Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nematode Survival

Nematodes are well known for their ability to survive environmental extremes. Their survival mechanisms for cold tolerance, thermobiotic, osmotic and ionic stress mechanisms are presented here together with information on the underlying biochemical basis contributing to survival. Highlighting parallels and contrasts between groups, the book integrates information on the strategies that enable nematodes to overcome a lack of food with tactics used by parasitic forms to survive the defence responses of a plant or animal host, or the absence of a host.

Professor Roland Perry is based at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Zoology from Newcastle University, UK, where he also obtained a PhD in Zoology on physiological aspects of desiccation survival of Ditylenchus spp. After a year's post doctoral research at Newcastle, he moved to Keele University, UK, where he taught Parasitology; after 3 years at Keele, he was appointed to Rothamsted Experimental Station (now Rothamsted Research). His research interests centred primarily on plant-parasitic nematodes, especially focusing on nematode hatching, sensory perception, behaviour and survival physiology, and several of his past PhD and post-doctoral students are currently involved in nematology research. He remained at Rothamsted until 2014, when he moved to the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Hertfordshire. He co-edited The Physiology and Biochemistry of Free-living and Plant-parasitic Nematodes (1998), Root-knot Nematodes (2009), Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nematode Survival (2011), the first (2006) and second (2013) editions of the text book, Plant Nematology and Cyst Nematodes (2018) (all CAB International, UK). He is author or co-author of over 40 book chapters and refereed reviews and over 120 refereed research papers. He is joint Editor-in-Chief of Nematology and Chief Editor of the Russian Journal of Nematology. He is joint Editor of the book series Nematology Monographs and Perspectives. In 2001, he was elected Fellow of the Society of Nematologists (USA) in recognition of his research achievements; in 2008 he was elected Fellow of the European Society of Nematologists for outstanding contribution to the science of Nematology; and in 2011 he was elected Honorary Member of the Russian Society of Nematologists. He is a Visiting Professor at Ghent University, Belgium, where he lectures on nematode biology, focusing on physiology and behaviour.

David Wharton's PhD topic at the University of Bristol, after gaining a BSc (Hons) at the same University, was The Structure and Function of Nematode Eggshells. This developed into an interest in nematode survival mechanisms, particularly how they survive freezing and extreme desiccation (anhydrobiosis). After postdoctoral positions at University College Cardiff and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, David was appointed to a lectureship in Zoology at the University of Otago, New Zealand in 1985, where he is now an Associate Professor. David was awarded a DSc by the University of Bristol in 1997 for his work on the environmental physiology of nematodes. His move to New Zealand gave him the opportunity to work in Antarctica, where he isolated and cultured an Antarctic nematode that is the only organism currently known to survive extensive intracellular freezing. David is the author of two books: A Functional Biology of Nematodes (1986) and Life at the Limits: Organisms in Extreme Environments (2002). He has also published 92 refereed research papers and 7 book chapters. Associate Professor Wharton's publications are available here: http://www.zoology.otago.ac.nz/pubs/wharton/daw.html

- Maurice Moens Professor Maurice Moens is Honorary Director of Research at the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) at Merelbeke, Belgium and honorary professor at Ghent University, Belgium where he gave a lecture course on Agro-nematology at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. He is a past-director of the Post Graduate International Nematology Course (MSc Nematology) and coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus - European Master of Science in Nematology, where he gave five lecture courses on Plant Nematology. The MSc course is organised in the Faculty of Sciences of Ghent University. He graduated as an agricultural engineer from Ghent University and obtained a PhD at the same University on the spread of plant-parasitic nematodes and their management in hydroponic cropping systems. Within the framework of the Belgian Cooperation, he worked from 1972 to 1985 as a researcher in crop protection, including nematology, at two research stations in Tunisia. Upon his return to Belgium, he was appointed as senior nematologist at the Agricultural Research Centre (now ILVO). There, he expanded the research in plant nematology over various areas covering molecular characterization, biology of host-parasite relationships, biological control, resistance and other forms of non-chemical control. He was appointed head of the Crop Protection Department in 2000 and became Director of Research in 2006. He retired from both ILVO and Ghent University in 2012 but continued to supervise PhD students until 2017. In 2001, he was elected Fellow of the Society of Nematologists (USA) for outstanding contributions to Nematology; in the same year he was elected Fellow of the European Society of Nematologists for outstanding contribution to the science of Nematology. In 2012 he was elected Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Society for Plant Nematology, and in 2013 he became Honorary Member of the Russian Society of Nematologists. He supervised 27 PhD students, who are active in nematology all over the world. He is past-president of the European Society of Nematologists (2010-2014). He co-edited Root-knot Nematodes (2009) and the first (2006) and second (2013) editions of the text book, Plant Nematology. He is author or co-author of ten book chapters and refereed reviews and over 150 refereed research papers. He is a member of the editorial board of the Russian Journal of Nematology.