Marine parasitology

Abstract This book contains 11 chapters focusing on marine parasites worldwide. Written by an international team of contributors, the emphasis is on a thorough grounding in marine parasitology combined with reviews of novel concepts and cutting-edge research. Chapter 1 sets out definitions and describes adaptations, and the distribution of marine parasites in the protistan and animal kingdoms. Chapters 2 to Chapter 5 describe the various parasite groups. Chapter 6 to Chapter 9 deal with behavioural, ecological, evolutionary and zoogeographical aspects. A detailed and well-illustrated section on cleaning symbiosis will be of particular interest to marine biologists, and the sections on parasite-induced changes in host behaviour, speciation and coevolution will be of particular interest to evolutionary biologists. The economic, environmental and medical importance of marine parasites is discussed in Chapter 10 and Chapter 11. Much emphasis is put on detailed and cutting-edge discussions of parasites important in aquaculture of finfish, molluscs and shrimp, and on the effects of parasite infections on marine mammals and birds. The section on lobster parasites emphasises that disease cannot be explained only by the parasites involved, but must consider various environmental factors as well. Biologists prominently involved in studying parasites threatening aquaculture have written the various sections, giving up-to-date accounts that cannot be ignored by anybody interested in the field. Few people realize how much damage parasites cause to marine birds and mammals, as described in the 2 detailed sections on these aspects. Also discussed are mass mortalities in the sea, and - based on long-term intensive studies - the effects of salmon lice on salmon populations. An account of the effects of pollution on parasites and the use of parasites in pollution monitoring is followed by discussions of medical aspects, including intestinal flatworms, roundworms (trichinellosis, anisakiasis, Angiostrongylus) and cercarial dermatitis. It is an invaluable reference for students and researchers in parasitology and marine biology and will also be of interest to ecologists, aquaculturists and invertebrate biologists. The references for all chapters are together at the end of the book.