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Entomopathogenic nematodes in biological control
JOURNAL
OF INVERTEBRATE
PATHOLOGY
58,
470 (1991)
BOOK REVIEW Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Biological Control. Edited by RANDY GAUGLER AND HARRY K. KAYA. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1990. 365 pp. $49.95 in the United States, $59.95 outside of the United States. Many years ago, when introduced to the nematodes during an undergraduate invertebrate zoology course, I was fascinated by their agility, efficiently structured bodies, and the diversity in their habitats. As time rolled on and I decided on a career in parasitology/ immunology, I was reintroduced to the roundworms during a graduate parasitology course. Realizing that subtle differences exist, I was still fascinated by the great similarity between the body plans of parasitic and free-living species despite spectacular variations in their life cycle patterns. As the years passed, I had several opportunities to study parasitic nematodes and to listen to presentations by nematologists of various persuasions (parasitologists, plant nematologists, biological control specialists, developmental biologists, geneticists, biochemists, molecular biologists, etc.). Each time I learned something new about a specific species or group of nematodes, I wondered whether a volume existed that summarized what was known. It was during one of these times that the book being reviewed arrived in the mail. This tome consists of 17 chapters, some singly authored. Such well-known names as Poinar, Boemare, Kaya, and Dunphy appear in the list of contributors. The chapters are divided into seven sections, the first of which represents a broad review of biological control. The second pertains to the taxonomy and biology of the Steinemematidae and Heterorhabditidae, the application of molecular techniques in taxonomy, and the symbiotic association between these nematodes and bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus. The third section, consisting of three chapters, is concerned with such aspects of ecology as soil ecology, dehydration survival and anhydrobiotic potential, and behavior of infective juveniles. For those interested in the commercialization, application, and efficacy of nematodes as biological control agents, the fourth and fifth sections are particularly informative. I especially enjoyed reading the chapters constituting Section 6, particularly that pertaining to the biochemistry and physiology of Xenorhabdus by Nealson and his colleagues, and that pertaining to the molecular genetics of Xenorhabdus by Frackman and Neal-
son. Although the title of the chapter by Fodor and colleagues advertising the advantages of employing Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for understanding entomopathogenic species looked exciting, two thorough readings left me disappointed. With all of the existing research being done with C. elegans from the standpoint of the molecular basis of development, etc., this review is sketchy, obsolete, and ill-focused. For those wishing to learn the exact details of advances in C. elegans biology, the 1989 volume edited by W. B. Wood entitled “The Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans” (Cold Spring Harbor, New York) is far superior. Because of my interest in comparative immunology, the chapter on insect immunology by Dunphy and Thurston was of special concern. The authors are to be congratulated for authoring a succinct and timely contribution. The concluding chapter is an essay by Hominick and Reid in which it is pointed out that although considerable progress has been made in the development and utilization of entomopathogenic nematodes as control agents, there is still a dearth of basic concepts. I have read similar words concerning animal parasitology 30 years ago. Finally, as I laid down the book, I wondered whether I had missed the chapter by Randy Gaugler, one of the editors. Upon double checking, I found that, interestingly, he did not write a chapter as his co-editor, Harry Kaya, has done. This interesting volume, which is being recommended to insect pathologists, parasitologists, entomologists, and zoologists in general, is dedicated to the late Rudolf William Glaser (1888-1947) of the now defunct agricultural branch of the Rockefeller Institute (now University) then situated in Princeton, New Jersey. THOMAS
Received January 24, 1991; accepted January 24, 1991.
470 0022-2011/91 $1.50 Copyright 0 1991 by Academic Press, Inc. AU rights of reproductionin any form reserved.
C. CHENG
Marine Biomedical Research Program & Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina 29412
OF INVERTEBRATE
PATHOLOGY
58,
470 (1991)
BOOK REVIEW Entomopathogenic Nematodes in Biological Control. Edited by RANDY GAUGLER AND HARRY K. KAYA. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1990. 365 pp. $49.95 in the United States, $59.95 outside of the United States. Many years ago, when introduced to the nematodes during an undergraduate invertebrate zoology course, I was fascinated by their agility, efficiently structured bodies, and the diversity in their habitats. As time rolled on and I decided on a career in parasitology/ immunology, I was reintroduced to the roundworms during a graduate parasitology course. Realizing that subtle differences exist, I was still fascinated by the great similarity between the body plans of parasitic and free-living species despite spectacular variations in their life cycle patterns. As the years passed, I had several opportunities to study parasitic nematodes and to listen to presentations by nematologists of various persuasions (parasitologists, plant nematologists, biological control specialists, developmental biologists, geneticists, biochemists, molecular biologists, etc.). Each time I learned something new about a specific species or group of nematodes, I wondered whether a volume existed that summarized what was known. It was during one of these times that the book being reviewed arrived in the mail. This tome consists of 17 chapters, some singly authored. Such well-known names as Poinar, Boemare, Kaya, and Dunphy appear in the list of contributors. The chapters are divided into seven sections, the first of which represents a broad review of biological control. The second pertains to the taxonomy and biology of the Steinemematidae and Heterorhabditidae, the application of molecular techniques in taxonomy, and the symbiotic association between these nematodes and bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus. The third section, consisting of three chapters, is concerned with such aspects of ecology as soil ecology, dehydration survival and anhydrobiotic potential, and behavior of infective juveniles. For those interested in the commercialization, application, and efficacy of nematodes as biological control agents, the fourth and fifth sections are particularly informative. I especially enjoyed reading the chapters constituting Section 6, particularly that pertaining to the biochemistry and physiology of Xenorhabdus by Nealson and his colleagues, and that pertaining to the molecular genetics of Xenorhabdus by Frackman and Neal-
son. Although the title of the chapter by Fodor and colleagues advertising the advantages of employing Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for understanding entomopathogenic species looked exciting, two thorough readings left me disappointed. With all of the existing research being done with C. elegans from the standpoint of the molecular basis of development, etc., this review is sketchy, obsolete, and ill-focused. For those wishing to learn the exact details of advances in C. elegans biology, the 1989 volume edited by W. B. Wood entitled “The Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans” (Cold Spring Harbor, New York) is far superior. Because of my interest in comparative immunology, the chapter on insect immunology by Dunphy and Thurston was of special concern. The authors are to be congratulated for authoring a succinct and timely contribution. The concluding chapter is an essay by Hominick and Reid in which it is pointed out that although considerable progress has been made in the development and utilization of entomopathogenic nematodes as control agents, there is still a dearth of basic concepts. I have read similar words concerning animal parasitology 30 years ago. Finally, as I laid down the book, I wondered whether I had missed the chapter by Randy Gaugler, one of the editors. Upon double checking, I found that, interestingly, he did not write a chapter as his co-editor, Harry Kaya, has done. This interesting volume, which is being recommended to insect pathologists, parasitologists, entomologists, and zoologists in general, is dedicated to the late Rudolf William Glaser (1888-1947) of the now defunct agricultural branch of the Rockefeller Institute (now University) then situated in Princeton, New Jersey. THOMAS
Received January 24, 1991; accepted January 24, 1991.
470 0022-2011/91 $1.50 Copyright 0 1991 by Academic Press, Inc. AU rights of reproductionin any form reserved.
C. CHENG
Marine Biomedical Research Program & Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina 29412