Terrestrial isopods (woodlice) are the only group of crustaceans fully adapted to life on land and with about 3,700 species known at present represent the largest suborder of Isopoda. They occur in almost any kind of terrestrial habitat, from littoral to high mountains, from forests to deserts, with some species adapted to live in subterranean environments and others secondarily having returned to water. Woodlice are particularly important from a biogeographical and an ecological point of view, since they have limited dispersal ability, are often endemic to small geographic areas, and are extremely diverse ecologically.ÿThey also represent en excellent model group of animals to study the physiological adaptations related to the transition from an aquatic to a terrestrial way of life. This special issue of ZooKeys includes a collection of 20 papers presented during the 8th International Symposium on Terrestrial Isopod Biology, which was held at Bled, Slovenia from 19th to 23rd June 2011. Contributions address a wide range of topics related to terrestrial isopods, such as systematics, biogeography, morphology, physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, and ecology. Two contributions are related to the state of the art and future perspectives on biomineralizations in crustaceans and ecotoxicology in soil fauna. This special issue will be of great value for anyone interested in the biology of crustaceans in general and of terrestrial isopods in particular, stimulating future research on this unique group of animals.

This text contains the papers of a meeting on American isopods, the only crustacean group with representatives in all terrestrial ecosystems ranging from the sea shore to the desert. Due to such adaptibility, this group can be seen as a model for the successful transition on land. The text deals with two main subjects: the effects of stressful conditions on the individual animal as reflected by its survival or by the disruption of its normal reproductive pattern; and the distribution of the isopods and their selection of microhabitat.

This text contains the papers of a meeting on American isopods, the only crustacean group with representatives in all terrestrial ecosystems ranging from the sea shore to the desert. Due to such adaptibility, this group can be seen as a model for the successful transition on land. The text deals with two main subjects: the effects of stressful conditions on the individual animal as reflected by its survival or by the disruption of its normal reproductive pattern; and the distribution of the isopods and their selection of microhabitat.

A look at isopod systematics and evolution, topics confronted include the influence of genetic and extrachromasomal factors on their population rate and a comparison of different species in different habitats.

Advances in Marine Biology contains up-to-date reviews of all areas of marine science, including fisheries science and macro/micro fauna. Each volume contains peer-reviewed papers detailing the ecology of marine regions. - Up-to-date reviews on marine biology - Particular focus on plankton, fisheries, and crustacea

Soils are receptacles for a wide range of hazardous chemicals generated by human activities. Whether or not this contamination is deliberate, accurate toxicity assessments are important for health and economic reasons. Soil Ecotoxicology discusses the sources, fate, and transport of hazardous chemicals in soils. The fate (biodegradation and modeling) and the potential impacts of pesticides on soil ecosystems are emphasized, and methodologies for performing toxicity assessments are provided.

Already as a young boy, I used to walk with my late father, an ardent naturalist at heart, though to his regret not by profession, in the fields and woods on Mt. Carmel where we lived. My father, being largely an amateur ornithologist but also loving other vertebrates, was less inter ested in the little creatures(-the invertebrates) so abundant under stones. These were, more often then not, isopods which are particularly abundant in the Mediterranean region of northern Israel, and therefore not difficult to encounter (Fig. 1). Thus, my interest in the terrestrial isopods started at an early stage. Many years later, after graduating from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, I worked as an assistant to my late friend and colleague, Professor Michael Costa, at the Teachers Seminary in Oranim. One day I found on my desk a copy of Edney's (1954) paper: Woodlice and the land habitat, which my friend left for me knowing of my interest in this group. Therefore, due to the stimulus of Edney's paper, and the many interesting questions it raised in my mind, I developed a lifelong interest in this amazing crustacean group. My research in the ecophysiology of this group followed to a large extent the directions formulated by Edney and Cloudsley-Thompson whose name will be mentioned throughout this book. I am also indebted to the many stimulating discussions with my friends and colleagues C. S. Crawford, K. E. Linsenmair, and E.

Oniscids are wonderful model organisms for studies addressing more general biological questions, and they arguably demonstrate the best evolutionary progression in any extant group of organisms. Their unique properties as terrestrial crustaceans living in a wide range of habitats from coast to desert offer great advantages to study physiological and behavioural adaptations, ecological, phylogenetic, and biogeographical patterns, and evolutionary processes. This volume contains contributions, which were presented at the 5th International Symposium on the Biology of Terrestrial Isopods that took place on Crete, May 2001, and which was dedicated to the memory of the late Marie Flasarova. All papers have been peer-reviewed before inclusion in the book. The contributions give a well balanced account of current research on all aspects - covering systematics, ecology, biogeography, morphology, physiology, immunology, endocrinology, behaviour, and hostparasite relationships - of biology of the remarkable creatures included in the Isopoda suborder Oniscidae, the only crustaceans that have conquered almost all terrestrial habitat types. This book will prove useful to all crustacean researchers, working on either terrestrial, freshwater or marine organisms.

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.

A thorough review of the evolution and biogeography of crustaceans to determine how crustaceans have been able to evolve in a number of climates and habitats; this volume also examines the ecological and biogeographical implications of that evolutionary process.