The opening chapter describes the characteristics, challenges and opportunities pertaining to the Strait of Hormuz and reviews the present and future conditions of the marine environment in the region. Next, the authors analyze phytoplankton chlorophyll-a data obtained on 27 oceanographic cruises in the southern Gulf of Mexico between 1979 and 2000. Four cruises were selected to report variations of chlorophyll-a associated with hydrographic conditions (temperature and salinity) in surface waters, one in April 1983 and three in different seasons in 1987. Data on the abundances of >105 cells/L of the non-toxic benthic-planktonic widely distributed ubiquitous pennate diatom Cylindrotheca closterium as a causative agent of harmful algal blooms in the coastal waters of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, with an emphasis on four marinas, are presented in the following chapter. Following this, studies are presented wherein it is shown that substrate type, species diversity, stem and root density, predator, seasons, and mate display activity affect the zonal and spatial distribution as well as the diameter of a burrow in semi-terrestrial crabs. The authors go on to highlight the applications of the most active compounds present in marine macroalgae known as polyphenols, as well as their isolation using green extraction methods. Their bioactive properties are reviewed and their potential for health improvement is evaluated. The penultimate chapter focuses on tributyltin, a toxic compound with broad-spectrum activity toward diverse marine species, and how it affects marine environments. The closing chapter examines the several molecular methods which have been evaluated for species identification, phylogenetic analyses, and determining the population structure of Thunnus.

Advances in Marine Biology. Volume 3 begins by focusing on some novel compounds having antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and other bioactive properties identified and isolated from marine sponges, which could serve as leads for drug discovery. The authors also discuss the factors that contribute to new discoveries and the challenges associated with translating marine sponge-derived compounds into clinical trials. The advances that may further expand the promise of drug discovery from marine sponges are also examined. Following this, the authors present current information about Hox-genes in polychaetes and make some cautious assumptions about the ancestral functions of the Hox-cluster. The basic plane and evolution of bilateral animals (Bilateria) are closely associated with Hox-genes. These genes usually exist in the genome in the form of the aforementioned clusters, gene complexes with a conservative position of individual genes inside them. Marine biotoxins are examined, specifically their correlation with of harmful algal blooms (HABs) which can accumulate in seafood products. This can have severe consequences on both the fishery industry and consumer health, as most marine biotoxins are not destroyed by food technologies like freezing or cooking, and their presence cannot be perceived because they give no specific taste, flavor or smell to food. The subsequent article contains a study on adaptation to environmental salinity alterations in the White Sea mussel Mytilus edulis, with its research having been conducted for several years and involving both long-term acclimation and exposure to stress salinity. A series of experiments were conducted in order to deduce the mussels capacity to adapt to environmental salinity changes, especially in terms of cell and molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation. This compilation also presents a preliminary work within a large scale research program on H. diversicolor in different estuaries with the PNETOX Program National Program of Ecotoxicology. In the framework of the French National Program of Ecotoxicology, environmental quality was assessed in the multi-polluted Seine Estuary and the comparatively clean Authie Estuary, France (2002-2004), by determining contaminant levels in water, sediments and the infaunal worm H. diversicolor. The experiments were carried out concurrently in spring 2007 using a common protocol.

In Chapter One, Carlos Garcia, Javiera Oyaneder-Terrazas, Diego Figueroa, Carolina Diaz, Romina Mora, and Hector R Contreras examine events linked to lipophilic marine biotoxins (OA-, AZA-, PTX- and YTX-group) and the way they interrelate in the mussels sp. environment in the Austral Pacific fjords. In Chapter Two, Uriel Rubio Rodriguez, Jessica A Navarro Gonzalez, and M Itzigueri Burgos Vazquez explore the anatomical adaptations allowing for gregarious behaviour in schools of fish to suggest modifying capturing methods for fisheries. In Chapter Three, Carlos Garcia, Javiera Oyaneder-Terrazas, and Hector R. Contreras provide a study lipophilic marine biotoxins in the environment and their connection to concentration levels in shellfish. Marcos I. Perez-Perez, M. Dolores Garza-Gil, and Manuel Varela-Lafuente examine Spanish turbot aquaculture beginning in 1983 and ending with the future challenges it will face in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five, Yulia I. Podlipaeva and Andrew V Goodkov present a study on White Sea mussel adaptions to environmental salinity changes. Next, H Y Zhanga, P K S Shina, and S G Cheung present a study on the effect of salinity and acidification on food detection in Nassarius festivus, a marine gastropod, in Chapter Six. In Chapter Seven, J A Grant-Mackie reviews the distribution of a nautiloid in the Late Triassic. Following this, Bi Lin Liu, Xin Jun Chen, Jian Hua Li, Yi Gong, and Jing Yuan Lin present a review on the jumbo flying squid, or Dosidicus gigas, in Chapter Eight. Lastly, Chapter Nine by Bi Lin Liu, Jing Yuan Lin, Xin Jun Chen, Tao Jia, and Gang Li examines the species composition, abundance, and spatial distribution of zooplankton through a study conducted with Chinese squid jigging vessels in the Pacific Ocean.

"Advances in Marine Biology" presents original research results on the leading edge of marine biology discovery. Each article has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial research results across a broad spectrum. In this volume, the first chapter reviews the influenza viruses in marine mammals. Chapter Two presents an overview of the development and study of marine sponges bioactive compounds for anti-inflammatory activity for the last four years (2012-2016). Chapter Three provides an updated review of the helminth fauna of cetaceans. Chapter Four discusses the effect of clays on the removal of okadaic acid from seawater. Chapter Five focuses on biomarker responses in black sea scorpian fish Scorpaena porcus to anthropogenic impact. Chapter Six provides an overview of trophic ecology of the shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus (Lamniformes: Lamnidae) in the Eastern Pacific ocean. Chapter Seven examines a fishery encompassing two of the Spanish fleets target species that exhibit a significant ecological predatory interdependence: the blue whiting and the southern stock of European hake.