Insect Symbiosis, Volume 2

Kostas Bourtzis, Thomas A. Miller

• Symbiosis as a Mechanism of Evolution. CFB Bacteria. Symbionts in Cockroaches. PSR Factors in Insects. Bacteria Live Inside Bacteria in a Mealybug. Diversity of Symbionts in Diverse Insect Species, Primary Symbionts, Secondary Symbionts, Arsenophonus, Chlamydia-Like Bacteria. Evolution of Insect Symbionts Genomes. Ants, Agriculture, and Antibiotics: An Ancient Quadripartite Symbiosis. The First Insect Wolbachia Genome. The First Nematode Wolbachia Genome. Comparative Wolbachia Genomics. Tsetse Secondary Symbionts, Mainly Sodalis. Insect-Transmitted Plant Pathogenic Mollicutes. Photorhabdus Genome, Toxins Entomopathogenic Nematodes. Host Plant Specialization Governed by Facultative Symbiont. Locusts and Gut Bacteria. Bacteria Invade Mitochondria of Ticks. Termite Symbiotic Systems. The Applied Biology of Wolbachia. Paratransgenesis Applied to Control Insect-Transmitted Plant Pathogens: The Pierce’s Disease Case.

Each reader will find chapters to delight him- or herself. … should find a home in every biology library… a solid introduction to students, and extensive reviews of the past 20 years of research for professional investigators. They also will provide hours of enjoyable reading. The books represent the flowering of decades of research by dozens of pioneering scientists, and show how important symbiosis is to the biological sciences. The topic is so rich, and the investigators so productive that the editors could continue to produce a new volume every 3 years, indefinitely. Let’s hope they do.—Michael F. Dolan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA, in SymbiosisWe have a great deal to learn about this planet where animals thrive in symbioses with microorganisms and we can learn much about it here.—From the Preface by Lynn Margulis, Distinguished Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts Bourtzis … and Miller … present 15 contributions covering such topics as mollicutes associated with arthropods and plants, the evolutionary origin and maintenance of the mutualistic symbiosis between termites and fungi, paternal sex ratio chromosomes in parasitoid wasps, and insect pest control using Wolbachia and/or radiation, among others.—SciTech Book News, December 2006 Co-editor Thomas Miller has been awarded the G.J. Mendel Honorary Medal for Merit in the Biological Sciences. By awarding this medal, the Academy Council gives its highest recognition to Dr. Miller’s outstanding achievements, which have been acknowledged worldwide.—Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic This excellent overview of some of the relationships between insects and the various microorganisms that live within them should trigger additional research on the ‘bugs’ of interest to you. The chapters each contain numerous references and excellent illustrations, including color figures in the center of the volume. Run, don’t walk, to get a copy of this book; it just may change how you think about your ‘bugs’ —Marjorie A. Hoy, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA, in Florida Entomologist 86 (4)