Biological Sciences Faculty Books

A gallery of books by faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences, Old Dominion University.

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New Frontiers in the Application of Stable Isotopes to Ecological and Ecophysiological Research
2023
Keith Alan Hobson (Editor), John P. Whiteman (Editor), and Seth Newsome (Editor)

This Research Topic aims to present cutting-edge applications of stable isotope methods to animal and plant ecology and ecophysiology.
Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture
2023
Lytton John Musselman and Jonne Rodenburg

Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture brings together for the first time in a single volume, the ecology, biology, damage, and control of all groups of African parasitic plants including both the relatively few parasites introduced to the continent as well as those native parasites that have spread from within Africa. The book covers the well-known witchweeds and broomrapes but also groups and species that have received less attention including mistletoes, dodders, rice vampire weed, and other species posing threats. [From the publisher]
Solomon Described Plants: A Botanical Guide to Plant Life in the Bible
2022
Lytton John Musselman

This is a treatment of the plants mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, their uses, ecology, history, beauty, and symbolism. The book includes more than three hundred original photographs by the author from field and ethnobotanical studies over the past four decades. Special attention has been paid to plants that have been misunderstood in previous treatments. Recent advances in analytical techniques in archaeobotany, including sophisticated chemical and genomic methods, have helped elucidate the identity of problematic Bible plants. Also included is a review of recent literature on the plants. The volume will be an invaluable resource to students of the Bible, theologians, botanists, and translators. [Amazon.com]
Wildflowers of the Adirondacks
2020
Donald J. Leopold and Lytton John Musselman

The definitive field guide to the magnificent wildflowers of the Adirondacks. Covering more than six million acres of protected wilderness, the Adirondacks, with their landscape of high peaks, verdant wetlands, majestic trees, and lush carpets of flowers, is a pristine paradise for nature lovers.

The only available identification guide to the Adirondack region's wildflowers, this comprehensive resource is packed with more than 300 gorgeous color images, one to represent almost every flower commonly found in this huge range. Revealing the stunning diversity of Adirondack wildflowers, from goldenrod and marsh blue violet to cattails and hellebore … [From the publisher]
Biology of Ticks (Second Edition)
2014
Daniel E. Sonenshine and R. Michael Roe

Biology of Ticks is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseases. This second edition is a multi-authored work, featuring the research and analyses of renowned experts across the globe. Spanning two volumes, the book examines the systematics, biology, structure, ecological adaptations, evolution, genomics and the molecular processes that underpin the growth, development and survival of these important disease-transmitting parasites. Also discussed is the remarkable array of diseases transmitted (or caused) by ticks, as well as modern methods for their control. This book should serve as a modern reference for students, scientists, physicians, veterinarians and other specialists. (from amazon.com)
Parasitic Orobanchaceae: Parasitic Mechanisms and Control Strategies
2013
Daniel M. Joel, Jonathan Gressel, and Lytton John Musselman (Editors)

This book was written in response to significant recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of parasitism in the Orobanchaceae, and breakthroughs in the control of the parasitic weeds Striga and Orobanche. It consists of 26 contributions by internationally recognized leading scientists… [From Amazon.com]
The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants Easy to Pick, Easy to Prepare
2013
Lytton John Musselman and Harold J. Wiggins

A recent rise in the popularity of urban farming, farmers’ markets, and foraging from nature means more people are looking for information about plants. In The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants, botanists Lytton John Musselman and Harold J. Wiggins coach you on how to safely identify, gather, and prepare delicious dishes from readily available plants―and clearly indicate which ones to avoid.

More than 200 color illustrations, accompanied by detailed descriptions, will help you recognize edible plants such as nettles, daylilies, panic grass, and tearthumbs. For decades, Musselman and Wiggins have taught courses on how to prepare local plants, and their field-to-table recipes require only a few easily found ingredients. They offer instructions for making garlic powder out of field garlic and turning acorns into flour for Rappahannock Acorn Cakes. To toast your new skill, they even include recipes for cordials. [From Amazon.com]
A Dictionary of Bible Plants
2012
Lytton John Musselman

This book describes and illustrates each plant mentioned in the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha. The book draws on Lytton John Musselman's extensive field investigations from Beirut to Borneo and from the Atlas to the Zagros Mountains and includes his original images of each plant. Incorporating new research on their use, the text also reviews recent analytical studies of plants used in materials and technology as well as ancient grains, beer production, medicine, tensile materials, soap, and other articles. Based on these materials, Musselman provides several new plant identifications for controversial biblical passages. In addition, the book surveys the history of Bible plant literature from the time of the Greeks and Romans to the present and reviews and correlates it with Bible plant hermeneutics. To aid readers, extensive references for further study are provided, along with an index to all verses containing references to these plants, which enables the reader to quickly locate the plant of interest in its textual setting. [From Amazon.com]
Plants of the Chesapeake Bay: A Guide to Wildflowers, Grasses, Aquatic Vegetation, Trees, Shrubs, and Other Flora
2012
Lytton John Musselman and David A. Knepper

Buttonbush. Hercules’ Club. Panic Grass. Tearthumb. Beach Spurge. Sea Rocket. Ladies’ Tresses. These name a few of the wild and wonderful plants found in this quick reference guide to plants of the Chesapeake Bay.

Written by wetland scientists with decades of experience in the Bay’s waterways, this guide includes detailed descriptions and beautiful photographs of the plants most commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay... [From Amazon.com]
A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes: From Maine to Texas
2011
Valerie A. Kells and Kent E. Carpenter

A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes is a comprehensive, current, and accurate identification guide to the more than 1,000 nearshore and offshore fishes that live in brackish and marine waters from Maine to Texas. Reliable and up-to-date, A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes is the most complete book ever published on East and Gulf Coast fishes―perfect for boat, home, or classroom. Its beautiful design and accessible format make it an ideal guide for fishermen, divers, students, scientists, naturalists, and fish enthusiasts alike. [Amazon.com]
Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran
2007
Lytton John Musselman

This book celebrates the plants of the Old Testament and New Testament, including the Apocrypha, and of the Quran. From acacia, the wood of the tabernacle, to wormwood, whose bitter leaves cured intestinal worms, 81 fascinating chapters—covering every plant that has a true botanical counterpart—tell the stories of the fruits and grains, grasses and trees, flowers and fragrances of ancient lore. The descriptions include the plants' botanical characteristics, habitat, uses, and literary context. With evocative quotations and revelatory interpretations, this information is all the more critical today as the traditional agrarian societies that knew the plants intimately become urbanized.

The unusually broad geographic range of this volume extends beyond Israel to encompass the Holy Land's biblical neighbors from southern Turkey to central Sudan and from Cyprus to the Iraq border.

Richly illustrated with extensive color photography and with a foreword by the incomparable Garrison Keillor, this delightful ecumenical botany offers the welcome tonic of a deep look into an enduring, shared natural heritage. [From Aamazon.com]
Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans
2005
Jesse L. Goodman, David T. Dennis, and Daniel E. Sonenshine

Comprehensive information on the biology, ecology, and clinical aspects of these diseases.
• Presents state-of-the-art information on disease epidemiology, transmission, and ecology.
• Integrates divergent information relevant to the full spectrum of tick-borne diseases, incorporating tick biology and identification, distribution of the diseases ticks transmit, and various strategies for tick control.
• Reviews the clinical approach to a patient with a possible tick-borne affliction.
• Features in-depth profiles of specific diseases, including information on disease history, biology, epidemiology, ecology, transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
• Examines the geographical distribution of tick-borne diseases and their vectors.

(from amazon.com)
The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic
2002
Kent E. Carpenter

This 3 volume field guide covers the species of interest to fisheries of the major marine resource groups exploited in the Western Central Atlantic. The area of coverage includes FAO Fishing Area 31. The marine resource groups included are the bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, stomatopods, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, hagfishes, sharks, batoid fishes, chimaeras, bony fishes, sea turtles, and marine mammals. The introductory chapter outlines the environmental, ecological, and biogeographical factors influencing the marine biota, and the basic components of the fisheries in the Western Central Atlantic. Within the field guide, the sections on the resource groups are arranged phylogenetically according to higher taxonomic levels such as class, order, and family. Each resource group is introduced by general remarks on the group, an illustrated section on technical terms and measurements, and a key or guide to orders or families. Each family generally has an account summarizing family diagnostic characters, biological and fisheries information, notes on similar families occurring in the area, a key to species, a checklist of species and a short list of relevant literature. Families that are less important to fisheries include an abbreviated family account and no detailed species information. Species in the important families are treated in detail (arranged alphabetically by genus and species) and include the species name, frequent synonyms and names of similar species, an illustration, FAO common name(s), diagnostic characters, biology and fisheries information, notes on geographical distribution, and a distribution map. For less important species, abbreviated accounts are used. Generally, this includes the species name, FAO common name(s), an illustration, a distribution map, and notes on biology, fisheries, and distribution. The final volume concludes with an index of scientific and common names.
Jordan in Bloom: Wildflowers of the Holy Land
2000
Dasha Formicheva and Lytton John Musselman

The book is a selection of a few of Jordan's native plants expressed in exquisite watercolors by Dasha Fomicheva. The text reflects the cultural importance of these plants as recorded in various sacred writings, lore, and legend. [From Amazon.com]
The Corals and Coral Reef Fishes of Kuwait
1997
Kent E. Carpenter, P. L. Harrison, G. Hodgson, A. H. Alsaffar, and S. H. Alhazeem

This book describes the coral species and coral reef fishes inhabiting the territorial waters of Kuwait and provides the reader with beautiful photographs of the marine creatures found in and around the reefs.
Living Marine Resources of Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates
1997
Kent E. Carpenter, F. Krupp, D. A. Jones, and U. Zajonz

This field guide covers the major resource groups likely to be encountered in the fisheries of Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. It includes marine plants, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, sharks, batoid fishes, bony fishes, sea snakes, sea turtles, sea birds, and marine mammals. In order to serve as a tool for ecological and biodiversity studies, all species known from the Gulf of certain groups are included. These include the sharks, batoid fishes, bony fishes, sea turtles, and marine mammals. Each resource group is introduced by a general section on technical terms and measurements pertinent to that group and an illustrated guide to higher taxonomic groups when relevant. Species are then treated in a subsequent guide that includes scientific nomenclature, common English and Arabic names where available, size information, information on habitat, biology, and fisheries, diagnostic features, and one or more illustrations, some of which are included in color. The guide is fully indexed and a list of references is appended.
Ecological Dynamics of Tick-Borne Zoonoses
1994
Daniel E. Sonenshine and Thomas N. Mather

The ecological relationships found to exist between tick vectors and pathogens in their zootic cycle can profoundly influence patterns of transmission and disease for humans and domestic animals. This book examines the ecological parameters affecting the conservation and regulation of tick-borne zoonoses as well as the geographic and seasonal distributions of those infections. Written by an eminent authority on the subject, the book will be sought after by students and researchers in ecology, invertebrate zoology, parasitology, entomology, public health, and epidemiology. (from amazon.com)
Emperor Fishes and Large-Eye Breams of the World, Family Lethrinidae: An Annotated and illustrated Catalogue of Lethrinid Species Known to Date
1989
Kent E. Carpenter and Gerald R. Allen

This is the ninth issue in the FAO series of worldwide annotated and illustrated catalogues of major groups of organisms that enter marine fisheries. The present volume includes 39 lethrinid species belonging to 5 genera. It comprises an introductory section with general remarks on the systematics, habitat and fisheries of the family, a glossary of technical terms used, illustrated keys to genera and species, and detailed accounts on all species. Species accounts include drawings, scientific and vernacular names, information on habitat, biology and fisheries, and a distribution map. Lists of nominal species in the family, a table of species by major marine fishing areas and color plates follow the species accounts. The work is fully indexed and there is ample reference to pertinent literature.
Fusilier Fishes of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Caesionid Species Known to Date
1988
Kent E. Carpenter

This is the eighth in the FAO series of worldwide annotated and illustrated catalogues of major groups of organisms that enter marine fisheries. The present volume includes 20 Caesionid species belonging to 4 genera. It provides comprehensive, illustrated keys and a glossary of technical terms and measurements. Individual accounts of species include drawings, scientific and vernacular names, information on habitat, biology and fisheries, and a distribution map. Lists of nominal species in the family and of valid species by major marine fishing areas follow the species accounts. The work is fully indexed and there is ample reference to pertinent literature.
Parasitic Weeds in Agriculture: Volume I
1987
Lytton John Musselman

This book comprises 19 chapters covering the taxonomy and ecology of Striga, seed germination and physiology, information on the haustorium, Striga control and eradication, breeding crops for Striga resistance, and laboratory and field techniques used in Striga research.