New Frontiers in Barnacle Evolution


Book Description

This work provides a guide to current research in barnacle evolution. Topics covered include: chemical signals in barnacles; larval settlement; naupliar evidence for cirripede taxonomy and phylogeny; and South American patterns of barnacle distribution.




Crustaceans and the Biodiversity Crisis


Book Description

This important and extensive volume presents part of the Proceedings of the Fourth International Crustacean Congress held in Amsterdam in 1998. As the title implies, 'Crustaceans and the Biodiversity Crisis' was the general, underlying theme of all contributions at the congress. With the turn of the century, someone ought to 'assess the balance' of our natural environment and of the various branches of biology that study its rapidly declining diversity. From the five subthemes covered at the conference, those of (1) Diversity in Time and Space (including Systematics, Phylogeny, and Palaeontology), (2b) Biogeography, (3c) Larvae, and (4) Physiology and Biochemistry (including Molecular Biology and Genetics) are represented in this volume, along with a few contributions from other subthemes (e.g. (2a) Invasive Crustacea, (3a) Ecology, (3b) Behaviour, and (5) Fisheries and Aquaculture). The book is primarily meant for scientists working at institutes involved in research on the group (Crustacea: marine, freshwater, or terrestrial) and/or the disciplines covered. Individual carcinologists working on one of the themes discussed in this volume, will find a wealth of interesting and timely contributions, as will other scientists working in marine or freshwater biology or in soil ecology.




The Natural History of the Crustacea: Reproductive Biology


Book Description

This is the sixth volume of a ten-volume series on The Natural History of the Crustacea. The volume synthesizes in nineteen chapters our current understanding of diverse topics in crustacean reproductive biology. In the first part of this book, the chapters address allocation strategies to reproduction, gamete production, brooding behavior, and other components of parental care in crustaceans. The second part of the volume centers on sexual systems in crustaceans. The third section of the volume covers crustacean mating systems and sexual selection. Reproductive Biology ends with three chapters covering diverse topics including reproductive rhythms, crustacean personality research, and record breaking crustaceans with respect to reproductive characters.




The Natural History of the Crustacea: Reproductive Biology


Book Description

This is the sixth volume of a ten-volume series on The Natural History of the Crustacea. The volume synthesizes in nineteen chapters our current understanding of diverse topics in crustacean reproductive biology. In the first part of this book, the chapters address allocation strategies to reproduction, gamete production, brooding behavior, and other components of parental care in crustaceans. The second part of the volume centers on sexual systems in crustaceans. The third section of the volume covers crustacean mating systems and sexual selection. Reproductive Biology ends with three chapters covering diverse topics including reproductive rhythms, crustacean personality research, and record breaking crustaceans with respect to reproductive characters.




Lifestyles and Feeding Biology


Book Description

The second volume of The Natural History of the Crustacea Series, covering how crustaceans live in a wide range of environments, with emphasis on how they exploit food sources.




Marine Plankton


Book Description

A thorough understanding of planktonic organisms is the first step towards a real appreciation of the diversity, biology, and ecological importance of marine life. A detailed knowledge of their distribution and community composition is particularly important since these organisms are often very delicate and sensitive to change, and can be used as early indicators of environmental change. Natural and man-induced modification of the environment can affect both the distribution and composition of plankton, with important ecological and economic impacts. Marine Plankton provides a practical guide to plankton biology with a large geographic coverage spanning the North Sea to the north-eastern Atlantic coast of the USA and Canada. The book is divided into three sections: an overview of plankton ecology, an assessment of methodology in plankton research covering sampling, preservation, and counting of samples, and a taxonomic guide richly illustrated with detailed line drawings to aid identification. This is an essential reference text suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in marine ecology (particularly useful for fieldwork) as well as for professional marine biologists. It will also be of relevance and use to environmental scientists, conservation biologists, marine resource managers, environmental consultants, and other specialised practitioners.




Hermaphroditism


Book Description

This book maps the evolutionary origins of hermaphroditism, as well as its historical instances and fictional representations, underscoring the relevance of dual sexuality to our biological, intellectual, and cultural making. the author describes the genetics, ecology, phylogeny, and natural history of hermaphroditic plants, fish and invertebrate animals and details organisms that either reproduce simultaneously as male and female or switch routinely between one sex and the other.




Life Histories


Book Description

Crustaceans are increasingly being used as model organisms in all fields of biology, including neurobiology, developmental biology, animal physiology, evolutionary ecology, biogeography, and resource management. Crustaceans have a very wide range of phenotypes and inhabit a diverse array of environments, ranging from the deep sea to high mountain lakes and even deserts. The evolution of their life histories has permitted crustaceans to successfully colonize this variety of habitats. Few other taxa exhibit such a variety of life histories and behavior. A comprehensive overview of their life histories is essential to the understanding of many aspects of their success in marine and terrestrial environments. This volume provides a general overview of crustacean life histories. Crustaceans have particular life history adaptations that have permitted them to conquer all environments on earth. Crustacean life cycles have evolved to maximize fecundity, growth, and ageing, in a wide range of environmental conditions. Individual contributions contrast benefits and costs of different life histories including sexual versus asexual production, semelparity versus iteroparity, and planktonic larvae versus direct development. Important aspects of particular behaviors are presented (e.g. migrations, defense and territorial behaviors, anti-predator behavior, symbiosis).




Life Histories


Book Description

Crustaceans are increasingly used as model organisms in all fields of biology, as few other taxa exhibit such a variety of body shapes and adaptations to particular habitats and environmental conditions. Life Histories is the fifth volume in The Natural History of the Crustacea series. An understanding of life histories is crucial to understanding the biology of this fascinating invertebrate group. Written by internationally recognized experts studying a wide range of crustacean taxa and topics, this volume synthesizes current research in a format that is accessible to a wide scientific audien.




Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea


Book Description

Crustaceans, due to the great diversity of their body organization, segmentation patterns, tagmatization, limb types, larval forms, cleavage, and gastrulation modes, are highly desirable for the study of questions at the interface of evolution and development. Modern interest in evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) rests on the molecular genetic approach and a variety of molecular techniques have proven fruitful when performed on crustaceans. Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea presents a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the field, beginning with a discussion of the implications of the typological Bauplan and phylum concepts versus historical concepts such as ground pattern and monophylum for the formulation of conceptual questions in evo-devo. Following this, the authors present the results of Hox gene expression in various crustacean taxa, aspects of segment formation at the cellular and genetic levels, the formation of segmental structures such as neurons, ganglia, and limbs, and the role of morphological ontogenetic characters in resolving phylogenetic relationships. By covering so many general aspects of crustacean development, morphology, and evolution, Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea serves as an indispensable reference for developmental and evolutionary biologists investigating the role of genetics in evolution and development.