ABI 50A: Animal Biology Lab

2024 (2nd ed.) Norman Thomas Uphoff et al, eds. This book … “ presents ways in which crops can be produced cost-effectively in greater abundance with lessened dependence on the exogenous resources that have driven the expansion of agriculture in the past. With 50 self-contained chapters, this work provides researchers, practitioners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the science and steps needed to utilize soil systems for the long-term benefit of humankind. Explores problems and solutions for sustainable soil-system management in a variety of climatic conditions. Identifies research to support successful and sustainable agriculture systems which depend crucially on soil.”

2020 (5th ed.) Dan Binkley et al. Chapters in this classic work include: “ Soil foundations; Forest soils across space and time; Minerals in forest soils; Organic matter in forest soils; Physics in forest soils: soil structure, water, and temperature; Life in forest soils; Chemistry of soil surfaces and solutions; Biogeochemistry; Tree species influences - characterizing soils across space and time; Soil management: harvesting, site preparation, conversion and drainage; Fire influences; Nutrition management; Managing forest soils for carbon sequestration; Evidence based approaches.”

2023 (2nd ed.) M.J. Goss, et al, eds. [This book] … “encompasses the present knowledge of the world's variegated soils, their origins, properties, classification, and roles in the biosphere. A team of outstanding, international contributors has written over 250 entries that cover a broad range of issues facing today's soil scientists, ecologists, and environmental scientists. This four-volume set features thorough articles that survey specific aspects of soil biology, ecology, chemistry and physics. Rounding out the encyclopedia's excellent coverage, contributions cover cross-disciplinary subjects, such as the history of soil utilization for agricultural and engineering purposes and soils in relation to the remediation of pollution and the mitigation of global climate change.” >> See Volume 1/Soil Biology, Section on Soil Organisms, chapter on “Soil arthropods: Underfoot and all around” by Ernest C. Bernard on pages 70-104.

2016. Manjit Singh Dhooria. “Acarology - the study of mites and ticks, is a subdiscipline of Zoology, and is many times considered in the field of Entomology (the study of insects). Mites and ticks are distributed throughout the world and inhabit almost every ecosystem (both terrestrial and aquatic) including grassland soils. More than 55,000 species of mites and ticks are already described. Mites and ticks directly affects humans as pests of different crops, fruit plants, vegetable crops and field crops; as parasites of human beings, veterinary animals, poultry and pets; pests of stored grains and other products; mushrooms and cheese; and as parasites of honeybees. Mite infestations are responsible for economic losses worth billions of dollars in terms of reduced crop yields and lowered quality of produce. … Separate chapters in this book are devoted to Importance of Acarology, Historical account, acarine technology, morphology and anatomy of Acari; Feeding, Development and Reproduction. …Role of mites and ticks in Quarantines of plants and animals; forensic/criminal investigations; and importance of accidental acarophagy are discussed in detail. Safe usage of pesticides based on their mode of action (IRAC’s Groups), development of acaricide resistance and measures to mitigate it are discussed.” >> See chapter on “Mites Predaceous on Pests of Agriculture” on pages 363-379.

2018 (3rd ed.) David C. Coleman et al. “ offers a holistic approach to soil biology and ecosystem function, providing students and ecosystem researchers with a greater understanding of the central roles that soils play in ecosystem development and function. The text emphasizes the increasing importance of soils as the organizing center for all terrestrial ecosystems and provides an overview of theory and practice in soil ecology, both from an ecosystem and evolutionary biology point of view. This new edition is fully updated, including an expanded treatment of microbial ecology and new sections on advances in molecular techniques and climate change research.”

2017. Whitney Crenshaw et al. [This book is] … “the most comprehensive guide to the common insects, mites, and other "bugs" found in the backyards and gardens of the United States and Canada. Featuring 3,300 full-color photos and concise, detailed text, this fully revised book covers the hundreds of species of insects and mites associated with fruits and vegetables, shade trees and shrubs, flowers and ornamental plants, and turfgrass-from aphids and bumble bees to leafhoppers and mealybugs to woollybears and yellowjacket wasps-and much more. This new edition also provides a greatly expanded treatment of common pollinators and flower visitors, the natural enemies of garden pests, and the earthworms, insects, and other arthropods that help with decomposing plant matter in the garden. … the book is organized by where insects are most likely to be seen - on leaves, shoots, flowers, roots, or soil.”

2022. Chitta Ranjan Sadpathi. “This book discusses the role of ground beetles as biocontrol agents of different crop pests around the world. The photographs and illustrations of 70 different species of ground beetles are included. The rearing technique section in the book is meant to elaborate the predator rearing conditions, preferred food and the effect of different factors in mortality of different stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult) of ground beetle. In the last part, a comprehensive account on the list of 182 ground beetles along with their prey records, and worldwide distribution of around 457 genus are also included.”

2020. Maria Luz Cayuela et al. “
Soil fauna plays a significant role at all trophic levels of the soil food web and regulates processes that are crucial for soil functioning, such as nutrient cycling, immobilization and/or degradation of toxic compounds, formation of soil structure, greenhouse gas emissions and C turnover. Although soil fauna is not thought to contribute significantly to soil respiration during litter or soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, the diversity of soil fauna has been found to strongly influence SOM distribution and dynamics. Yet, the functional contribution of soil fauna to many soil processes is not well understood due to methodological limitations and the high complexity of interactions at various spatiotemporal scales. In general, soil fauna has received far less scientific attention than bacteria and fungi (and lately archaea) in soil studies and has been regularly ignored in global biogeochemical models, with maybe exceptions for some earthworms. However, recent studies are raising the awareness of the influence of soil fauna on ecosystems dynamics. For instance, earthworms have been found to be major players in N2O emissions from soils. They exert a strong influence on C stabilization, and they promote the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Less studied, ants and termites have been found to increase crop productivity in drylands, and different lifeforms of Collembola have been shown to impact microorganisms in various ways over time, thereby potentially affecting C and N cycles within farming systems. The influence of soil fauna indeed manifests over a broad ranges of spatiotemporal scales.”

2007. James B. Nardi. “In one square meter of earth, there lives trillions of bacteria, millions of nematodes, hundreds of thousands of mites, thousands of insects and worms, and hundreds of snails and slugs. … Biologist and acclaimed natural history artist James B. Nardi begins with an introduction to soil ecosystems, revealing the unseen labors of underground organisms maintaining the rich fertility of the earth as they recycle nutrients between the living and mineral worlds. … Organized by taxon, "Life in the Soil" covers everything from slime molds and roundworms to woodlice and dung beetles, as well as vertebrates from salamanders to shrews. The book ultimately explores the crucial role of soil ecosystems in conserving the worlds above and below ground.”

2013 (2nd ed.) David Evans et al. “ Wherever biologists have peered, from forest floors to facial pores, they have found these tiny arachnids. More than 40,000 species have been described, and up to 1 million may grace our planet. Mites are predators, parasites, herbivores and detritivores. They are vectors of disease, vital players in soil formation and important agents of biological control. [This book] … surveys life cycles, feeding behaviour, reproductive biology and host-associations of mites without requiring prior knowledge of their morphology or taxonomy. Topics covered include evolution of mites and other arachnids, mites in soil and water, mites on plants and animals, sperm transfer and reproduction, mites and human disease, and mites as models for testing ecological and evolutionary theories.” >> See chapters 6 on 'Mites in Soil and Litter Systems' and 9 on 'Animals as Habitats'.

2019. Uffe N. Nielsen. This book provides an … “ introduction to the soil fauna and their contributions to ecosystem function, the mechanisms that structure soil fauna assemblages from local to global scales, and the potential impacts of global change on soil fauna assemblages and through this ecosystem function. Wanting to be an accessible primer, this book is a high level overview of current knowledge rather than a detailed tome of all existing information, with emphasis being placed on key findings and general patterns. It focuses on the soil fauna but contextualizes these assemblages in relation to the microbial assemblages below ground and the vegetation aboveground.”

2023. N.M. Straalen. “ Soil invertebrates consist of a great variety of body plans and life-forms, since about every phylum of the animal kingdom has at least some representatives in the soil, while some are almost exclusively soil-living. All soil invertebrates descend from originally marine ancestors that have undergone many independent terrestrializations. In addition, several lineages that became fully terrestrial in their later evolution have adopted a secondary soil-living life-style. Upon all these life-forms, the soil environment has imposed similar conditions relating to space, humidity, temperature gradients and microbial communities. As a consequence we see many similar adaptations, both in reproductive biology and life-history, but also in physiology and molecular responses. The soil invertebrate community is an example par excellence of convergent and parallel evolution.”