Sexual Biology and Reproduction in Crustaceans covers crustacean reproduction as it deals with the structural morphology of the gamete-producing primary sex organs, such as the testis and ovary, the formation and maturation of gametes, their fusion during fertilization, and embryonic development that lead to the release of larvae. Constituting a diverse assemblage of animals, crustaceans are best known by their common representatives, such as shrimps, lobsters, and crabs, but also include many more less familiar, but biologically important forms. This work covers the variety of ways in which both male and female gametes are produced by evolving different sexual systems in crustaceans, the range of reproductive systems, and the accordingly, and highly diverse, mechanistic modes of sex determination. In addition, the book features such topics as genetic and environmental determinants in sex determination pattern, variability of mechanisms of fertilization among different species, the origin of different mating systems, the associated mating and brooding behaviors, and the adaptive ability to different environmental conditions with discussion on the evolutionary ecology of social and sexual systems in certain species, which have shown eusocial tendencies, similar to social insects. Marine species occupying diversified ecological niches in tropical and temperate zones reproduce under definitive environmental conditions. Therefore, reproductive ecology of different crustaceans inhabiting different ecological niches also constitutes another important aspect of the work, along with yolk utilization and embryogenesis leading to release of different larval forms, which reflect on their aquatic adaptability. - Forms a valuable source of recent references on the current research in crustacean reproductive physiology - Covers various mating and breeding systems, providing illustrative examples for sexual selection, parental care of developing eggs and embryos, and the evolution of other reproductive behaviors - Features contributions written in the form of review articles, enabling readers to not only gain information in the respective subject, but also help them stimulate ideas in their chosen field of research - Includes a glossary created by the author to define technical terms - Demonstrates the ability of crustacean species to serve as useful model systems for other organisms, to investigate issues related to sexual conflict, mate choice, and sperm competition - Discusses techniques in endocrine research to help researchers in aquaculture develop protocols in the control of reproduction

Crustaceans adapt to a wide variety of habitats and ways of life. They have a complex physiological structure particularly with regard to the processes of growth (molting), metabolic regulation, and reproduction. Crustaceans are ideal as model organisms for the study of endocrine disruption and stress physiology in aquatic invertebrates. This book

Dating back to the early Cambrian period, crustaceans had ample time to undertake endless experimentation with form and function. Today, no other group of plants or animals on the planet exhibit the range of morphological diversity seen among extant Crustacea. With more than 52,000 species, they are placed fourth in terms of overall species diversi

Rickey Cothran and Martin Thiel explore the reproductive biology of crustaceans from allocation strategies at the individual level to the ecology of mating systems.

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.

This second volume in the Natural History of the Crustacea series examines how crustaceans-the different body shapes and adaptations of which are described in volume 1-make a living in the wide range of environments they inhabit, and how they exploit food sources. The contributions in the volume give synthetic overviews of particular lifestyles and feeding mechanisms, and offer a fresh look at crustacean life styles through the technological tools that have been applied to recent crustacean research. These include SEM (scanning electron microscope) techniques, micro-optics, and long-term video recordings that have been used for a variety of behavioral studies. The audience will include not only crustacean biologists but evolutionary ecologists who want to understand the diversification of particular life styles, ecologists who follow the succession of communities, biogeochemists who estimate the role of crustaceans in geochemical fluxes, and biologists with a general interest in crustaceans.

This is the eighth volume of a ten-volume series on The Natural History of the Crustacea. The volume examines Evolution and Biogeography, and the first part of this volume is entirely dedicated to the explanation of the origins and successful establishment of the Crustacea in the oceans. In the second part of the book, the biogeography of the Crustacea is explored in order to infer how they conquered different biomes globally while adapting to a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial conditions. The final section examines more general patterns and processes, and the chapters offer useful insight into the future of crustaceans.