Skip to main content

Books in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

  • The Mycoplasmas V2

    Human and Animal Mycoplasmas
    • 1st Edition
    • J Tully
    • English
    The Mycoplasmas, Volume II: Human and Animal Mycoplasmas is a volume of a comprehensive three-volume series encompassing various facets of mycoplasmology. This volume deals with host-parasite relationships of mycoplasmas in man and animals, with emphasis on recent developments in the study of classical mycoplasmal diseases of animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, swine, and chickens. This volume shows the knowledge about mycoplasmal diseases of man, including those involving the respiratory and genitourinary tracts. Detailed information on the humoral and cellular immune responses to mycoplasmas,which are assuming an ever-increasing significance in the understandingof the pathogenesis of human and animal mycoplasmal diseases, is also given. This book ends with reviews on mycoplasmas as arthritogenic agents and the interaction of mycoplasmas with cell andorgan cultures. This book will serve as a standard reference work for mycoplasmologists, as well as for other interested microbiologists, cellular and molecular biologists, membrane biochemists, clinicians, veterinarians, plant pathologists, and entomologists.
  • Mobile Genetic Elements

    • 1st Edition
    • James Shapiro
    • English
    Mobile Genetic Elements introduces the nonspecialist to the biology and genetics of mobile elements. It attempts to make the biochemistry of DNA rearrangements more accessible to embryologists and evolutionists, and to illuminate the related developmental cycles to the biochemist. The book also shows how natural the activity of mobile elements can be in diverse biological situations. The chapters describe several well-studied cases in which genetic determinants—often identified as specific nucleic acid sequences—repeatedly change their positions within or between cellular genomes. Because their genomic positions are not fixed, these determinants may conveniently be classed together under the rubric of mobile genetic elements. The book begins with a discussion of maize controlling elements. This is followed by separate chapters on the bacteriophages λ and Mu; nonviral mobile elements in bacteria; transposable Ty elements in brewer's yeast; Drosophila transposable element; and hybrid dysgenesis. Subsequent chapters cover vertebrate retroviruses; Agrobacterium oncogenesis in plants; flagellar phase variation in Salmonella; yeast mating type; and surface antigenic variation in trypanosomes.
  • Serology and Immunochemistry of Plant Viruses

    • 1st Edition
    • M.H.V. Van Regenmortel
    • English
    Serology and Immunochemistry of Plant Viruses investigates the antigenic properties of plant viruses. It looks at the practical aspects of plant virus serology, along with the molecular basis of viral antigenicity, antigenic determinants in proteins, the structure of antibodies, virus purification, antiserum production, and the theoretical principles and practical implementation of the various serological techniques. It also considers the problems associated with identification and classification of plant viruses. Organized into 10 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of antigens and antigenic determinants before proceeding with a discussion of the immunochemistry of plant viruses, virus-antibody binding, the role of quaternary structure in antigenicity, and the structure of viral antigenic determinants. The reader is also introduced to the methods and principles of purifying plant viruses, preparation of antisera and purification of antibodies, antigen-antibody interaction, immunochemical techniques used with plant viruses, the role of quaternary structure on viral antigenicity, diagnosis of virus diseases, use of serological criteria for measuring the degree of relationship between viruses, and immunochemical studies of plant viruses. The book includes a bibliography with 1,400 references and a list of all the plant viruses that have been studied by serology. This book will be a useful resource for virologists and plant pathologists, as well as for students and research workers in plant virology, plant pathology, microbiology, and general virology.
  • Premature Chromosome Condensation

    Application in Basic, Clinical, and Mutation Research
    • 1st Edition
    • P.N. Rao
    • English
    Premature Chromosome Condensation: Application in Basic, Clinical, and Mutation Research emerged from a workshop supported by the International Union against Cancer that reviewed the status of research on premature chromosome condensation and explored future possibilities, not least in relation to cancer. The workshop was held at the Institut für Humangenetik, Freie Universität Berlin, on September 6, 1980. The book begins with a review of the process of premature chromosome condensation. This is followed by separate chapters on the functional and morphological aspects of premature chromosome condensation; the behavior of prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC) during mitosis in binucleate and multinucleate cells; chromosomes from spermatogenic cells; and micronucleus-derived PCC. Subsequent chapters discuss the application of banding techniques to the study of PCC; the factors involved in the condensation of interphase chromatin into chromosomes; and the induction of premature chromosome condensation in somatic plant cells. This book will be helpful to readers working in basic and applied research or in teaching. These include cytogeneticists, cell biologists, biochemists, and investigators in the field of mutation research.
  • A Territorial Antelope: The Uganda Waterbuck

    • 1st Edition
    • C Spinage
    • English
    A Territorial Antelope: The Uganda Waterbuck discusses anatomical, physiological, and behavioral organization from birth to death of waterbuck. Comprised of 12 chapters, the book focuses on the function and cause of the waterbuck’s territorial behavior. After an introduction to the classification, distribution, and origins of waterbuck, the book discusses the topography, geology, vegetation, fauna, and methods of evaluation of this species. The following chapters focus on the biological aspects of waterbuck, including its growth and senescence; reproduction and reproductive behavior; and parturition and maternal behavior. The book also deals with the role of food supply and habitat preference in population density and survival of waterbuck. Discussions on the activity rhythm, movement, reaction to predators, and relationships with other species of waterbuck are also included. The concluding chapters describe the diverse and complex social organization of this animal. These chapters also cover the territorial concepts and function, territorial boundaries, and repression of aggression behavior of waterbuck. This book is an invaluable source for biologists, researchers, teachers, and students who wish to gain insights on the mechanisms of territorial behavior.
  • Ultrastructure of rust Fungi

    • 1st Edition
    • Michele Heath
    • English
    Ultrastructure of Rust Fungi provides a comprehensive review of rust ultrastructure and host-parasite relations. This book also critically analyzes the studies that have been done in this field. Organized into seven chapters, this book begins with the morphology and ontogeny of sori and spores. It then explains the infections of the susceptible host and the vegetative growth of the fungi in it. It also describes the possibility of incompatibility in plant-rust associations, as well as the parasites of rust fungi. The dynamics of growth and differentiation are emphasized in this book rather than just the mature stage of the rusts. Moreover, this book identifies some topics in which ultrastructural research is particularly lacking and which provide fertile areas for future research. This book will be a valuable reference source for fungal morphologists, taxonomists, and plant pathologists. It will also be helpful to others interested in the anatomy and associated biology of the rusts.
  • Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition

    • 1st Edition
    • Charles Robbins
    • English
    Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition is the fifth in a series of books on animal feeding and nutrition. It fills a serious gap in the wildlife and animal nutrition literature by providing a discussion of the basic principles of nutrition and their application to the broader field of wildlife ecology. This book is based on lectures presented in an upper-level wildlife nutrition course taught at Washington State University. The book discusses the five major nutritional categories of constituents that animals must acquire from their external environments: energy, protein, water, minerals, and vitamins. Subsequent chapters cover topics such as the estimation of energy and protein requirements; dietary protein requirements for captive wildlife and free-ranging populations; wildlife reproductive characteristics; the digestion and metabolism of nutrients; and food intake regulation. The text will be invaluable to wildlife biologists, to those who are interested in captive animal nutrition and management, and to those who are interested in improving the feed supply and nutrition of free-ranging wildlife.
  • Colonization Control of Human Bacterial Enteropathologens in Poultry

    • 1st Edition
    • Leroy Blankenship
    • English
    Colonization Control of Human Bacterial Enteropathogens in Poultry consists of papers presented at the International Symposium on Colonization Control of Human Bacterial Enteropathogens in Poultry. Organized into four parts, the book begins by discussing the environmental factors and sources associated with colonization control of human bacterial enteropathogens in poultry. It then describes the progress in the development of competitive exclusion as a treatment to prevent colonization of poultry by human bacterial enteropathogen. Presentations concerning the mechanisms of colonizationof chickens by Salmonella and Campylobacter are shown in the third part. Lastly, the book discusses the immunization aspects of controlling Salmonella commensal colonization of chickens. This book will stimulate and focus worldwide research that will accelerate progress toward the knowledge and technologies with which microbiologically safer, more wholesome poultry products can be made available toconsumers.
  • Invertebrate Tissue Culture

    Research Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Karl Maramorosch
    • English
    Invertebrate Tissue Culture: Research Applications covers the broad field and status of basic research in invertebrate tissue culture. This book particularly discusses invertebrate cell growth and differentiation, cloning of established cell lines, the breakthrough in molluscan tissue culture, and the establishment of the first snail line. It also highlights topics on invertebrate endocrinology and ecdysone biosynthesis in vitro. This text describes the identification of distinct juvenile hormones from corpora allata and the production of peptide neurohormones by cultured insect brains. Some chapters elucidate the use of Drosophila discs in vitro to study gene activity sites, as well as the applications of insect tissue culture to the study of intracellular parasites, symbionts, and arboviruses. Discussions on insect pathogenic viruses in insect cell lines, extraneous contaminants in invertebrate cell cultures, uses of invertebrate cells in plant pathology, and a description of invertebrate cell lines complete this volume. This reference will be valuable to microbiologists, parasitologists, virologists, entomologists, geneticists, and medical researchers working in the field and to graduate students in related fields of biomedical research.
  • Pollination Biology

    • 1st Edition
    • Leslie Real
    • English
    Pollination Biology reviews the state of knowledge in the field of pollination biology. The book begins by tracing the historical trends in pollination research and the development of the two styles of pollination biology. This is followed by separate chapters on the evolution of the angiosperms; the evolution of plant-breeding systems; the geographical correlations between breeding habit, climate, and mode of pollen transfer; and sexual selection in plants. Subsequent chapters examine the process of sexual selection through gametic competition in Geranium maculatum; the effects of different gene movement patterns on plant population structure; the foraging behavior of pollinators; adaptive nature of floral traits; and competitive interactions among flowering plants for pollinators. The book is designed to provide useful material for advanced undergraduate and graduate students wishing to familiarize themselves with modern pollination biology and also to provide new insights into specific problems for those already engaged in pollination research. The book is intended to be used for both teaching and research.