Bryozoa are among the most abundant yet least understood of phyla in the fossil record. These exclusively colonial animals can be traced back to the Ordovician as fossils and are common elements of sediments deposited in shallow marine environments. On occasion their calcareous skeletons are sufficiently numerous to produce bryozoan limestones. The potential of bryozoans in facies analysis, and their use in macroevolutionary studies, have both been widely recognised, but to date have been incompletely exploited. Bryozoan Paleobiology brings together the scattered research on living and fossil bryozoans in broad and profusely illustrated overview that will help students and researchers alike in understanding this fascinating group of animals. Beginning with the basics of bryozoan morphology, ecology and classification, the book progresses from the smallest scale of skeletal ultrastructure, to the largest of bryozoan distributions in time and space. On the way, topics such as the origin of zooidal polymorphism and macroevolutionary trends in colony forms are covered. Case studies illuminate these topics, and areas in which further research is particularly required are highlighted.

In 1961, neurobiologists found that the conduction velocity of the nerve impulse in the giant nerve fiber of the" Penaeus "shrimp abdominal nerve cord was over 200 m/s, the highest speed of information transmission ever observed in the animal kingdom. The peculiar myelin sheath with its unique nodal structure and the electrical properties of the nerve fibers of the shrimp have continued to be investigated for a quarter of century and are now fully described in this book. The investigation dispels the commonly held belief that the fastest recorded impulse conduction is about 120 m/s in the thickest vertebrate myelinated nerve fibers. In the shrimp, researchers found a completely novel type of functional node in the giant fiber which they designated as the fenestration node. In portions of the myelinated fiber, the fenestration node furnished the sites of excitation. Also discovered was a new strategy for increasing impulse conduction in the shrimp. The book includes a section on the formation of the fenestration node and the discovery of a strategy that allows the shrimp to escape its predators by an action of the fastest velocity. The data presented in this volume on the myelin sheath of invertebrates present a new direction for this field and a rich source of information for neurobiologists worldwide.

Biomonitoring is a vital and rapidly growing field. Freshwater Biomonitoring and Benthic Macroinvertebrates presents a state-of-the-art look at the use of benthic macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects, molluscs, crustaceans, and worms) in the biological assessment of water quality in lakes and streams. The use of these organisms has increased dramatically in the past two decades in both North America and Europe; no other comprehensive overview of the topic is available. This book contains contributions from nineteen experts from North America, Europe, and Australia. Some chapters contain updates and syntheses of new information on previously reviewed topics, while others present the first detailed coverage of a topic. The book includes much useful reference material on the history of biomonitoring with invertebrates as well as work of a more practical nature. The design, implementation, analysis and interpretation of benthic surveys are discussed in detail, as are toxicity testing and field experiments. This timely and important book will be of interest to professional entomologists, invertebrate zoologists, and aquatic ecologists, especially those in applied areas concerned with environmental quality, preservation, and restoration. Those working in the growing environmental biotechnology field, or in government agencies responsible for monitoring drinking water, environmental quality, or marine habitats, will also find many new ideas here.

On rocky coastlines, receding tides leave standing pools that have long held a fascination for the amateur seashore naturalist, revealing glimpses of colourful and curious marine plants and animals. Animal diversity is far greater in the sea than in terrestrial or freshwater habitats, and the hugely varied fauna of rock pools reflects that fact. Rock pools also undergo dramatic shifts in temperature, salinity and pH, making such habitats crucibles of adaptation and change. This Naturalists' Handbook offers a comprehensive introduction to this captivating world, with chapters covering rock-pool ecology, seaweeds, animals, identification and guidelines for possible fieldwork and further study. Also presented are detailed keys to all the main groups likely to be encountered when rockpooling around Britain and Ireland - from sea squirts to chitons, from anemones to sea spiders, from amphipods to fishes. Rock pools is an indispensable tool in discovering these kaleidoscopic habitats and their multitudinous inhabitants.

This book addresses the needs of professional and amateur taxonomists on the subject of ascidians in Asia. This is the first book of its kind and features color illustrations done by the authors in Asia. This book provides a brief overview of ascidians in addition to both the taxonomy and distribution of ascidians along India's southern coast. It also opens a new arena for marine researchers in the field of ascidians in Asia. This book is the outcome of the authors' 15 years of research experience in the field of ascidians, making it very helpful for researchers, coastal planners, port authorities and the proper management of coastal thermal plants and atomic power plants.

This book is a basic account of the life cycles and life history strategies of the major groups of desert arthropods. It covers a wide variety of topics including an overview of major adaptations in desert arthropods, characteristic features of deserts, a comprehensive review of life history theory, and a detailed description of embryonic and postembryonic development. The book also provides an in-depth discussion of the life history traits in these animals including development time, growth rates and patterns, age and size at maturity, size and number of offspring, sex ratios, costs associated with reproduction and longevity, and explains how these traits are inextricably connected by various trade-offs including those between current reproduction and survival, current and future reproduction, and between number, size and sex of offspring. Finally, the relationship between behavioral ecology and life history traits is discussed.

This edited collection is an introduction to the invertebrate work being performed by Russian scientists. The major emphasis is on studies of learning. In this book, the editors and contributors have brought together contemporary Russian experimental data on the behavior of various invertebrates including crustaceans, insects, and mollusks. The book should be useful for those interested in acquiring a working knowledge of the behavioral techniques, data, issues and history of Russian studies of invertebrate behavior. It will also be of interest to those studying the history of behavioral science in Russia.

With rich detail and vibrancy, internationally recognized experts across several fields address the evolution and phylogenetic relationships of the Arthropoda . They offer innovative ideas to reevaluate the phylogeny of major arthropod groups, discuss the evolution of arthropod eyes in a phylogenetic context, present a comprehensive overview of appendage loss and regeneration, and address the most recent molecular phylogenetic data, including nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. They also discuss relationships between insects and crustaceans, offer diverse approaches to evaluate fossil evidence, and evaluate competing hypotheses for arthropod placement in the animal kingdom. .,."contributes important new insights into the rapidly changing field of evolutionary relationship within the arthropods, revealing a process in which the traditional view of phylogenetic relationships is being reevaluated and revolutionized. ...Fred Schram, as well as the many researchers honouring him with this volume, have markedly advanced our present understanding of arthropod phylogeny, while also providing a template for testing of arthropod relationships as the field advances in years to come." -Christoph D. Schubart, Universitat Regensburg and Carsten H. G. Muller, Institut fur Biowissenschaften, Universitat Rostock, Germany, Systematic Biology, Vol. 55 "It is a highly appropriate collection of thought-provoking and innovative papers...which should do Fred Schram proud. ...for anyone who is interested in current views on arthropods and/or crustacean relationships, and who does not shy away from interpretations that deviate strongly from the general views, this is a must-have volume." -Contributions toZoology "Reassuringly, perhaps, like any other multiauthored volume dealing with aspects of arthropod phylogeny, this one includes plenty that is controversial. ...This book...will serve as a marker in the development of ideas of crustacean and arthropod relationships." -Derek E.G. Briggs, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, The Palaeontology Newsletter, Vol. 61

The nemerteans are a fascinating, common and often locally abundant group of invertebrates, yet for long have attracted the attention of only a handful of scientists. In recent years, however, increasing numbers of people have developed diverse research interests in the group with the result that our knowledge of these worms has rapidly advanced. Clearly there is a need for a regular series of international meetings where individuals working on these animals can meet to exchange ideas, review developments concerning nemertean biology and freely discuss future proposals. The first such meeting was held in Philadelphia during December 1983. Twenty-seven scientists from eight countries participated in the Second International Meeting on Nemertean Biology, held at the Tjarno Marine Biological Laboratory, Sweden, 11-15 August 1986. The meeting was divid ed into five sessions: two dealt with ecological studies, two with nemertean taxonomy, and the final session covered aspects of general biology. A total of 26 papers was presented; four, by N. Anadem, G. Berg, 1. Bierne, and 1.M. TurbeviIIe, were for different reasons not submitted for inclusion in this volume. Three additional presentations were made on behalf of B. Kulikova, E. N. WiIImer, and Z. Yin, all of whom were unable to participate in the meeting.

The great variety in structure and function of arthropod sensory organs is due to the huge number of species living in spatially and temporally different environments and to great variation in behavioral patterns. This atlas compiles the electron microscopic anatomy of arthropod sensory organophotoreceptors, chemoreceptors, and others in relation to function, behavior, and environment. The authors show how each sensory receptor is finely tuned to detect the necessary information in the arthropods surroundings and how the sensory receptors dynamically change their fine structures according to their functional and adaptational states. In each two-page spread of the book, electron or light micrographs are shown on the right, with diagrammatic illustrations and accompanying text on the left, in a format that is attractive and easy to understand. The atlas thus provides an important bridge between the physiology and morphology of arthropod sensory receptors.

This book achieves an invaluable, contemporary picture of the phylum as a whole - Derek Wakelin - Parasitology

Initially, this work was designed to document and study the diversification of modern mammalian groups and was quite successful and satisfying. However, as field and laboratory work continued, there began to develop a suspicion that not all of the Eocene story was being told. It became apparent that most fossil samples, especially those from the American West, were derived from similar preservational circumstances and similar depositional settings. A program was initiated to look for other potential sources of fossil samples, either from non-traditional lithologies or from geographic areas that were not typically sampled. As this program of research grew it began to demonstrate that different lithologies and different geographic areas told different stories from those that had been developed based on more typical faunal assemblages. This book is conceived as an introduction to non-traditional Eocene fossils samples, and as a place to document and discuss features of these fossil assemblages that are rare or that come from rarely represented habitats.

In aquatic ecosystems, the oligochaetes are often a major component of the community. Their relevance in sediment quality assessment is largely related to their benthic and detritivorous life habit. In this book, we aim to present the state of the art of Pollution Biology using oligochaete worms in laboratory and field studies. Future research will require the combination of a variety of methodological approaches and the integration of the resulting information, avoiding fragmented and often conflicting visions of the relationships of the species with their environment. Current approaches to ecotoxicology and bioaccumulation using ecological risk assessment provide the opportunity to relate community studies with probability of effects. This book addresses three main themes: Ecological and Field Studies using the composition and structure of oligochaete communities, Toxicology and Laboratory Studies, and Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer Studies. Two appendices list values of toxicological parameters (LC50, EC50) and several bioaccumulation variables (bioaccumulation factors, biological half-life, toxicokinetic coefficients, and critical body residues) for different oligochaete species. Additional information is provided on Methodological Issues and on the Taxonomy of several oligochaete families, with information on the most recent taxonomic debates. Each chapter includes a critical view, based on the authors experience, of a number of current issues which have been raised in the literature.

Echinoderms are now considered as a biological and geological model that underlies researches of primary importance. The extent of the contributions made by the International Echinoderm Conferences to various fields of research is attested by the scope covered by presentation at the international conferences. These proceedings contain the complete papers or abstracts of all the presentations and posters presented at the eighth International Echinoderm Conference, held in Dijon, France in September, 1994. Coverage includes: general; extinct classes; crinoids; asteroids; ophiuroids; holothuroids; and echinoids.

Updated and much expanded, the Second Edition of Parasitic Protozoa is designed to be useful to physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists concerned with diseases caused by protozoa in man, and in domestic and wild animals including fish, mollusks and insects, as well as the more commonly considered vertebrate animals. Each section contains information on disease pathogens, treatment, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the diseases caused by the various protozoans. The book is not limited to these medically-oriented subjects, but treats taxonomy, morphology, and metabolism of the organisms in such a way as to be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the field of protozoology. The entire edition, published in ten volumes, is arranged so that subjects of common interest occupy individual volumes.

Bryozoa are a colonial animal phylum with a long evolutionary history, having existed from the early Ordovician (480 My) onward and still flourishing today. Several mass extinctions in earth history shaped and triggered bryozoan evolution through drastic turnover of faunas and new evolutionary lineages. Bryozoa are widespread across all latitudes from Equator to Polar Regions and occur in marine and freshwater environments. They are shaping benthic ecosystems and recording ambient environmental conditions in their skeletons. The book provides a synthesis of the current main topics of research in the field of Bryozoology including combined research on both extant, and extinct taxa. Fields or current research span molecular genetics and phylogeny, life history, reproduction and anatomy, biodiversity and evolutionary patterns in time and space, taxonomy, zoogeography, ecology, sediment interactions, and climate response.

London's Natural History Museum holds the oldest and most important entomology collection in the world - with over 34 million insect and arachnid specimens. Interesting Insects showcases the weird, wonderful, and often surprisingly beautiful world of bugs, from shimmering stag beetles to dazzling dragonflies. For each stunning specimen there is a close-up photograph and accompanying text describing its appearance, lifestyle, distribution and size, together with its key characteristics.

Grasslands comprise more than a quarter of the Earth's land surface. In addition to supporting a wide range of vertebrates such as domestic livestock and a variety of games species, grassland is the natural habitat for a wide range of invertebrate species, and this book considers those which occur in grassland and their impact on soil fertility and herbage growth. It describes grassland as a habitat for invertebrates, the groups which occur there and their abudance. An extensive literature on grassland invertebrates scattered through numerous scientific journals and reports is drawn on in an attempt to develop an overview. In the opening chapter the major grassland types are considered and the features which influence the distribution and abudance of the invertebrates which inhabit them are discussed. Next the major taxonomic groups are reviewed in turn, with a brief account of their biology and ecology and of their ecosystem role. Some general features of grassland invertebrate communities are then described and teh factors which influence th epopulation densities of their constituent species are considered. Particular attentionm is given to the ways in which populations are influenced by management practices. The final and largest chapterdeals with the various ways in which invertebrates influence important grassland processes through ingestion of organic matter, interaction with injurious species is considered, with particular emphasis on the potential for achieving this through manipulating grassland management practices.

Updated and much expanded, the Second Edition of Parasitic Protozoa is designed to be useful to physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists concerned with diseases caused by protozoa in man, and in domestic and wild animals including fish, mollusks and insects, as well as the more commonly considered vertebrate animals. Each section contains information on disease pathogens, treatment, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the diseases caused by the various protozoans. The book is not limited to these medically-oriented subjects, but treats taxonomy, morphology, and metabolism of the organisms in such a way as to be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the field of protozoology. The entire edition, published in ten volumes, is arranged so that subjects of common interest occupy individual volumes.

On of two special issues of Advances in Marine Biology focusingonsponge science itfeatures comprehensive reviews of the latest studies that are advancing our understanding of the fascinating marine phylum Porifera.The selected contributors are internationally renowned researchers in their respective fields and provide a thorough overview of the state-of-the-art of sponge science

This volume will become a reference to marine biologists with interest in

benthic ecology and biotic interactions, including symbiosis

chemical and molecular ecology

systematics, phylogeny, and evolution

sponge culture and tissue engineering "