This new work contains the first integrated discussion of the role of olfaction in mosquito-host interactions. It covers the practical applications of this knowledge in attempting to control malaria as a problem for world health. The volume begins with a general overview of mosquito life cycle styles and how odour-mediated host location fits into the repertoire of behaviours that a specific species may exhibit. Certain aspects of insect olfaction and its underlying physiological mechanisms are incorporated within the book.

Intraspecific communication involves the activation of chemoreceptors and subsequent activation of different central areas that coordinate the responses of the entire organism—ranging from behavioral modification to modulation of hormones release. Animals emit intraspecific chemical signals, often referred to as pheromones, to advertise their presence to members of the same species and to regulate interactions aimed at establishing and regulating social and reproductive bonds. In the last two decades, scientists have developed a greater understanding of the neural processing of these chemical signals. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication explores the role of the chemical senses in mediating intraspecific communication. Providing an up-to-date outline of the most recent advances in the field, it presents data from laboratory and wild species, ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates, from insects to humans. The book examines the structure, anatomy, electrophysiology, and molecular biology of pheromones. It discusses how chemical signals work on different mammalian and non-mammalian species and includes chapters on insects, Drosophila, honey bees, amphibians, mice, tigers, and cattle. It also explores the controversial topic of human pheromones. An essential reference for students and researchers in the field of pheromones, this is also an ideal resource for those working on behavioral phenotyping of animal models and persons interested in the biology/ecology of wild and domestic species.

This is a multi-authored book with a focus on the role of olfaction (the sense of smell) in the multitude of interactions between arthropods and their blood hosts. Blood-feeding arthropods (mostly insects, ticks and mites) depend on a vertebrate host for survival and reproduction. Their evolutionary success depends on how efficiently they can detect the presence of a host and actively locate it to obtain a blood meal. This is the domain of olfaction, which is perhaps the most important mode of signal exchange between hosts and blood-feeding arthropods that visit them. Important human and animal diseases like malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, bluetongue and trypanosomiasis are transmitted between humans and/or animals as a direct outcome of olfactory responses mediated by host odours. Increased understanding of olfaction and how this governs interactions between arthropods and blood hosts will enable the development of novel strategies to disrupt this behaviour. For example, many species of tsetse fly respond over distance to simple blends of synthetic odours. Combined with traps or insecticide-treated targets, such odour-baited devices can effectively suppress fly populations and thus transmission of sleeping sickness. Such systems still need to be developed for disease-vectoring mosquitoes, flies and ticks, necessitating further knowledge on the chemical basis of interactions with their vertebrate hosts. In 18 peer-reviewed chapters, recognized experts provide a state-of-the-art overview of olfaction in vector-host interactions, from the molecular to population biology level. A wide range of arthropods is discussed, including mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies, tsetse flies, blood-feeding bugs and ticks. Novel ideas, definition of research gaps, and a collection of the most recent studies will be of value to biology students, chemical ecologists, as well as those implementing vector control programmes.

Blood-sucking insects are the vectors of many of the most debilitating parasites of man and his domesticated animals. In addition they are of considerable direct cost to the agricultural industry through losses in milk and meat yields, and through damage to hides and wool, etc. So, not surprisingly, many books of medical and veterinary entomology have been written. Most of these texts are organized taxonomically giving the details of the life-cycles, bionomics, relationship to disease and economic importance of each of the insect groups in turn. I have taken a different approach. This book is topic led and aims to discuss the biological themes which are common in the lives of blood-sucking insects. To do this I have concentrated on those aspects of the biology of these fascinating insects which have been clearly modified in some way to suit the blood-sucking habit. For example, I have discussed feeding and digestion in some detail because feeding on blood presents insects with special problems, but I have not discussed respiration because it is not affected in any particular way by haematophagy. Naturally there is a subjective element in the choice of topics for discussion and the weight given to each. I hope that I have not let my enthusiasm for particular subjects get the better of me on too many occasions and that the subject material achieves an overall balance.

Biology of Disease Vectors presents a comprehensive and advanced discussion of disease vectors and what the future may hold for their control. This edition examines the control of disease vectors through topics such as general biological requirements of vectors, epidemiology, physiology and molecular biology, genetics, principles of control and insecticide resistance. Methods of maintaining vectors in the laboratory are also described in detail.No other single volume includes both basic information on vectors, as well as chapters on cutting-edge topics, authored by the leading experts in the field. The first edition of Biology of Disease Vectors was a landmark text, and this edition promises to have even more impact as a reference for current thought and techniques in vector biology.Current - each chapter represents the present state of knowledge in the subject areaAuthoritative - authors include leading researchers in the fieldComplete - provides both independent investigator and the student with a single reference volume which adopts an explicitly evolutionary viewpoint throuoghout all chapters. Useful - conceptual frameworks for all subject areas include crucial information needed for application to difficult problems of controlling vector-borne diseases

Features information on Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, presented by the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management at Colorado State University. Offers access to a genome database, anatomical drawings of Aedes aegypti, and maps.

Written by leaders in the field of chemosensation, Chemosensory Transduction provides a comprehensive resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms that allow animals to detect their chemical world. The text focuses on mammals, but also includes several chapters on chemosensory transduction mechanisms in lower vertebrates and insects. This book examines transduction mechanisms in the olfactory, taste, and somatosensory (chemesthetic) systems as well as in a variety of internal sensors that are responsible for homeostatic regulation of the body. Chapters cover such topics as social odors in mammals, vertebrate and invertebrate olfactory receptors, peptide signaling in taste and gut nutrient sensing. Includes a foreword by preeminent olfactory scientist Stuart Firestein, Chair of Columbia University's Department of Biological Sciences in New York, NY. Chemosensory Transduction describes state-of-the-art approaches and key findings related to the study of the chemical senses. Thus, it serves as the go-to reference for this subject for practicing scientists and students with backgrounds in sensory biology and/or neurobiology. The volume will also be valuable for industry researchers engaged in the design or testing of flavors, fragrances, foods and/or pharmaceuticals. - Provides a comprehensive overview for all chemosensory transduction mechanisms - Valuable for academics focused on sensory biology, neurobiology, and chemosensory transduction, as well as industry researchers in new flavor, fragrance, and food testing - Edited by leading experts in the field of olfactory transduction - Focuses on mammals, but lower vertebrates and invertebrate model systems are also included

Our highly seasonal world restricts insect activity to brief portions of the year. This feature necessitates a sophisticated interpretation of seasonal changes and enactment of mechanisms for bringing development to a halt and then reinitiating it when the inimical season is past. The dormant state of diapause serves to bridge the unfavourable seasons, and its timing provides a powerful mechanism for synchronizing insect development. This book explores how seasonal signals are monitored and used by insects to enact specific molecular pathways that generate the diapause phenotype. The broad perspective offered here scales from the ecological to the molecular and thus provides a comprehensive view of this exciting and vibrant research field, offering insights on topics ranging from pest management, evolution, speciation, climate change and disease transmission, to human health, as well as analogies with other forms of invertebrate dormancy and mammalian hibernation.

The scope of this volume of Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science includes the molecular regulation of olfactory processes in vertebrates and insects including detailed discussion of olfactory proteins, signaling cascades and olfactory receptor modeling. In addition, because insect olfaction is an important and emerging field, it is also discussed in the context of key research questions such as disruption of host-finding by insect disease vectors, elucidation of the diverse range of compounds that are detected by insects, and the detection of pheromones by moths. Comprehensive coverage of molecular processes in olfaction of vertebrates and insects Focus on the emerging field of insect olfaction Contributions by leading research groups in their fields, from a range of countries Discusses fundamental knowledge and also key applications being addressed by the research