Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates

In Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates a group of internationally recognized researchers assesses the state of current knowledge in the field and identifies future avenues of research. Comprehensive in scope, the book treats all levels of biological organization, from the molecular level to communities of organisms.

After a brief historical overview that identifies the conceptual underpinnings of twentieth-century invertebrate zoology and embryology, the book is organized by developmental stages. The authors first present chapters on oogenesis, spermatogenesis, fertilization, and embryonic development. A subsequent section--arranged phylogenetically to encompass annelids, priapulans, molluscs, bryozoans, and echinoderms--covers larval morphology and evolution. The final section treats larval or adult populations and includes new information on the role of hydrodynamics to aid in the understanding of larval dispersal and settlement.

Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates is the first book of its kind to be published since 1978. Extensivelyillustrated with more than a hundred line drawings and photos--including sixty high-resolution electron micrographs--it will be of interest to professionals and students in evolutionary biology, invertebrate zoology, developmental biology, and functional morphology.

W. Herbert Wilson teaches biology at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Stephen A. Striker teaches biology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. George L. Shinn teaches biology at Northeastern Missouri State University in Kirksville.