The nemerteans are a fascinating, common and often locally abundant group of invertebrates, yet for long have attracted the attention of only a handful of scientists. In recent years, however, increasing numbers of people have developed diverse research interests in the group with the result that our knowledge of these worms has rapidly advanced. Clearly there is a need for a regular series of international meetings where individuals working on these animals can meet to exchange ideas, review developments concerning nemertean biology and freely discuss future proposals. The first such meeting was held in Philadelphia during December 1983. Twenty-seven scientists from eight countries participated in the Second International Meeting on Nemertean Biology, held at the Tjarno Marine Biological Laboratory, Sweden, 11-15 August 1986. The meeting was divid ed into five sessions: two dealt with ecological studies, two with nemertean taxonomy, and the final session covered aspects of general biology. A total of 26 papers was presented; four, by N. Anadem, G. Berg, 1. Bierne, and 1.M. TurbeviIIe, were for different reasons not submitted for inclusion in this volume. Three additional presentations were made on behalf of B. Kulikova, E. N. WiIImer, and Z. Yin, all of whom were unable to participate in the meeting.

In any scientific discipline, meetings with presented papers and discussions are the most effective stimulus to the advancement of knowledge. Nemerteans have long been largely neglected because their taxonomy is difficult: the need for histological study of serial sections has proved inhibiting to most zoologists. During the last twenty years, however, this intriguing phylum has attracted the attention both of increasing numbers of taxonomists as well as of workers interested in many aspects of, for example, their ecology, evolution, physiology and fine structure. The enthusiam stemming from the First International Meeting held in Philadelphia during December 1983 made it abudantly clear that regular meetings of this type should be continued. The Second, at the Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory in Sweden (August 1986), emphasized the importance of such international gatherings. The Third Meeting was held in Britain, at Y Coleg Normal, Bangor, North Wales, August 10--15, 1991, with 24 participants from six countries. This volume records most of the papers given at the conference.

The nervous system is particularly fascinating for many biologists because it controls animal characteristics such as movement, behavior, and coordinated thinking. Invertebrate neurobiology has traditionally been studied in specific model organisms, whilst knowledge of the broad diversity of nervous system architecture and its evolution among metazoan animals has received less attention. This is the first major reference work in the field for 50 years, bringing together many leading evolutionary neurobiologists to review the most recent research on the structure of invertebrate nervous systems and provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview for a new generation of researchers. Presented in full colour throughout, Structure and Evolution of Invertebrate Nervous Systems synthesizes and illustrates the numerous new findings that have been made possible with light and electron microscopy. These include the recent introduction of new molecular and optical techniques such as immunohistochemical staining of neuron-specific antigens and fluorescence in-situ-hybridization, combined with visualization by confocal laser scanning microscopy. New approaches to analysing the structure of the nervous system are also included such as micro-computational tomography, cryo-soft X-ray tomography, and various 3-D visualization techniques. The book follows a systematic and phylogenetic structure, covering a broad range of taxa, interspersed with chapters focusing on selected topics in nervous system functioning which are presented as research highlights and perspectives. This comprehensive reference work will be an essential companion for graduate students and researchers alike in the fields of metazoan neurobiology, morphology, zoology, phylogeny and evolution.

This multi-author, six-volume work summarizes our current knowledge on the developmental biology of all major invertebrate animal phyla. The main aspects of cleavage, embryogenesis, organogenesis and gene expression are discussed in an evolutionary framework. Each chapter presents an in-depth yet concise overview of both classical and recent literature, supplemented by numerous color illustrations and micrographs of a given animal group. The largely taxon-based chapters are supplemented by essays on topical aspects relevant to modern-day EvoDevo research such as regeneration, embryos in the fossil record, homology in the age of genomics and the role of EvoDevo in the context of reconstructing evolutionary and phylogenetic scenarios. A list of open questions at the end of each chapter may serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of EvoDevo scientists. Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Invertebrates is a must-have for any scientist, teacher or student interested in developmental and evolutionary biology as well as in general invertebrate zoology. This volume covers the animals that have a ciliated larva in their lifecycle (often grouped together as the Lophotrochozoa), as well as the Gnathifera and the Gastrotricha. The interrelationships of these taxa are poorly resolved and a broadly accepted, clade-defining autapomorphy has yet to be defined. Spiral cleavage is sometimes assumed to be the ancestral mode of cleavage of this grouping and therefore the clade is referred to as Spiralia by some authors, although others prefer to extend the term Lophotrochozoa to this entire assemblage. Aside from the taxon-based chapters, this volume includes a chapter that highlights similarities and differences in the processes that underlie regeneration and ontogeny, using the Platyhelminthes as a case study.

Annelids offer a diversity of experimentally accessible features making them a rich experimental subject across the biological sciences, including evolutionary development, neurosciences and stem cell research. This volume introduces the Annelids and their utility in evolutionary developmental biology, neurobiology, and environmental/ecological studies, including extreme environments. The book demonstrates the variety of fields in which Annelids are already proving to be a useful experimental system. Describing the utility of Annelids as a research model, this book is an invaluable resource for all researchers in the field.

Atlas of Marine Invertebrate Larvae, Second Edition covers the origins and history of marine larval science, contemporary state-of-the-art approaches to larval development and biology, and the highest-quality images and schematics showing the broadest diversity of marine larvae in the animal tree of life. This book illustrates larval body plans, the anatomy of their organ systems (muscular, sensory, digestive), including distinct ciliation patterns that facilitate swimming, and the complex metamorphic changes they undergo between different larval and growth stages. Each chapter contains in-text references that direct readers to both historical and contemporary research on the forms, functions, behaviors and biogeographical distributions of marine larvae.This book is a valuable and foundational resource for biologists across various disciplines, including biodiversity, biogeography, and developmental biology. Ecologists, taxonomists, oceanographers, and environmental scientists also benefit from the complete coverage of marine larval forms offered by this book. Additionally, the broad scope and phyletic coverage of marine biodiversity presented in this atlas is ideal for students in oceanography and marine biology, animal development, biological oceanography and invertebrate zoology. - Covers every major marine invertebrate clade within the Metazoa - Includes an expanded introductory chapter on the biology, ecology and roles of larvae in marine food webs and the movements of marine invertebrate species within the world's oceans - Provides complete updates to each chapter, including condensed, comparative background information on taxon-specific development and life-history patterns - Features detailed anatomical schematics and drawings, accompanied by compound, confocal and scanning electron micrographs for multiple recognized clades within each phylum