More than 40,000 species of mites have been described, and up to 1
million may exist on earth. These tiny arachnids play many ecological
roles including acting as vectors of disease, vital players in soil
formation, and important agents of biological control. But despite the
grand diversity of mites, even trained biologists are often unaware of
their significance. Mites: Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour (2nd
edition) aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of these intriguing
creatures. It 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 ecological and evolutionary theories.