In Immersion: The Science and Mystery of Freshwater Mussels, Abbie Gascho Landis brings readers to a hotbed of mussel diversity, the American Southeast, to seek mussels where they eat, procreate, and, too often, perish. Accompanied often by her husband, a mussel scientist, and her young children, she learned to see mussels on the creekbed, to tell a spectaclecase from a pigtoe, and to worry what vanishing mussels, 70 percent of North American species are imperilled, will mean for humans and wildlife alike. In Immersion, Landis shares this journey, travelling from perilous river surveys to dry streambeds and into laboratories where endangered mussels are raised one precious life at a time. Mussels have much to teach us about the health of our watersheds if we step into the creek and take a closer look at their lives. In the tradition of writers like Terry Tempest Williams and Sy Montgomery, Landis gracefully chronicles these untold stories with a veterinarian's careful eye and the curiosity of a naturalist.In turns joyful and sobering, Immersion is an invitation to see rivers from a mussel's perspective, a celebration of the wild lives visible to those who learn to search.

With an estimated 35,000 species, terrestrial molluscs are one of the most successful and diverse animal groups in land-based ecosystems. These animals have long been of importance to human societies as food, medicine, crop pests, vectors of parasites, and as tools, personal ornamentation and currency in trade. This book presents a synthesis of current knowledge and research on the biology of terrestrial molluscs.

Freshwater mussels are declining rapidly worldwide. Propagation has the potential to restore numbers of these remarkable organisms, preventing extinction of rare species and maintaining the many benefits that they bring to aquatic ecosystems. Written by practitioners with firsthand experience of propagation programs, this practical book is a thorough guide to the subject, taking readers through the process from start to finish. The latest propagation and culture techniques are explored as readers follow freshwater mussels through their amazing and complex life cycle. Topics covered include the basics of building a culture facility, collecting and maintaining brood stock, collecting host species, infesting host species with larval mussels, collecting and culturing juvenile mussels, releasing juveniles to the wild, and post-release monitoring. This will be valuable reading for any biologist interested in the conservation of freshwater mussel populations.

Cephalopods are fast-moving, voracious predators, and can change colour with breath-taking rapidity. They range from the giant squid, the world's largest marine invertebrate, to species of only 2 cm in length. Inhabitants of most seas of the world, they are found from the surface to great depths. Most cephalopods have short lives yet their efficiency in capturing and consuming prey ensures rapid growth. These animals possess highly-developed nervous systems, large brains, elaborate senses, complex behaviour and are capable of learning. Many of these features are described and illustrated with line drawings and photomicrographs.

Geerat Vermeij wrote this "celebration of shells" to share his enthusiasm for those supremely elegant creations and what they can teach us about nature. Most popular books on shells emphasize the identification of species, but Vermeij uses shells as a way to explore major ideas in biology. How are shells built? How do they work? How did they evolve? The author lucidly and charmingly demonstrates how shells give us insights into the lives of animals in our own day as well as in the distant geological past.

Shells have captivated humans from the dawn of time: the earliest known artwork was made on a shell. As well as containers for food, shells have been used as tools, jewellery and decorations for dwellings, and to bring good luck or to ward off spirits. Many indigenous peoples have used shells as currency, and in a few places they still do. This beautifully illustrated book looks at the scientific and cultural history of shells, showing how their diverse colourful forms take shape. It examines pearls, the only gems of animal origin, as well as how shells have inspired artists throughout history. The book looks at shells used in architecture and ritual, but also how shells are indicators of changing environmental conditions.

Physiology of Molluscs: A Collection of Selected Reviews is an informative two-volume sent that brings together some of the most important recent and unique developments in molluscan physiology. Volume One focuses on shell structure, mineralization, the dynamics of calcium transport, shell drilling, byssus proteins, locomotion, and reproduction. Volume Two includes reviews on the neural mechanisms of learning, reproductive behavior, responses to environmental stress and hormones, and neurotransmitters. With the rapid development of cutting-edge proteomic, molecular biological, and cellular imaging techniques, our understanding of molluscan physiology, specifically in the areas of neurobiology, reproductive biology, and shell formation, has increased exponentially over the last several years. With contributions from some of the world's leading experts in the field of molluscan physiology, this valuable two-volume set fills this void and will serve as an important resource for researchers, professors, and students. Chapters report on a variety of recent developments and new understanding, including * biology of byssus threads * physiology of reproduction in cephalopods * learning and memory of molluscs * endocrine disruption in molluscs * nautilus biology and behavior * cephalopod locomotion * neuronal circuitry in molluscs * reproductive endocrinology * bioactive peptides in molluscs The reviews in these two volumes will make a significant contribution to our understanding not only of molluscan physiology but also the physiology of animals in general.

With their large brains, elaborate sense organs and complex behaviour, cephalopods are among the world's most highly evolved invertebrates. This second edition summarises the wealth of exciting new research data stemming from over five hundred papers published since the first volume appeared. It adopts a comparative approach to causation, function, development and evolution as it explores cephalopod behaviour in natural habitats and the laboratory. Extensive colour and black-and-white photography illustrates various aspects of cephalopod behaviour to complement the scientific analysis. Covering the major octopus, squid and cuttlefish species, as well as the shelled Nautilus, this is an essential resource for undergraduate and advanced students of animal behaviour, as well as researchers new to cephalopods, in fields such as neuroscience and conservation biology. By highlighting the gaps in current knowledge, the text looks to inform and to stimulate further study of these enigmatic and beautiful animals.

Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. Mussels are economically and ecologically important as they play a key role in aquatic environments and are considered to be "ecosystem engineers." In this book, the authors discuss the ecology, life habits and control of mussels. Topics include native and invasive mussels; paralytic shellfish toxins and lipophilic toxins and their interaction with the habitat of mussels in the South Pacific Ocean; mussels as a tool to monitor pollution; bioenergetic model predictions of actual growth and allometric transitions during ontogeny of juvenile blue mussels; the synthesis of vitellogenin in the mussel mytilus galloprovincialis; the Brachidontes solisiannus mussel and its re-colonisation dynamics on a sandstone reef at Pernambuco, Brazil; and mussel farms in the Gulf of Naples.

Written during a long sea voyage from England through the Mediterranean, "Civilization and the Limpet" unveils many fascinating phenomena of undersea life. Wells captures with exquisite detail how limpets, like bees, navigate by the stars; how the brainless sea urchin makes a myriad of critical survival decisions every day; how "deserted islands" teem with an incredible abundance of animal life; and why deep-diving whales never get the bends. Elegant and finely crafted, "Civilization and the Limpet" will enlighten, amuse, and awe anyone interested in the natural world.

"We have wasted our inheritance by improvidence and mismanagement."--William K. Brooks, on the Chesapeake Bay's declining oyster harvests, 1905

The Chesapeake Bay oyster has changed little, if at all, in the century since this popular book was published. But the oyster harvest has fallen to its lowest level on record--from 15 million bushels at the turn of the century to fewer than 100,000 bushels in 1993. What was once the most bountiful source of oysters in the world has become nearly exhausted. More than a century ago, explains Kennedy T. Paynter Jr. in the introduction to the present volume, scientist and Maryland state official William K. Brooks warned that this day would come.

A classical morphologist by training, and one of the Johns Hopkins University's first and most distinguished faculty members, Brooks had "tonged oysters in five different states" when the governor of Maryland appointed him Oyster Commissioner in 1882. "The Oyster," first published in 1891, is a popular scientific account of what he knew and what he learned on the job. After describing the basic biology of the oyster, Brooks discusses its tremendous reproductive capacity, what it eats, how it lives, why it thrives in the Bay, and what role it plays in the Bay's ecology.

But "The Oyster" is more than a simple biology text. It is also a critical scientific review of oyster management in the Chesapeake Bay, commenting on and criticizing contemporary laws and regulatory practices--many of which are still in place today. The book is therefore as timely now as it was when first published. A new introduction from Kennedy T. Paynter Jr. brings the story into modern focus and again charges the reader with the responsibility of caring for the life of the Bay.

A comprehensive volume providing broad and detailed coverage of marine mussels Marine Mussels: Ecology, Physiology, Genetics and Culture provides readers with in-depth, fully up-to-date information on all major aspects of marine mussels. Written by an internationally renowned expert in the field, this authoritative volume addresses morphology, ecology, -feeding, phylogeny and evolution, reproduction and larval development, settlement and recruitment, genetics, disease, management of culture systems and more. The book encompasses many different species of marine mussels: genus Mytilus, other important commercial marine genera such as Perna, Aulacomya and Choromytilus, and non-commercial genera including Modiolus, Geukensia, Brachidontes and hydrothermal vent Bathymodiolus. Comprising twelve extensively cross-referenced chapters, the book discusses a diversity of integrated topics that range from fundamental physiology of marine mussels to new techniques being applied in their biology and ecology. Author Elizabeth Gosling reviews contemporary developments and issues in the field such as the use of DNA genetic markers in detecting and diagnosing different strains of pathogenic bacteria, the use of mussels as monitors of marine contaminants, sophisticated modelling techniques that simulate disease and forecast outbreaks, and the impacts of global warming, ocean acidification and hypoxia on marine mussels. Presenting an inclusive, highly detailed treatment of mussel biology, physiology, genetics, and culture, this invaluable resource: Contains thorough descriptions of external and internal anatomy, global and local distribution patterns, the impacts of mussels on marine ecosystems, and the processes of circulation, respiration, excretion and osmoregulation Reflects significant advances in mussel science and new areas of research in marine mussels Describes the fundamentals of mussel aquaculture, the types and levels of contaminants in the marine environment and new approaches for sustainable aquaculture development Discusses the application of genetic methods, population genetics, global breeding programmes and the emerging area of bivalve genomics Addresses the role of mussels in disease transmission to humans, including production and processing controls, regulation of monitoring and quality control Marine Mussels: Ecology, Physiology, Genetics and Culture is essential reading for biological scientists, researchers, instructors and advanced students in the fields of biology, ecology, aquaculture, environmental science, toxicology, genetics, pathology, taxonomy and public health.

Pearly mussels (Unionoidea) live in lakes, rivers, and streams around the world. These bivalves play important roles in freshwater ecosystems and were once both culturally and economically valuable as sources of food, pearls, and mother-of-pearl. Today, however, hundreds of species of these mussels are extinct or endangered. David L. Strayer provides a critical synthesis of the factors that control the distribution and abundance of pearly mussels. Using empirical analyses and models, he assesses the effects of dispersal, habitat quality, availability of fish hosts, adequate food, predators, and parasites. He also addresses conservation issues that apply to other inhabitants of fresh waters around the globe and other pressing issues in contemporary ecology.

The term neuroecology was first coined in the 1980s and describes the ways in which species adapt to their environment both in the short term and in evolutionary time. Here, we focus on molluscan neuroecology to show how it interfaces with neuroethology and how animal behaviour adapts to environmental cues. Neuroecology is thus meeting point between ethology, neuroscience, evolution, ecology, physics and chemistry. In this book, our contributors examine the concept of Neuroecology as applied to molluscs for the first time with particular reference to the areas of chemical ecology, predator prey relationships, neuroethology and evolution. Significant neuroecological progress has been made with a number of molluscan groups in terms of neurotoxic peptides, complex defensive ink alarm pheromones, bioaccumulation of shellfish toxins and the evolution of chemical defence mechanisms in species with reduced physical protection. Many molluscs inhabit a world of olfactory cues and their perceptions of the outside world are largely chemically driven, leading to odorant driven behavioural responses. This is important to both molluscan predators and prey and this area is explored in some detail with particular reference to gastropod molluscs. It is also true for cephalopod molluscs which although they have excellent vision, rely on distance chemoreception particularly prey perception, thus demonstrating their significance in affecting marine populations and communities. For completed book description, please visit our link below.

"Ponder and Lindberg provides a breathtaking overview of the evolutionary history of the Mollusca, effectively melding information from anatomy, ecology, genomics, and paleobiology to explore the depths of molluscan phylogeny. Its outstanding success is due to thoughtful planning, focused complementary contributions from 36 expert authors, and careful editing. This volume is a must for malacologists."--Bruce Runnegar, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
"Our understanding of the phylogeny and evolutionary history of the mollusca has been revolutionized over the past two decades through new molecular data and analysis, and reinvestigation of morphological characters. In this volume Ponder, Lindberg, and their colleagues do a wonderful job of integrating this work to provide new perspectives on the relationships of the major molluscan clades, their evolutionary dynamics, and their history. Particularly timely is the coverage of molluscan evo-devo and genomics."--Douglas H. Erwin, Curator of Paleozoic Invertebrates, National Museum of Natural History

The authors argue that the growth pattern and form of the colony in many bryozoans is an adaptive strategy rather than a stable genetic character. "Bryozoan Evolution is profusely illustrated and has a bibliography of over 400 titles. It will find an appreciative audience of paleontologists, invertebrate zoologists, and ecologists thanks to its innovative and detailed evaluations of the roles of ecology, adaptive and functional morphology, life histories, biomechanics, developmental constraints, and chance on the evolution of the marine taxa of this speciose group."--Russel L. Zimmer, Science "This book is an excellent source of information on the functional morphology and variety of colonial architecture in bryozoans, very well illustrated, and worth reading at least twice."-Robert L. Anstey, Paleobiology "Even as one of the converted, I found the book a stimulating combination of paleobiology and ecology. In many ways it is a 'teaser'-the authors suggest a number of interesting hypotheses, and can test only some of them. Perhaps most important, McKinney and Jackson provide a plethora of fascinating ideas and examples that demonstrate the potential of this group of animals, and that should stimulate more work."-Michael S. Keough, TREE "This stimulating book is sure to promote further interest in bryozoans. It will appeal to biologists and paleontologists alike."-Paul Taylor, Times Higher Education Supplement

During the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s, California's coast seemed awash in abalone. From San Diego to Crescent City, people feasted on abalone steaks and glimmering shells were sold in trinket shops. Abalones' remarkable abundance and appeal made them icons of California's easy-living, laid-back beach culture. But just a few decades later, many younger Californians had never seen the legendary mollusk. In the past twenty years, two of California's seven abalone species have joined the U.S. Endangered Species list, and even the hardiest now faces the ecological collapse of its home habitat in Northern California - long regarded as a sure stronghold. After more than 70 million years of gripping tenaciously to North America's western shoreline, how - in our time - did the fate of the delicious, wondrous, and once abundant abalone become so precarious?

The first comprehensive volume exclusively on marine cone snails, this book provides descriptions of over 100 species of hazardous marine snails along with their biological and ecological characteristics; the characteristics of conotoxins; information on cone snail injuries and their treatment along with prevention measures; and the therapeutic and medicinal value of conotoxins, including as a powerful nonaddictive painkiller, an epilepsy drug, and more. Over 275 color illustrations accompany the text for easy identification.

Shallow water marine molluscan faunas are distributed in a pattern of distinct, geographically definable areas. This makes mollusks ideal for studying the distribution of organisms in the marine environment and the processes and patterns that control their evolution. Biogeography and Biodiversity of Western Atlantic Mollusks is the first book to use quantitative methodologies to define marine molluscan biogeographical patterns. It traces the historical development of these patterns for the subtropical and tropical western Atlantic. The book discusses the multistage process of evolving new taxa caused by eustatic fluctuations, ecological stress, and evolutionary selection. Drawing on his decades of intensive field work, the author defines three western Atlantic molluscan provinces and 15 subprovinces based on his Provincial Combined Index, a modern refinement of Valentine's 50% rule. The faunal provinces-Carolinian, Caribbean, and Brazilian-are discussed in detail. The text defines the physical aspects of the provinces using quantitative data, with water temperature as the primary parameter. It discusses the details of the 15 subprovinces-geographically definable faunal subdivisions-as well as provinciatones, transition zones of provincial overlap. The author's algorithms demonstrate that the bulk of the molluscan biodiversity is concentrated in 40 separate centers of speciation, ranging from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, south to Argentina. Many of these evolutionary hotspots reside on remote archipelagos and offshore banks as well as within areas of provincial overlap. The text describes some of the more exotic and poorly known areas and presents maps and color photographs of characteristic habitats, index species, and live animals, including over 400 species of rare and seldom seen shells.

Squid, cuttlefish and octopuses, which form the marine mollusc group the cephalopods, are of great and increasing interest to marine biologists, physiologists, ecologists, environmental biologists and fisheries scientists.

"Cephalopods: ecology and fisheries" is a thorough review of this most important animal group. The first introductory section of the book provides coverage of cephalopod form and function, origin and evolution, "Nautilus," and biodiversity and zoogeography. The following section covers life cycles, growth, physiological ecology, reproductive strategies and early life histories. There follows a section on ecology, which provides details of slope and shelf species, oceanic and deep sea species, population ecology, trophic ecology and cephalopods as prey. The final section of the book deals with fisheries and ecological interactions, with chapters on fishing methods and scientific sampling, fisheries resources, fisheries oceanography and assessment and management methods.

This scientifically comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book is essential reading for marine biologists, zoologists, ecologists and fisheries managers. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological sciences and fisheries are studied and taught should have multiple copies of this landmark publication on their shelves.