Download or read book The Ecology and Evolution of Inducible Defenses written by Ralph Tollrian and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1999-01-17 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inducible defenses--those often dramatic phenotypic shifts in prey activated by biological agents ranging from predators to pathogens--are widespread in the natural world. Yet research on the inducible defenses used by vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater habitats has largely developed along independent lines. Tollrian and Harvell bring together leading researchers from all fields to review common themes and explore emerging ideas. Contributors examine organisms as different as unicellular algae and higher vertebrates, and consider defenses ranging from immune systems to protective changes in morphology, behavior, chemistry, and life history.