The Proceedings of the Seventh International Rotifer Symposium, Rotifera VII, spans subjects from community ecology through biochemistry, from the most basic science through the most clearly applied technology. Some papers report exceptional progress in our knowledge of rotifer anatomy and biochemistry, as well as rotifer molecular biology, evolution and life histories. The book also contains an interesting article describing a hundred years of Polish contributions to rotiferology as well as papers discussing both general patterns of rotifer biogeography and rotifer distribution in different habitats, together with many aspects of the ecology of rotifer species, populations and communities. Audience: This update on rotifer taxonomy, biology and ecology will be of great interest to zoologists, especially hydrobiologists studying the structure and function of freshwater zooplankton.

This book highlights the latest advances in rotifer studies in various fields including aquaculture, ecology, gerontology and ecotoxicology. The genus Brachionus are an indispensable type of zooplankton, having served as an initial live food for marine larval rearing since the 1960s. Their mass culture techniques have been intensively studied, and some essential achievements have been made – regarding high density culture, employment of valuable dietary algae, automated culture systems, and effective production of resting eggs. These have in turn supported stable and efficient aquatic seedling production for numerous important marine fish species including flounder, sea bream, and bluefin tuna. Further, this group is considered to be a suitable model for studying various aspects in ecology. A series of aquaculture and basic science studies have significantly advanced our understanding of the life history evolution. The studies in these two fields are closely linked, and provide readers with comprehensive information on how rotifers are now being employed in biological investigations.

Rotifera VIII: A Comparative Approach is a record of the proceedings of the VIIIth International Rotifer Symposium which was held in Collegeville, Minnesota, USA, on June 22-27, 1997. It contains review papers and reports of recent research findings along with the presentation of new methods in rotifer biology. The publications contained in this volume reflect the wide diversity of approaches, methods of analysis and conclusions that characterize research on the Rotifera. Some of the topics addressed are: rotifer distribution, responses to biotic and abiotic factors, genetic profile of individuals and populations, rotifer feeding and mating behavior, morphology, phylogeny and taxonomy. These studies will be of great interest to invertebrate zoologists and limnologists, particularly those interested in freshwater habitats.

As in previous symposia, some current research topics were selected for review and eight invited papers were presented. For the first time a paper was presented on the historical aspects of Rotiferology, covering European research between 1680-1950. A special workshop session was devoted to a debate on a controversial topic: Rotifer Phylogeny. The workshop resulted in a very successful discussion and the integration of scattered evidence and hypotheses on the phylogenetic origin of rotifers, the relationships between major rotifer groups, and the mechanisms of evolution.