience of the
authors as top-notch researchers and educators. Many examples are
of medical or veterinarian or wildlife and conservation importance,
meaning that they are particularly well suited to help deliver key
problems and conceptual and empirical advances. This text is
undoubtedly one that will come off the shelf again and again as
students delve into the complex interactions between species of
parasites and hosts and their current and past environments.' Mark
R. Forbes, Carleton University
'This is a well-organized integration of the diversity of ideas and
methods that characterize this new field of parasite ecology. The
style is easily readable, the details extraordinary, the story told
from an evolutionary perspective. The first chapters lay the
foundations for understanding parasite life cycles, describing the
full diversity of weird and wonderful adaptations of these
organisms. The focus on the organismal view is exciting, and
written in the context of ideas from classic ecology. The short
stories in the boxes add interesting talking points. This is a
well-researched document, and even the pros will learn from this
book; the literature cited sections at the chapter ends are
thorough and up-to-date. The final chapters on ecology and
evolution are very synthetic, and the use of examples of diverse
parasite strategies to illustrate the history and current status of
the field's major ideas works well. I highly recommend this book.'
Michael V. K. Sukhdeo, Rutgers University
'This is the book I would have loved to have available when I was
teaching.' John C. Holmes, from the Foreword
'The second edition of this classic reference book on parasitology
is well worth the 13-year wait … [It] offers a superbly presented
synthesis of its twin central themes - the diversity of parasites
and their ecology. The interdisciplinary approach considers the
host-parasite relationship at all levels, from molecular, via whole
organism, to entire communities.' Andrew Taylor-Robinson, The
Biologist
'There are surprisingly few good, up to date books, on Parasitism.
This is one of the best … very readable, extremely well illustrated
and keeps the reader right up to date. The authors are highly
experienced parasitologists and have clearly invested a good deal
of care and thought in the way they have presented the material,
ensuring a lucid, coherent approach … the overall layout of the
book is consistent, easy to navigate and well set out … The
information supplied was extremely accurate and the simplification
and prioritisation of detail, necessary for a text like this, did
not allow the text to stray into inaccuracy. As someone, who
regularly teaches undergraduate students about these parasites, the
content was well judged and would be suitable for my students … I
would thoroughly recommend this book.' Geoff Hide, Parasitology
'… this new edition of Parasitism is extremely well written with an
easily readable style … The text is illustrated with many new
first-class drawings, photographs and micrographs … This
exceptional book is thoroughly recommended.' Biological Journal of
the Linnean Society
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