Overview

Anemones and fish, ants and acacia trees, fungus and trees, buffaloes and oxpeckers--each of these unlikely duos is an inimitable partnership in which the species’ coexistence is mutually beneficial. More specifically, they represent examples of defensive mutualism, when one species receives protection against predators or parasites in exchange for offering shelter or food to its partner species. Explores the Diverse Range of Defensive Mutualisms Involving Microbial Symbionts The past 20 years, since this phenomenon first began receiving attention, have been marked by a deluge of research in a variety of organism kingdoms and much has been discovered about this intriguing behavior. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis includes basic ecological and biological information on defensive mutualisms, explores how they function, and evaluates how they have evolved. It also looks at the implications of symbiosis defensive compounds as a new frontier in bioexploration for drug and natural product discovery--the first book to explore this possibility. Chapters Written by Field Authorities The book expands the concept of defensive mutualisms to evaluate defense against environmental abiotic and biotic stresses. Addressing the topic of defensive mutualisms in microbial symbiosis across this wide spectrum, it includes chapters on defensive mutualistic associations involving multiple kingdoms of organisms in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems--plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, and protozoans. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis unifies scattered findings into a single compendium, providing a valuable reference for field researchers and those in academia to assimilate and acquire a knowledgeable perspective on defensive mutualism, particularly those involving microbial partners.

Full Product Details

Author:   James F. White Jr. (Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA) ,  Monica S. Torres (Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA) ,  Monica S. Torres (Rutgers University , New Lisbon, New Jersey, USA Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   CRC Press Inc
Volume:   v. 27
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9781420069310

ISBN 10:   1420069314
Pages:   430
Publication Date:   26 May 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

OVERVIEW OF MUTUALISTIC ASSOCIATIONS AND DEFENSE. Introduction: Symbiosis, Defensive Mutualism, and Variations on the Theme. Defensive Mutualism and Grass Endophytes: Still Valid after All These Years? Overview of Defensive Mutualism in the Marine Environment. PROKARYOTIC DEFENSIVE SYMBIONTS. Microbial Symbionts for Defense and Competition among Ciliate Hosts. Bacterial Chemical Defenses of Marine Animal Hosts. Is the Vibrio fi scheri–Euprymna scolopes Symbiosis a Defensive Mutualism? Entomopathogenic Nematode and Bacteria Mutualism. Interspecies Competition in a Bacteria–Nematode Mutualism. Defensive Symbionts in Aphids and Other Insects. Fungus-Growing Ant–Microbe Symbiosis: Using Microbes to Defend Beneficial Associations within Symbiotic Communities. EUKARYOTIC DEFENSIVE SYMBIONTS. Chemical Defense in Lichen Symbioses. Arbuscular Mycorrhizae as Defense against Pathogens. Evaluation of Mycorrhizal Symbioses as Defense in Extreme Environments. Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis on Enhancement of Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses. Conifer Endophytes. Diversity and Ecological Roles of Clavicipitaceous Endophytes of Grasses. Contributions of Pharmaceutical Antibiotic and Secondary Metabolite Discovery to the Understanding of Microbial Defense and Antagonism. FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES AS MODEL SYSTEMS TO UNDERSTAND DEFENSIVE MUTUALISM. Extensions to and Modulation of Defensive Mutualism in Grass Endophytes. Conceptual Model for the Analysis of Plant–Endophyte Symbiosis in Relation to Abiotic Stress. Habitat-Adapted Symbiosis as a Defense against Abiotic and Biotic Stresses. Insect Herbivory and Defensive Mutualisms between Plants and Fungi. Fungal Endophytes: Defensive Characteristics and Implications for Agricultural Applications. Endophytic Niche and Grass Defense. Index.

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Author Information

James F. White, Jr., Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair of the Plant Biology and Pathology Department in the School of Environmental & Biological Science at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. He conducts research on the biology of fungal endophytes and is the author of more than 150 articles. He is also the editor of several reference books on the biology, ecology, and evolution of fungi; and associate editor of the journal Mycologia. Dr. White was the founding Secretary of the International Symbiosis Society. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and maintains memberships in several scientific societies, including the Mycological Society of America (MSA) and the American Phytopathological Society (APS). Monica S. Torres, Ph.D., is currently a Post Doctoral Associate in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at Rutgers University, and a member of the faculty at the National University of Mar del Plata, Balcarce, Argentina. Her scientific interests are in the areas of taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of the Clavicipitaceae and biology of fungal endophytes in natural and agricultural ecosystems.

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