This open access book presents recent advances in the pure sciences that are of significance in the quest for alternatives to the use of animals in research and describes a variety of practical applications of the three key guiding principles for the more ethical use of animals in experiments – replacement, reduction, and refinement, collectively known as the 3Rs. Important examples from across the world of implementation of the 3Rs in the testing of cosmetics, chemicals, pesticides, and biologics, including vaccines, are described, with additional information on relevant regulations. The coverage also encompasses emerging approaches to alternative tests and the 3Rs. The book is based on the most informative contributions delivered at the Asian Congress 2016 on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences. It will be of value for those working in R&D, for graduate students, and for educators in various fields, including the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sciences, pharmacology, toxicology, and animal welfare. The free, open access distribution of Alternatives to Animal Testing is enabled by the Creative Commons Attribution license in International version 4: CC BY 4.0.

Readers familiar with the first three editions of Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates (edited by J.H. Thorp and A.P. Covich) will welcome the comprehensive revision and expansion of that trusted professional reference manual and educational textbook from a single North American tome into a developing multi-volume series covering inland water invertebrates of the world. The series entitled Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates (edited by J.H. Thorp) begins with the current Volume I: Ecology and General Biology (edited by J.H. Thorp and D.C. Rogers), which is designed as a companion volume for the remaining books in the series. Those following volumes provide taxonomic coverage for specific zoogeographic regions of the world, starting with Keys to Nearctic Fauna (Vol. II) and Keys to Palaearctic Fauna (Vol. III). Volume I maintains the ecological and general biological focus of the previous editions but now expands coverage globally in all chapters, includes more taxonomic groups (e.g., chapters on individual insect orders), and covers additional functional topics such as invasive species, economic impacts, and functional ecology. As in previous editions, the 4th edition of Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates is designed for use by professionals in universities, government agencies, and private companies as well as by undergraduate and graduate students. - Global coverage of aquatic invertebrate ecology - Discussions on invertebrate ecology, phylogeny, and general biology written by international experts for each group - Separate chapters on invasive species and economic impacts and uses of invertebrates - Eight additional chapters on insect orders and a chapter on freshwater millipedes - Four new chapters on collecting and culturing techniques, ecology of invasive species, economic impacts, and ecological function of invertebrates - Overall expansion of ecology and general biology and a shift of the even more detailed taxonomic keys to other volumes in the projected 9-volume series - Identification keys to lower taxonomic levels

Owing to their importance as primary producers of energy and nutrition, algae and cyanobacteria are found as symbiotic partners across diverse lineages of prokaryotic and eukaryotic kingdoms.Algal and Cyanobacteria Symbioses presents a compilation of recent, updated research in fields of diverse symbioses, including in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. It gives a comprehensive overview of algal and cyanobacteria symbioses, including reviews on their diversity and information on symbiotic specificity and stress tolerance. Also covered is a review of regulatory mechanisms in the communication between symbiotic partners.The highly interdisciplinary character of this book is demonstrated through the range of algae and cyanobacteria as energy-providing symbionts in organismal lineages which are discussed. It is a valuable source of knowledge for researchers, university lecturers, professors and students of biology and life sciences, specifically biochemistry, mycology, cell biology and plant-microbe interactions.

Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates, Volume 5: Keys to Neotropical and Antarctic Fauna, Fourth Edition, covers inland water invertebrates of the world. It began with Ecology and General Biology, Volume One (Thorp and Rogers, editors, 2015) and was followed by three volumes emphasizing taxonomic keys to general invertebrates of the Nearctic (2016), neotropical hexapods (2018), and general invertebrates of the Palearctic (2019). All volumes are designed for multiple uses and levels of expertise by professionals in universities, government agencies, private companies, and graduate and undergraduate students. - Includes zoogeographic coverage of the entire Neotropics, from central Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, to the tip of South America - Provides identification keys for aquatic invertebrates to genus or species level for many groups, with keys progressing from higher to lower taxonomic levels - Contains terminology and morphology, materials preparation and preservation, and references

Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Keys to Palaearctic Fauna, Fourth Edition, is part of a multivolume series covering inland water invertebrates of the world that began with Vol. I: Ecology and General Biology (2015), then Vol. II (2016) Keys to Nearctic Fauna, and finally in Vol. III (2018) Keys to Neotropical Hexapoda (insects and springtails). It now continues with identification keys for Palearctic invertebrates in Vol. IV. Two other volumes currently in development focus on general invertebrates of the Neotropical/Antarctic, and Australasian Bioregions. Other volumes in the early planning stages include Afrotropical and Oriental/Oceanic Bioregions. All volumes are designed for multiple uses and levels of expertise by professionals in universities, government agencies and private companies, as well as by graduate and undergraduate students. - Provides identification keys for inland water (fresh to saline) invertebrates of the Palearctic Zoogeographic Region, from Iceland to Russia, and from the northern Pole region to Saharan Africa in the west, through the Middle East, and to the central China and Japan in the east - Presents identification keys for aquatic invertebrates to the genus or species level for many groups and to family for Hexapoda, with the keys progressing from higher to lower taxonomic levels - Includes a general introduction and sections on limitations, terminology and morphology, material preparation and preservation and references

The NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Experimental Embryology in Aquatic Plant and Animal Organisms" was attended by more than 70 participants, including 15 invited main lecturers from 18 different countries. In accordance with the main purpose of the meeting, senior scientists, postdoctoral investigators and graduate students working in areas of descriptive and experimental embryology, classical, molecular and developmental biology, physiology and biochemistry etc. , were brought together for two weeks as a community with a strong common interest in "development"; that is, the multiple phenomena and mechanisms, in molecular, cellular, genetic and organismic terms, observed in the development of aquatic organisms. Initial concern that the great variety of biological models as well as of research subjects would harm the scientific quality and coherency of the course was unnecessary. It was exactly this breadth which made the Institute worthwhile for each of the participants. Since many of the "students" were younger scientists starting a career, it was the main goal of the course to offer a concise overview of selected system models of primarily aquatic organisms and to present and discuss research carried out in the past and in progress. Thus, each main speaker gave two in-depth lectures: one in which he presented an overview of "his" model and another dealing with current investigations.

This up-to-date guidebook on freshwater invertebrates of the central European region is a richly illustrated work, providing an excellent source of systematic information on freshwater macroinvertebrates. Numerous colour photos and additional vector graphic figures allow readers to identify specific species at a higher taxonomic level (family). The book is supplemented by video sequences. Freshwater Invertebrates in Central Europe – A Field Guide is a must-have for all those interested in the freshwater animals of central Europe such as animal scientists and ecologists, as well as students attending classes on freshwater invertebrate.​

The Biology of Nematocysts is derived from a symposium dedicated to the exclusive discussion on the biology of nematocysts and cnidocytes. This book is basically a collection of the submitted reviews of contributors and research proceedings presented at the symposium. An introduction on the recognition and discovery of both cnidarians and nematocyst aptly begins the discussion in the book. The first chapter serves as an advanced reading that helps readers be familiarized with the terms used in the entire volume. The following chapters are subdivided into six parts, including topics on the ultrastructure, development, control and morphodynamics of discharge, biochemistry, and natural history. The multidisciplinary approach of the main themes is intended to fully understand the unique qualities of the intracellular structure of nematocyst. This volume will be of great benefit to students and researchers in biological science, cell biology, zoology, microbiology, and general physiology.