Environmental Stress and Cellular Response in Arthropods (Electronic book text)

Arthropods are animals with a hard outer skeleton and a jointed body and limbs. Arthropods make up a phylum of invertebrates that includes insects, such as ants, beetles, and butterflies; crustaceans, such as lobsters, shrimps, and crabs; and arachnids, including scorpions, spiders and ticks. In terms of sheer numbers and the purposes they fulfill, arthropods are the most successful animals on Earth. As prey for other animals, plant pollinators and recyclers of organic matter in a variety of ecological niches, arthropods are essential for the balance of life on this planet. Understanding how this phylum responds to cellular stress is vital for accurate and precise ecological monitoring. Arthropod cellular stress defenses are detailed in this important reference, shedding new light on banks of ecological and ecotoxicological data. The author discusses stress proteins, reactive oxygen species, and key enzymes in the context of a wide range of environmental xenobiotics, giving researchers in environmental and ecological monitoring a valuable interpretative tool. Those with a research interest in arthropods will also find this text a handy addition to their bookshelves.