Parasitic flatworms include Cestodes (tapeworms) and trematodes (flukes, schistosomes, etc) and are the cause of a number of major diseases of medical and veterinary significance. Much recent research has focused on molecular biology and genomics. this book aims to review advances in our understanding of these and related topics such as flatworm biochemistry, immunology and physiology. Where appropriate, comparisons are made between different parasitic flatworms and between parasitic and free-living species. Contributors to the book include leading authorities from Europe, North and South America, and Australia.

Interrelationships of the Platyhelminthes elucidates the role of the flatworms in the animal kingdom. It brings together results from an international group of experts, spanning many disciplines, who give evidence for the phylogeny of flatworms and constituent major taxa. A combined approach, using traditional comparative techniques along with the modern techniques of molecular phylogeny, is utilized to show that the monophyly of the phylum is not fully established, and that the phylum may in fact consist of two groups: the acoels and their relatives, which are basal metazoans, and the Rhabditophora, which is a more derived group.

by Professor L. E. Eastham Formerly Professor of Zoology in the University of Sheffield Most books are written with the intention of supplying some particular need, but few end with such single purpose. Mrs. Mellanby's is no exception, for while the author planned this work to serve as a guide to the school pupil, which function it fulfils in an admirable way, it will also prove of value to the teacher, the university student and the amateur naturalist. While it may be argued that it is not the function of the Uni versities to teach Natural History in the commonly accepted sense, it will always be the aim of Zoologists to know more about animals, what they are and do, where they live and why they live in particular environments. It is unfortunate, in view of the fact that the majority of students of Zoology enter the teaching pro fession, that the increasing load of instruction in morphology, physiology, cytology, genetics, evolution and the like frequently makes a personal study of animal life in relation to environment almost impossible. The fortunate ones visit the sea for a fort night's course in Marine Ecology; the others take posts in schools without even this respite and set about converting their academic learning to a school curriculum. The result is an undesirable and often slavish imitation of university method in the school class room.

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

This book provides an overview (chapter 1) of the general biology, ecology and economic importance of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), and covers in detail the following: general morphology (chapter 2); taxonomy, identification and principal species (chapter 3); biochemical and molecular identification (chapter 4); molecular taxonomy and phylogeny (chapter 5); hatch and host location (chapter 6); invasion, feeding and development (chapter 7); reproduction, physiology and biochemistry (chapter 8); survival mechanisms (chapter 9); interactions with other pathogens (chapter 10); population dynamics and damage levels (chapter 11); sampling (chapter 12); mechanisms and genetics of resistance (chapter 13); development of resistant cultivars (chapter 14); plant biotechnology and control (chapter 15); complete sequence of the genomes of M. incognita and M. hapla (chapter 16); biological control using microbial pathogens, endophytes and antagonists (chapter 17); current and future management strategies in intensive crop production systems (chapter 18); and current and future management strategies in resource-poor farming (chapter 19).

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.

The intriguing and colourful world of Polyclads - free-living marine flatworms.