Description
Book SynopsisDorylaims are probably the most diverse order of nematodes and are often an abundant component of the fauna in soils and freshwater habitats. As a result of their widespread distribution and many different feeding habits, they are considered as good bio-indicators of environmental quality and soil health. Their usefulness in this regard is only impeded by practical difficulties related to the accurate identification of the members of such a large and complex group. In this volume, Professor Reyes Peña-Santiago gives a detailed morphology of the dorylaims and provides a thorough overview of their feeding behaviour, reproduction, ecology, and diversity. You will learn what dorylaims are like and how they live, making this book an invaluable tool for nematologists, ecologists and other scientists who wish to embark on an in-depth study of the members of this fascinating group.
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements 1. Concept Morphological characterisation: distinctive features Biology Distribution Diversity 2. General aspect Size Shape Habitus Colour 3. Body wall and pseudocoel Cuticle Structure (layers) Surface ornamentation Specialisations Body pores Epidermis and lateral chords Somatic musculature Pseudocoel and its components 4. Lip region and amphids Lip region shape Profile (contour) Anterior margin Tapering Differentiation (separation from the adjoining body) Lips and their papillae General pattern Lips Papillae Oral aperture (mouth) Oral field Amphids Basic structure Position Aperture Fovea 5. Stoma and feeding apparatus Cheilostom Detailed structure General morphology Guiding ring Guiding sheath Mural tooth Axial odontostyle Odontophore Musculature associated with stoma 6. Digestive tract Pharynx General morphology Sections Ultrastructure Anterior section Enlargement Basal expansion and pharyngeal glands Basic patterns Pharyngo-intestinal junction Intestine proper Prerectum Rectum 7. Female genital system General concept and terminology Ovary Oviduct Sphincter Uterus Basic types Uterine special differentiations Vagina Vulva Malformations 8. Male genital system General concept Testes Genital tract Spicules Lateral guiding pieces Gubernaculum Genital papillae (supplements) and other papillae Specialised musculature Glands associated with male genital system 9. Nervous system and receptors Central nervous system Nerves Cephalic nervous system Pharyngeal nervous system Recto-sympathetic nervous system Sensory structures Chemoreceptors Amphids Other chemoreceptive elements Mechanoreceptors Labial and cephalic papillae Other mechanoreceptive elements 10. Caudal region General concept Tail shape Tail sexual dimorphism Postembryonic changes in tail shape Functional and evolutionary aspects of tail shape 11. Feeding habits and feeding behaviour Methodological constraints Feeding spectrum Feeding behaviour Food suitability and selection Feeding functional morphology Excretion and osmo-regulation in dorylaims 12. Reproduction and development Bisexual vs monosexual species Gatemetogenesis and egg production Embryonic development and hatching Postnatal development – general aspects Moulting process Genital system development Other (minor) postnatal changes Life cycle and life span 13. Ecology and Biogeography Rationale – dorylaims as K-strategists Dorylaims as components of nematode communities Local distribution Vertical (depth) distribution Temporal (seasonal) distribution Regional distribution Global distribution . The distribution of particular taxa – some examples Historic biogeography Phylogeography Dispersal and transport Chorological relationships Biotic interactions Dorylaims as bioindicators in a global change scenario Notes on survival 14. Diversity Historical outline The origins (1845-1920) The prodigious 1930s decade The order Dorylaimida setting The golden age of the exploration of dorylaimid diversity (1960-1990) A new era for an integrative approach The internal phylogeny of Dorylaimida Evolutionary relationships of Dorylaimida with other nematode taxa Dorylaims – members of the subclass Dorylaimia Mononchs – the closest relatives of dorylaims? Dorylaims and other animal-parasitic Dorylaimia Dorylaimida and other non-Dorylaimia Updated inventory of dorylaimid taxa Subject Index Cited Taxa Index
