Parasites and Biological Invasions

Biological invasions - the introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive alien species - are complex global phenomena that can cause significant environmental, ecological, and economic harm. Along with the direct effects of an invasive host organism, there is the additional threat of co-introduced pathogenic and parasitic species. Co-introduced parasites can affect the success of the invasive organism but can also go on to infect hosts in the new range, resulting in novel ecological interactions and complex impacts. These invasive parasites can have profound impacts on the success of a biological invasion, and can pose a significant risk to wildlife, in addition to organisms cultured for agriculture and aquaculture. <p/>Compiling information on parasite invasions for the first time, this unique book:

• Provides an in-depth resource on parasite invasions, revealing the subtleties underlying biological invasions and co-introduced disease;
• Examines the phenomenon and consequences of parasite release in invaded host communities;
• Explores parasite invasion impacts, interactions and diagnostic techniques;
• Includes case studies across a broad range of hosts (plants, vertebrates and invertebrates) and parasites (viruses to large Metazoa), from a plethora of aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Authored by leading researchers in the discipline, this new book is a useful tool for helping invasion researchers incorporate disease data into their invasion models, as well a vital resource for researchers, policy makers, and environmental managers that are more generally interested in the myriad consequences of species invasions.

Jamie Bojko (Edited By) Dr Jamie Bojko acquired his B.Sc. from the University of Leeds (UK) in Genetics (IND) in 2013 before progressing onto a PhD in aquatic pathology with a focus on invasive species and the co-introduction of disease. His B.Sc. and Ph.D. were both completed with an association with the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (Cefas), a global leader in aquatic pathology and diagnostics, in the UK. After completing his PhD in 2017, he underwent employment at the University of Florida (USA) for his first postdoctoral position. This position included working with the economically important Callinectes sapidus and exploring the range of a specific disease, 'Callinectes sapidus Reovirus 1' throughout coastal USA, Caribbean and South American states and countries. His second postdoctoral position at the University of Florida brought his research focus back to aquatic invasion systems, particularly exploring the effects of disease introductions and impacts with North American crayfish species. April M H Blakeslee (Edited By) Dr. April MH Blakeslee is an Assistant Professor of Biology at East Carolina University (Greenville, NC, USA), where her research and teaching interests focus on conservation biology, marine ecology, invasion biology, parasitology, and evolutionary ecology. Dr. Blakeslee has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters related to these subjects and also serves as Deputy-Editor-in-Chief for the open-access journal, BioInvasions Records. She also serves as an Associate Editor for the journals Aquatic Invasions and Diversity and Distributions. In 2018, she was appointed by NOAA to serve as a US member of the Working Group on Introduction and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) through the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). In 2017, Dr. Blakeslee received funding from North Carolina Sea Grant that led to the design and construction of a permanent exhibit on biological invasions at the North Carolina Estuarium (Washington, NC, USA) that opened in October 2017. Prior to her appointment at ECU, she had a previous position (2011-2015) at Long Island University-Post in Brookville, NY, USA where she taught several undergraduate and graduate courses related to general biology and ecology, and she also carried out research on biological invasions and parasites. Alison M Dunn (Edited By) Dr Alison Dunn's first degree was in Zoology at Pembroke College Oxford. After working as a nature research warden, a lab technician and a violin teacher, she returned to academia to undertake a PhD in parasitic sex ratio distorters at the University of Leeds. Her post-doctoral research was at the NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College. She came to the University of Leeds as a NERC Research Fellow, then as a University Research Fellow, before joining the academic staff. She was promoted to Reader in Evolutionary Ecology in 2005, and now leads the Zoology degree programs at Leeds. Her research areas are invasive species, parasitic disease and novel ecosystems; and slowing the spread of invasive non-native species and parasites. Dr Dunn has published >130 peer reviewed papers, multiple book chapters aimed variously at academics and undergraduates and a book "Parasites in Ecological Communities" (Hatcher and Dunn 2011, CUP). She works with stakeholders from government, charity and businesses to develop evidence-based conservation policy and resources to slow the spread of invasive species.