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  • Textbook
  • © 2013

Mites: Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour

Life at a Microscale

  • Aimed at the general naturalist and other non-experts

  • Ideal for students and researchers unfamiliar with mites

  • Lavishly illustrated with drawings and electron micrographs

  • The only introductory book on mite behaviour and ecology in English

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. What Good Are Mites?

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 1-10
  3. The Origin of Mites: Fossil History and Relationships

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 11-38
  4. Systematic and Morphological Survey

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 39-68
  5. Life Cycles, Development and Size

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 69-104
  6. Sex and Celibacy

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 105-159
  7. Mites in Soil and Litter Systems

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 161-228
  8. Acari Underwater, or, Why Did Mites Take the Plunge?

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 229-280
  9. Mites on Plants

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 281-339
  10. Animals as Habitats

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 341-422
  11. Mites That Cause and Transmit Disease

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 423-445
  12. Mites and Biological Diversity

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 447-459
  13. Mites as Models

    • David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor
    Pages 461-470
  14. Back Matter

    Pages 471-494

About this book

More than 40,000 species of mites have been described, and up to 1 million may exist on earth. These tiny arachnids play many ecological roles including acting as vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation, and important agents of biological control. But despite the grand diversity of mites, even trained biologists are often unaware of their significance. Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (2nd edition) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of these intriguing creatures. It surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, mites and human disease, and mites as models for ecological and evolutionary theories.

Reviews

From the book reviews:

“This is a very readable, easy-to-follow book. It starts with a brief introduction about mites and their ecological role and continues with the intricacies of mite biology. … Thanks to the well-organized, end-of chapter references, these readers can locate some of the original works on the subject. … It is also very well written and designed and provides  more illustrations than its predecessor. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.” (J. M. Gonzalez, Choice, Vol. 51 (9), May, 2014)

“This book is the second edition of an overview of the mites (Acari), which explores their fascinating biology, with emphasis on ecology, evolution and behaviour. … this outstanding book is highly recommended for amateur and professional biologists, interested students, specializing acarologists and for libraries. … The entire book is written in a ‘friendly’, clear, non-obtuse style with scientific terms explained, and it gains much by the many illuminating Figures.” (Uri Gerson, Experimental and Applied Acarology, Vol. 64, 2014)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Invertebrate Zoology, University of the Sunshine Coast, Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, Canada

    David Evans Walter

  • Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Heather C. Proctor

About the authors

Dave Walter has more than 30 years experience in the study of mites in Australia, the United States, and Canada and is an author of numerous research papers, book chapters, books, interactive keys, and webpages on mite ecology, behaviour, systematics and identification. He is especially interested in the roles that mites play in biological diversity in the soil and in the canopy of rainforests and in the interactions of mites with plants and animals. Dave was formerly a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland and a Senior Research Scientist at Colorado State University. Currently, Dave is a scientist at the Royal Alberta Museum where he is responsible for taxonomic advice and mite identifications for the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Acarology, and an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Alberta and the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Heather Proctor is a native of Alberta, Canada, where she spent many hours of her childhood collecting and watching freshwater invertebrates. Her undergraduate thesis research at the University of Alberta focused on the diversity of Albertan water mites, and was followed by an M.Sc. (U. Calgary) and Ph.D. (U.Toronto) on the predatory and reproductive biology of these fascinating animals. She has held academic positions at Queen's University in Ontario, Griffith University in Queensland, and the University of Alberta where she is now a professor. Her acarological research interests have expanded to include mites associated with birds and soil as well as water.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Mites: Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour

  • Book Subtitle: Life at a Microscale

  • Authors: David Evans Walter, Heather C. Proctor

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7164-2

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-94-007-7163-5Published: 18 October 2013

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-024-0233-9Published: 23 August 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-007-7164-2Published: 08 October 2013

  • Edition Number: 2

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 494

  • Number of Illustrations: 97 b/w illustrations, 31 illustrations in colour

  • Additional Information: Originally published by University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 1999 (for Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Papua New Guinea and Oceania )

  • Topics: Entomology, Parasitology, Ecology, Biodiversity, Evolutionary Biology, Invertebrates

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access