I see a man's life is a tedious one. Cymbeline, Act III, Sc. 6. It is well known that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it! Along the same lines one might also say that a pleasant way of learning a subject and at the same time getting to know quite a few of the workers active in it, is to arrange and to attend an Advanced Study Institute (ASI) or a workshop lasting about two weeks. This was and is the wisdom behind the NA TO-ASI programme and much as people fear that a fortnight may be too long, before it is over everyone feels that it was too short, especially if the weather had cooperated. Organising this ASI which resulted in this volume has been a very good learning experience. I started my career in research with invertebrates and retained an interest in them over the years due to my teaching a course and working sporadically on various aspects of photoreception in Polychaetes, Crustaceans and Insects. Thus, the thought of organising an ASI on photoreception and vision in invertebrates had been brewing in my mind for the past half a dozen years or so. It was felt that it will be desirable to do a bit of stock taking and discuss possible new approaches to the study of this matter.

Invertebrate Photoreceptors: A Comparative Analysis covers the structure and pigment chemistry of invertebrate photoreceptors. The book discusses the photobehavior and photoreceptor systems of invertebrate animals; the protozoan photoreceptor; and the compound eye. The text also describes the crustacean and mollusc eyes; the vertebrate retinal photoreceptors; and the invertebrate eye and its visual pigments. The book concludes with discussions on primitive photoreceptors; spectral sensitivity, pigments, and color vision; and polarized light analysis. Biologists and people involved in the study ...

This book provides a series of comprehensive views on various important aspects of vertebrate photoreceptors. The vertebrate retina is a tissue that provides unique experimental advantages to neuroscientists. Photoreceptor neurons are abundant in this tissue and they are readily identifiable and easily isolated. These features make them an outstanding model for studying neuronal mechanisms of signal transduction, adaptation, synaptic transmission, development, differentiation, diseases and regeneration. Thanks to recent advances in genetic analysis, it also is possible to link biochemical and physiological investigations to understand the molecular mechanisms of vertebrate photoreceptors within a functioning retina in a living animal. Photoreceptors are the most deeply studied sensory receptor cells, but readers will find that many important questions remain. We still do not know how photoreceptors, visual pigments and their signaling pathways evolved, how they were generated and how they are maintained. This book will make clear what is known and what is not known. The chapters are selected from fields of studies that have contributed to a broad understanding of the birth, development, structure, function and death of photoreceptor neurons. The underlying common word in all of the chapters that is used to describe these mechanisms is “molecule”. Only with this word can we understand how these highly specific neurons function and survive. It is challenging for even the foremost researchers to cover all aspects of the subject. Understanding photoreceptors from several different points of view that share a molecular perspective will provide readers with a useful interdisciplinary perspective.

Invertebrate Photoreceptors: A Comparative Analysis covers the structure and pigment chemistry of invertebrate photoreceptors. The book discusses the photobehavior and photoreceptor systems of invertebrate animals; the protozoan photoreceptor; and the compound eye. The text also describes the crustacean and mollusc eyes; the vertebrate retinal photoreceptors; and the invertebrate eye and its visual pigments. The book concludes with discussions on primitive photoreceptors; spectral sensitivity, pigments, and color vision; and polarized light analysis. Biologists and people involved in the study of invertebrate photobiology will find the text invaluable.

This book covers the way that all known types of eyes work, from their optics to the behaviour they guide. The ways that eyes sample the world in space and time are considered, and the evolutionary origins of eyes are discussed. This new edition incorporates discoveries made since the first edition published in 2001.

Publisher description

This unique selection of reviews summarizes current knowledge in all major fields of crustacean neurobiology and all levels of their CNS organization, using lobster and crayfish. It not only imparts theoretical knowledge but also describes all available contemporary and advanced techniques, such as patch clamp recordings, microelectrode techniques, immunocytochemistry, and all methods of molecular genetics to identify cellular pathways of protein synthesis and peptidergic control. In summary, it is a comprehensive account of the research achievements in one of the major nervous systems besides the mammalian CNS.

"The evolution of the eye spans 3.75 billion years from single cell organisms with eyespots to Metazoa with superb camera style eyes. At least ten different ocular models have evolved independently into myriad optical and physiological masterpieces. The story of the eye reveals evolution's greatest triumph and sweetest gift. This book describes its journey"--Provided by publisher.

Invertebrates have proven to be extremely useful model systems for gaining insights into the neural and molecular mechanisms of sensory processing, motor control and higher functions such as feeding behavior, learning and memory, navigation, and social behavior. A major factor in their enormous contributions to neuroscience is the relative simplicity of invertebrate nervous systems. In addition, some invertebrates, primarily the molluscs, have large cells, which allow analyses to take place at the level of individually identified neurons. Individual neurons can be surgically removed and assayed for expression of membrane channels, levels of second messengers, protein phosphorylation, and RNA and protein synthesis. Moreover, peptides and nucleotides can be injected into individual neurons. Other invertebrate model systems such as Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans offer tremendous advantages for obtaining insights into the neuronal bases of behavior through the application of genetic approaches. The Oxford Handbook of Invertebrate Neurobiology reviews the many neurobiological principles that have emerged from invertebrate analyses, such as motor pattern generation, mechanisms of synaptic transmission, and learning and memory. It also covers general features of the neurobiology of invertebrate circadian rhythms, development, and regeneration and reproduction. Some neurobiological phenomena are species-specific and diverse, especially in the domain of the neuronal control of locomotion and camouflage. Thus, separate chapters are provided on the control of swimming in annelids, crustaea and molluscs, locomotion in hexapods, and camouflage in cephalopods. Unique features of the handbook include chapters that review social behavior and intentionality in invertebrates. A chapter is devoted to summarizing past contributions of invertebrates to the understanding of nervous systems and identifying areas for future studies that will continue to advance that understanding.