Natural Enemies The Population Biology of Predators, Parasites and Diseases

About this book

This book describes the evolution and ecology of all carnivorous organisms from whales and lions, down to virus and bacteria. It addresses questions such as: How do natural enemies affect the distribution and abundance of their prey, and how have natural enemies functioned as agents of natural selection affecting the evolution of behaviour and morphology in their prey?

Contents

Part 1: Background; Evolution of exploiter - victim relationships; Correlates of carnivory: approaches and answers; Population dynamics of natural enemies and their prey; Foraging theory;Part 2: Population biology of natural enemies; Large carnivores; Birds of prey; Insectivorous mammals; Marine mammals; Marine invertebrates; Predatory arthropods; Bloodsucking arthropods; Spiders as representative sit-and-wait predators; Macroparasites: worms and others; Macroparasites: viruses and bacteria;Part 3: Synthesis; Predator psychology and the evolution of prey coloration; Natural enemies and community dynamics; Biological control; The dynamics of predator-prey and resource-harvester systems; Prey defence and predator foraging; Overview; References; Index

Customer Reviews