The fascination of the Annelida to scientists lies in the beauty of their structures and the functionality of their body plan, the tremendous adaptive radiation which has made it possible for these animals to colonize almost all marine, limnic and terrestrial biotopes. In doing so they have evolved a great variety of life forms, and their reproduction and development are correspondingly diverse, with many modes and patterns unique in the animal kingdom. In this special volume recent progress in this broad research area is presented by 26 specialists, in general through surveys or treatments of selected examples. Some of them review important annelid taxa such as the Nereididae, Syllidae, Spionidae, Cirratulidae, Clitellata, and Pogonophora; others analyse reproductive and developmental structures and phenomena in annelids, e.g. segmental organs, sex pheromones, oogenesis, mating systems, sperm types, life cycles, larval settlement, cleavage and symmetry of embryos, or discuss controversial approaches to annelid systematics. The book will be of interest to all zoologists who work with annelids as well as to embryologists and other researchers in reproductive biology.

Indexes journal articles in ecology and environmental science. Nearly 700 journals are indexed in full or in part, and the database indexes literature published from 1982 to the present. Coverage includes habitats, food chains, erosion, land reclamation, resource and ecosystems management, modeling, climate, water resources, soil, and pollution.

Marine sediments support complex interactions between macro-and microorganisms that have global implications for carbon and nutrient cycles. What is the state of the science on such interactions from coastal and estuarine environments to the deep sea? How does such knowledge effect environmental management? And what does future research hold in store for scientists, engineers, resource managers, and educators?Interactions between Macro- and Microorganisms in Marine Sediments responds to these questions, and more, by focusing on:? Interactions between plants, microorganisms, and marine sediment? Interactions between animals, microorganisms, and marine sediment? Interactions between macro- and microorganisms and the structuring of benthic communities? Impact of macrobenthic activity on microbially-mediated geochemical cycles in sediments? Conceptual and numeric models of diagenesis that incorporate interactions between macro- and microorganismsHere is an authoritative overview of the research, experimentation and modeling approaches now in use in our rapidly evolving understanding of life in marine sediments.