The study of larval invertebrates is a vital and growing field in contemporary marine science. The key ecological role of larvae in determining adult population sizes has been recognized for decades and has inspired extensive research. This volume, the first of its kind, is an identification guide to the planktonic larvae of shallow subtidal and intertidal invertebrates common to the Pacific Northwest coast.Each chapter provides a brief background to the larval biology of an invertebrate group; keys, drawings, and descriptions for the identification of larvae; a list of the species present in the Pacific Northwest; and a reference section. The geographic range covered is roughly from southeast Alaska to northern California; however many of the species are found along the entire coast of California, as far south as Baja California.An essential reference for anyone attempting to identify larval invertebrates from zooplankton samples, this working manual is intended for students as well as scientists and researchers. It offers an important new resource for marine biologists, biological oceanographers, marine and intertidal ecologists, and especially larval biologists.

The Fourth Edition of The Light and Smith Manual continues a sixty-five-year tradition of providing to both students and professionals an indispensable, comprehensive, and authoritative guide to Pacific coast marine invertebrates of coastal waters, rocky shores, sandy beaches, tidal mud flats, salt marshes, and floats and docks. This classic and unparalleled reference has been newly expanded to include all common and many rare species from Point Conception, California, to the Columbia River, one of the most studied areas in the world for marine invertebrates. In addition, although focused on the central and northern California and Oregon coasts, this encyclopedic source is useful for anyone working in North American coastal ecosystems, from Alaska to Mexico. More than one hundred scholars have provided new keys, illustrations, and annotated species lists for over 3,500 species of intertidal and many shallow water marine organisms ranging from protozoans to sea squirts. This expanded volume covers sponges, sea anemones, hydroids, jellyfish, flatworms, polychaetes, amphipods, crabs, insects, snails, clams, chitons, and scores of other important groups. The Fourth Edition also features introductory chapters on marine habitats and biogeography, interstitial marine life, and intertidal parasites, as well as expanded treatments of common planktonic organisms likely to be encountered in near-to-shore shallow waters.

A thorough understanding of planktonic organisms is the first step towards a real appreciation of the diversity, biology, and ecological importance of marine life. A detailed knowledge of their distribution and community composition is particularly important since these organisms are often very delicate and sensitive to change, and can be used as early indicators of environmental change. Natural and man-induced modification of the environment can affect both the distribution and composition of plankton, with important ecological and economic impacts. Marine Plankton provides a practical guide to plankton biology with a large geographic coverage spanning the North Sea to the north-eastern Atlantic coast of the USA and Canada. The book is divided into three sections: an overview of plankton ecology, an assessment of methodology in plankton research covering sampling, preservation, and counting of samples, and a taxonomic guide richly illustrated with detailed line drawings to aid identification. This is an essential reference text suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in marine ecology (particularly useful for fieldwork) as well as for professional marine biologists. It will also be of relevance and use to environmental scientists, conservation biologists, marine resource managers, environmental consultants, and other specialised practitioners.

Crustaceans are increasingly being used as model organisms in all fields of biology, including neurobiology, developmental biology, animal physiology, evolutionary ecology, biogeography, and resource management. Crustaceans have a very wide range of phenotypes and inhabit a diverse array of environments, ranging from the deep sea to high mountain lakes and even deserts. The evolution of their life histories has permitted crustaceans to successfully colonize this variety of habitats. Few other taxa exhibit such a variety of life histories and behavior. A comprehensive overview of their life histories is essential to the understanding of many aspects of their success in marine and terrestrial environments. This volume provides a general overview of crustacean life histories. Crustaceans have particular life history adaptations that have permitted them to conquer all environments on earth. Crustacean life cycles have evolved to maximize fecundity, growth, and ageing, in a wide range of environmental conditions. Individual contributions contrast benefits and costs of different life histories including sexual versus asexual production, semelparity versus iteroparity, and planktonic larvae versus direct development. Important aspects of particular behaviors are presented (e.g. migrations, defense and territorial behaviors, anti-predator behavior, symbiosis).

Crustaceans are increasingly used as model organisms in all fields of biology, as few other taxa exhibit such a variety of body shapes and adaptations to particular habitats and environmental conditions. Life Histories is the fifth volume in The Natural History of the Crustacea series. An understanding of life histories is crucial to understanding the biology of this fascinating invertebrate group. Written by internationally recognized experts studying a wide range of crustacean taxa and topics, this volume synthesizes current research in a format that is accessible to a wide scientific audien.

Sex shapes who we are as individuals and as a species. Where in the mists of time did something so important—and eye-catching—originate, and what does this history tell us about ourselves? Why do we have sex, and sexes, at all? In The Other Big Bang, the evolutionary and developmental biologist Eric S. Haag explores the two-billion-year history of sex, from the first organisms on Earth to contemporary humans. He delves into the deep history of sexual reproduction, from its origins as a fix for a mutational crisis to an essential feature of all complex life. Haag traces sexual differentiation from its earliest forms in microbes to its elaboration in animals, showing why sex differences in cells and organisms help species adapt, persist, and evolve. Humanity’s clear sexual kinship with yeast and clams exists even as we evolved differences that distinguish us from other mammals, and even other apes. Bringing the story up to the present, Haag argues that the evolutionary history of human sexuality helps us better understand contemporary society. Our ancient male-female sexual system remains an important fact of life, even as we see increasingly diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and parenthood choices. Witty and inviting, The Other Big Bang offers a clear view of the evolutionary roots of human sexuality and their significance today.

Beautifully illustrated, this is the only identification guide to zooplankton of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Zooplankton are critical to the vitality of estuaries and coastal waters. In this revised edition of Johnson and Allen's instant classic, readers are taken on a tour of the miniature universe of zooplankton, including early developmental stages of familiar and diverse shrimps, crabs, and fishes. Zooplankton of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts details the behavior, morphology, and coloration of these tiny aquatic animals. Precise descriptions and labeled illustrations of hundreds of the most commonly encountered species provide readers with the best source available for identifying zooplankton. Inside the second edition • an updated introduction that orients readers to the diversity, habitats, environmental responses, collection, history, and ecological roles of zooplankton • descriptions of life cycles • illustrations (including 88 new drawings) that identify 340-plus taxa and life stages • range, habits, and ecology for each entry located directly opposite the illustration • appendices with information on collection and observation techniques and citations of more than 1,300 scientific articles and books