Manipulative Tenants: Bacteria Associated with Arthropods PDF

Preface

In the English edition of his landmark book Endosymbiosis of Animals with Plant Microorganisms (1965), Prof. Paul Buchner, probably the most prominent founder of systematic symbiosis research, included a short description of the history of the research in the field and wrote: "I too soon fell victim to the spell of this subject, and from 1911 on devoted myself to it."

Almost half a century has passed, and the impact arthropod-bacteria symbiosis has on virtually all aspects of the biology of both host and symbiont is being recognized by a growing number of entomologists. Because the richness of each particular system always provides ample questions and new discoveries, the discussion of this subject tends to be system based, with primary emphasis on the insect host. However, recent screening studies have revealed that the diversity of bacteria associated with arthropods may not be as wide as initially expected, and some genera are constantly being found in hosts that belong to distantly related taxa.

In the preface to his book Buchner wrote that although much progress has been made in understanding the diversity and morphological basis of many associations, "more intensive teamwork between biochemistry and microbiology" is required in order to advance the field. In recognition of the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations, over 120 scientists from more than 20 European countries, as well as from the United States, Australia, Korea, and Tunisia, have joined forces under the umbrella of EU COST Action FA0701, Arthropod Symbioses: From Fundamental Studies to Pest and Disease Management. The main goal of the action was to unravel basic aspects of arthropod symbiosis and promote the transformation of data into novel, effective, and environment-friendly tools for the control of pests and diseases.

The current book is aimed at introducing the fascinating topic of bacteria-arthropod associations to researchers who are not familiar with it, enlarging the scope of knowledge of those who are, and providing a textbook for students, mainly in microbiology, but also in other branches of biology. The book thus provides an overview of primary (obligatory) symbionts as well as the most abundant secondary (facultative) symbionts currently known. An effort has been made to summarize the most up-todate information available on each symbiont and present a synopsis of the field from the bacterial angle.

We thank the many colleagues who have made the publication of this book possible, and the peers who provided thorough reviews on all the chapters. It is our hope that the readers of this book will also fall "victims to the spell of this subject," which, in Buchner's words, is "often bordering the fantastic."