Already as a young boy, I used to walk with my late father, an ardent naturalist at heart, though to his regret not by profession, in the fields and woods on Mt. Carmel where we lived. My father, being largely an amateur ornithologist but also loving other vertebrates, was less inter ested in the little creatures(-the invertebrates) so abundant under stones. These were, more often then not, isopods which are particularly abundant in the Mediterranean region of northern Israel, and therefore not difficult to encounter (Fig. 1). Thus, my interest in the terrestrial isopods started at an early stage. Many years later, after graduating from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, I worked as an assistant to my late friend and colleague, Professor Michael Costa, at the Teachers Seminary in Oranim. One day I found on my desk a copy of Edney's (1954) paper: Woodlice and the land habitat, which my friend left for me knowing of my interest in this group. Therefore, due to the stimulus of Edney's paper, and the many interesting questions it raised in my mind, I developed a lifelong interest in this amazing crustacean group. My research in the ecophysiology of this group followed to a large extent the directions formulated by Edney and Cloudsley-Thompson whose name will be mentioned throughout this book. I am also indebted to the many stimulating discussions with my friends and colleagues C. S. Crawford, K. E. Linsenmair, and E.

Already as a young boy, I used to walk with my late father, an ardent naturalist at heart, though to his regret not by profession, in the fields and woods on Mt. Carmel where we lived. My father, being largely an amateur ornithologist but also loving other vertebrates, was less inter ested in the little creatures(-the invertebrates) so abundant under stones. These were, more often then not, isopods which are particularly abundant in the Mediterranean region of northern Israel, and therefore not difficult to encounter (Fig. 1). Thus, my interest in the terrestrial isopods started at an early stage. Many years later, after graduating from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, I worked as an assistant to my late friend and colleague, Professor Michael Costa, at the Teachers Seminary in Oranim. One day I found on my desk a copy of Edney's (1954) paper: Woodlice and the land habitat, which my friend left for me knowing of my interest in this group. Therefore, due to the stimulus of Edney's paper, and the many interesting questions it raised in my mind, I developed a lifelong interest in this amazing crustacean group. My research in the ecophysiology of this group followed to a large extent the directions formulated by Edney and Cloudsley-Thompson whose name will be mentioned throughout this book. I am also indebted to the many stimulating discussions with my friends and colleagues C. S. Crawford, K. E. Linsenmair, and E.

This text contains the papers of a meeting on American isopods, the only crustacean group with representatives in all terrestrial ecosystems ranging from the sea shore to the desert. Due to such adaptibility, this group can be seen as a model for the successful transition on land. The text deals with two main subjects: the effects of stressful conditions on the individual animal as reflected by its survival or by the disruption of its normal reproductive pattern; and the distribution of the isopods and their selection of microhabitat.

Evolution of Primary Producers in the Sea reference examines how photosynthesis evolved on Earth and how phytoplankton evolved through time – ultimately to permit the evolution of complex life, including human beings. The first of its kind, this book provides thorough coverage of key topics, with contributions by leading experts in biophysics, evolutionary biology, micropaleontology, marine ecology, and biogeochemistry.This exciting new book is of interest not only to students and researchers in marine science, but also to evolutionary biologists and ecologists interested in understanding the origins and diversification of life. Evolution of Primary Producers in the Sea offers these students and researchers an understanding of the molecular evolution, phylogeny, fossil record, and environmental processes that collectively permits us to comprehend the rise of phytoplankton and their impact on Earth's ecology and biogeochemistry. It is certain to become the first and best word on this exhilarating topic. - Discusses the evolution of phytoplankton in the world's oceans as the first living organisms and the first and basic producers in the earths food chain - Includes the latest developments in the evolution and ecology of marine phytoplankton specifically with additional information on marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles - The only book to consider of the evolution of phytoplankton and its role in molecular evolution, biogeochemistry, paleontology, and oceanographic aspects - Written at a level suitable for related reading use in courses on the Evolution of the Biosphere, Ecological and Biological oceanography and marine biology, and Biodiversity

Soils are receptacles for a wide range of hazardous chemicals generated by human activities. Whether or not this contamination is deliberate, accurate toxicity assessments are important for health and economic reasons. Soil Ecotoxicology discusses the sources, fate, and transport of hazardous chemicals in soils. The fate (biodegradation and modeling) and the potential impacts of pesticides on soil ecosystems are emphasized, and methodologies for performing toxicity assessments are provided.

This is the seventh volume of a ten-volume series on The Natural History of the Crustacea. Chapters in this volume synthesize our current understanding of early crustacean development from the egg through the embryonic and larval phase. The first part of this book focuses on the elemental aspects of crustacean embryonic development. The second part of the book provides an account of the larval phase of crustaceans and describes processes that influence the development from hatching to an adult-like juvenile. The third and final part of the book explores ecological interactions during the planktonic phase and how crustacean larvae manage to find food, navigate the dynamic water column, and avoid predators in a medium that offers few refuges.

More than two thirds of all living organisms described to date belong to the phylum Arthropoda. But their diversity, as measured in terms of species number, is also accompanied by an amazing disparity in terms of body form, developmental processes, and adaptations to every inhabitable place on Earth, from the deepest marine abysses to the earth surface and the air. The Arthropoda also include one of the most fashionable and extensively studied of all model organisms, the fruit-fly, whose name is not only linked forever to Mendelian and population genetics, but has more recently come back to centre stage as one of the most important and more extensively investigated models in developmental genetics. This approach has completely changed our appreciation of some of the most characteristic traits of arthropods as are the origin and evolution of segments, their regional and individual specialization, and the origin and evolution of the appendages. At approximately the same time as developmental genetics was eventually turning into the major agent in the birth of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), molecular phylogenetics was challenging the traditional views on arthropod phylogeny, including the relationships among the four major groups: insects, crustaceans, myriapods, and chelicerates. In the meantime, palaeontology was revealing an amazing number of extinct forms that on the one side have contributed to a radical revisitation of arthropod phylogeny, but on the other have provided evidence of a previously unexpected disparity of arthropod and arthropod-like forms that often challenge a clear-cut delimitation of the phylum.