Monographiae Biologicae - Böcker

Limnology - the study of inland waters - had its genesis in Europe about the turn of the century. The studies of Fore1 on Lake Geneva were of seminal value at this time. It prospered under the early guidance of Thienemann, Naumann and Wesenberg-Lund in Europe and, soon transplanted, of Birge and Juday in North America (to name just a few early spirits). Now, liminology is a respectable scientific discipline taught at many universities, and limnologists are recognized as important contributors to our understanding of how this fragile spaceship functions. All this acknowledged, it must also be acknowledged that limnology is not yet a globally comprehensive science. To be sure, much is known about globally applicable processes, and the structural elements of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, but limnological emphases, interests and concerns remain essentially European and North American in balance. Much is known about lakes and rivers in less than one fifth of the world's land area (northern temperature regions); rather little is known about inland waters elsewhere.

In view of the massive change in the area of distribution of many world biota across classical biogeographical realms, and of the drastic restructuring of the biotic components of numerous ecosystems, the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) decided at its general Assembly in Ottawa, Canada, in 1982 to launch a project on the 'Ecology of Biological Invasions'. Several regional meetings were subsequently organized within the framework of SCOPE, in order to single out the peculiarities of the invasions that took place in each region, the behaviour of their invasive species and the invasibility of their ecosystems. Most noteworthy among such workshops were one in Australia in August 1984, one concerning North America and Hawaii in October 1984, and one dealing with southern Africa in November 1985. A leitmotiv of these workshops was that most of the invasive species to those regions were emanating from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, inadvertently or intentionally introduced by man. It was therefore considered as a timely endeavour to organize the next regional meeting in relation to this region. The workshop on 'Biological Invasions in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin' was held in Montpellier, France, 21 to 23 May 1986, thanks to the financial support of SCOPE and of the A.W. Mellon Foundation, and the logistic facilities of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N .R.S.).

This book brings together research into the process of stream acidification and its impact on Welsh surface waters, carried out over the past decade or so. It is perhaps surprising that not until the 1980's was clear evidence of stream acidification assembled. In Wales, concerns over pollution had focused water quality sampling principally on the areas of traditional heavy industry and large urban popula­ tions served by inadequate sewerage systems and sewage disposal arrange­ ments. Mistakenly, it had been assumed that, with its prevailing westerly winds, Wales would receive precipitation substantially unpolluted by the industrial and urban emissions from Britain and mainland Europe. Assurance of the high quality of Welsh upland streams, the traditional nursery ground of salmonids, was eroded particularly by studies in the vicinity of Llyn Brianne reservoir in the catchment of the River Tywi of Central Wales. These demonstrated a clear correspondence between the biological quality and fisheries of streams in the catchment and aspects of stream chemistry, par­ ticularly pH, aluminium and calcium on the one hand, and catchment land­ use on the other. It is salutary to record that the first signals were of an inexplicable failure of the runs of migratory salmonids into the upper catchment, occupied by the Llyn Brianne reservoir and its influent streams, and the failure to restore the fishery by re-stocking with eggs and fry. Only then did the significance of the recent decline in some other upland lake and reservoir fisheries in Wales become apparent.

An increasing variety of biological problems involving resurce management, conservation and environmental quality have been dealt with using the principles of population biology (defined to include population dynamics, genetics and certain aspects of community ecology). There appears to be a mixed record of successes and failures and almost no critical synthesis or reviews that have attempted to discuss the reasons and ways in which population biology, with its theoretical as well as experimental advances, could find more useful application in agriculture, forestry, fishery, medicine and resource and environmental management. This book provides examples of applications by a distinguished group of researchers in several fields. The diversity of topics illustrates the scientific and economic breadth of their discussions as well as epistemological and comparative analyses by the authors and editors. Several principles and common themes are emphasized and both strengths and potential sources of uncertainty in applications are discussed. This volume aims to stimulate new interdisciplinary avenues of problem-solving research.

For a long time scientists, and in particular limnologists, have been interested in Lake Titicaca, a huge mass of tropical, though cold water, described as the largest navigable high-altitude lake in the world. This work assesses and summarizes the existing knowledge related to the main features of the lake: its geological origin, its slow evolution, the physical and chemical characteristics of its waters, its climate, hydrology, flora and fauna. And since it is difficult to dissociate this original biotope from the human component, which takes advantage of its resources, part of the book is dedicated to the socio-economic potential of Lake Titicaca and its littoral agriculture, as well as the human groups which in the past lived along the shoreline and on its islands. In spite of its extension and considerable water mass, Lake Titicaca constitutes a delicate ecosystem, less stable than it appears at first glance. The alteration of this aquatic environment by human actions is still low, with the exception of some shallow bays, poorly connected with the rest of the lake. Nevertheless, it is very important not to surpass the current state of pollution, and even to reduce it.It is also necessary to use carefully the natural biological and hydrological resources of this lake. The collection in this work of a large amount of limnological data should be usefull when planning further complementary studies on specific aspects which have not yet been sufficiently explored. It should also be useful for all organizations dealing with the gestion of the natural resources of the Bolivian-Peruvian Altiplano, providing them with the elements necessary for political decisions in that field.

Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the British Isles. It covers an area of 383 km2 being 30 km along its longest axis. From pre-historic times the lake and its rivers influenced the settlements of man in the role of a fishery and communication link with the interior of Ireland. Ireland's first canal, completed in 1787, linked the small but significant coal deposits of Tyrone to Dublin by way of the lough and later the Lagen Canal became an important commercial route to the new city of Belfast.Today, only sand barge transport persists but the lough supports Europe's largest eel fishery and provides commercial salmon, trout and perch catches, besides acting as an important centre for recreational pursuits. Increasingly it has become the major water resource for Northern Ireland supplying much of the demand for the heavily populated Belfast area.Biologically the lough is rich, sustaining enormous invertebrate populations of, for example, chironomids and gammarids alongside the comparatively exotic glacial relict, Mysis relicta. Its bird life makes the lough an area of very special conservation interest as a Ramsar site.The book describes the basic ecology of the lough with particular emphasis on both the interaction of the physical, chemical and biological components and the role of ecology in resource management. Extensive recent researches are set in geological, geographical and historical context and together with palaeolimnological studies of the sediments are used to trace major changes in the ecology of the lough under man's influence, especially in the past 100 years.

Since the limnological research on the man-made Brokopondo Reservoir in the 1960s, numerous data have been collected on the ecology of Surinam rivers and swamps. This book is a compilation of these data: it is a comprehensive survey of the aquatic ecology of one of the peripheral areas of Amazonia. The geomorphology of the country, situated on the Guyana Shield, is the main factor determining the limnological properties of rivers and creeks. This results in an overall picture that is quite different from Amazonia. The emphasis of "The Ecosystems of Suriname" is on the living aquatic resources, including aquatic and swamp vegetation, phyto and zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Although most of Suriname is still in a pristine state, the human impact of fresh waters is considerable in those areas of rapid economic development, emphasizing the necessity of conservation measures, specially tailored for aquatic ecosystems. "The Ecosystems of Suriname" should be useful for scientists, environmental managers and others interested in tropical aquatic ecology.

In the course of the last century a considerable amount of scientific work has been carried out in the Cayman Islands. The results of this (outlined in Chapter 1) are widely distributed in unpublished reports, university theses, various scientific publications and books, many of these sources being difficult to find and some now unobtainable. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to bring all this scattered information together and to present a coherent account of the biogeography and ecology of the Islands, as an easily available reference source and as a foundation on which future work can be based.

The work gives an account of the biogeography, animal and plant ecology and natural conservation in Turkmenistan. This region, within the former USSR borders on Iran and Afghanistan, includes both deserts and arid mountains. Turkmenistan, and especially the mountains of Kopetdagh, is an important region for historical biogeography, as a corridor and filter between the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and the great deserts of Asia. This remote area was studied exclusively by Soviet scientists and all information was published in Russian. This book aims to bring data on the biogeography and conservation of Turkmenistan to the general scientific community.

For a naturalist and limnologist, the Pantanal has the extreme fascination of an "ultima Thule" ofundisturbed and little known wilderness. The scientific world at large is almost unaware of its richness. In an age when scientific research is overstretched because of lack of funds and the hands are full of urgentconservationtasks, it is the amateurtourist who unveils the beauty and the interestof this largest wetland ofthe world. I had the privilege of an outsider, well enough familiarized with Brazil, its language and scientific life, but independent enough of the daily chores of a local academic career. For nearly 20 years I have been a faithful sci- entific tourist to this subcontinent. My academic liberty gave me the unique opportunity to try to synthesize in English the knowledge about Brazilian environments little known abroad. My first suchendeavourhas been"Soore- tama - the Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil". Dealing now with the Pantanal, I wish to pay tribute to the many Brazilian colleagues who under dire and often precarious conditions have advanced the knowledge related to the Pan- tanal.By reviewing their many reports and papers written in Portuguese and bringing them to the knowledge of the international scientific community, I believe that I am doing a useful service. First of all, I have to thank Prof. Vera Lucia Imperatriz Fonseca, the Head of the Department of General Ecology at the University of Sao Paulo, for providingme during the years, the academic basefrom which I couldoperate.

The Conference on Tropical Rainforest Research: Current Issues was organised by the University of Brunei Darussalam and The Royal Geographical Society, London, and held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, over 8 days in April 1993. Over 160 participants from 22 countries attended the Conference, which was opened on the 9th April by the Brunei Darussalam Minister for Home Affairs, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa bin Datu Perdana Menteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim. The conference was initially intended to provide a forum to present the results of the expedition into the lowland mixed dipterocarp forest of the Temburong District of Brunei Darussalam, which had been jointly organised by the University of Brunei Darussalam and The Royal Geographical Society, London. The 15-month expedition, lasting from January 1991 to March 1992, was based at the then newly-completed Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, a research and education facility set up by the University with funds provided by the Brunei Government and Brunei-Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd.The expedition, with over 70 scientists taking part, received financial support from a wide range of sponsors and Corporate Patrons, including Royal Brunei Airlines, the Baring Foundation, Daiwa-Dicam, Greencard Trust, the Hongkong Bank, Morgan Grenfell and Nomura-Nimco. The conference itself was supported by donations from Brunei-Shell Sdn Bhd, Royal Brunei Airlines and Standard Chartered Bank.

This text provides a description of the site, Rocas Alijos, which is the top of a remnant oceanic volcano 180 nautical miles off Baja California. It presents extensive details on the observations made during two major expeditions in 1990 and 1993, including the history, rocks, water, soil and biota. The site is highly significant for biogeographical studies, lying at the boundary between major provinces. It also provides ready access to dating the vulcanism of the region. The volume integrates the various observations into a single picture of the site. It is intended for researchers concerned with the Eastern Pacific, and for persons involved in the planning of expeditions, resource management, or long-term trends in environmental conditions.

Since 1956 the author has been making extensive and detailed investigations of saline lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. On the basis of large amounts of first-hand data and multidisciplinary analysis, the book deals with the temporal and spatial evolution of the plateau saline lakes and the prospects for inorganic salts and organic resources and their exploitation and protection, as well as the relationships between saline lakes and global changes. This book is one of the first English monographs on saline lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - the "Roof of the World". Compared with books about saline lakes in other areas of the world, this monograph is written in a multidisciplinary, comprehensive and systematic way. It may be used by graduate students, teachers, researchers, field geologists and engineers as a reference book in research, teaching, etc.

This text provides an in-depth analysis of the ecological relationships in the northern part of the world's largest wetland in a near-natural state. It offers a survey of the flora and fauna of the region, which should make it particularly interesting for researchers in biodiversity and the biogeography of the Neotropical Region. It surveys this vast area of seasonally flooded plains of all major taxa of plants and animals, providing data obtained during a study lasting nearly four years and information available in myriad short publications in journals, many of which are hard to obtain. The book should be of interest to researchers in the wet-and-dry climatic zone of the tropics worldwide and to ecologists in South America in particular. It is meant to be a basic sourcebook of tropical ecology and wetland biology.

The International Decade for the East African Lakes (IDEAL) has completed its first phase of field studies, and has assembled in this volume its findings, ranging from seismic reflections to historical drought chronologies, geochemistry, and modern food web processes. Multidisciplinary IDEAL investigations are summarized and integrated, revealing that modern changes in the East African lakes share a continuity with past variations in climate and environmental conditions. Results from an array of disciplinary perspectives and evidentiary lines point to the causative role of modern climate variation in the deterioration of Lake Victoria, one of the most prominent lakes on the planet. The ancient conditions of Victoria and other East African lakes are reconstructed with forensic tools that permit measurements of paleomagnetism, pollen and algal fossils, biogenic minerals, depositional carbonates, and bulk geochemistry. Oral traditions, explorer's journals, and records of the ancient Nile provide human testimonies that parallel the physical record.Studies of biological production, nutrient dynamics, and lower food web processes reveal how the lake communities function at the trophic levels that leave sedimentary evidence in the form of organic matter, minerals, and fossils. Comparisons of weather records and lake properties demonstrate a striking change in climate conditions during the present century with causal links to lake conditions. The collected scientific perspective makes a compelling case for the worth of integrated studies across a spectrum of traditional specialties when they are focused on complex environmental issues.

I have written this book because there is, as in almost all supraspecific ciliate taxa, an ur- gent need for an up-to-date revision of the oxytrichids, which are common in terrestrial, limnetic, and marine biotopes. The last comprehensive, illustrated guides to this group of hypotrichs were provided by KAHL (1932) and SmLER (1974b); however, as regards syn- onymy and faunistics, these works are outdated and not as detailed as EHRENBERG'S out- standing book from 1838. In KAHL's revision, the oxytrichids sensu stricto are described on about 30 pages, whereas in the present book the systematic section comprises about 830 pages. This extraordinary increase in page number is mainly due to the following points: (i) Species number increased from about SO in KAHL to about 170 in the present book. (ii) KAHL usually provided only a single illustration of each species, whereas almost all published illustrations on oxytrichid ciliates are included in my book. (iii) Modern, phylogenetic systematics of oxytrichids without morphogenetic data is impossible; conse- quentlY,*almost all detailed descriptions, usually dealing with the type species, have been included.(iv) Synonymy is discussed, and not only mentioned, as is unfortunately usual.

Nouragues is a tropical forest research station in French Guiana. It was established in 1986 for research on natural mechanisms of forest regeneration. Since then a lot of research has been done on this and related topics. This book provides an overview of the main research results, and focuses on plant communities, vertebrate communities and evolutionary ecology, frugivory and seed dispersal, and forest dynamics and recruitment. The appendices give (annotated) checklists of plants, birds, mammals, herpetofauna and fishes found in the same area.

The spathidiids belong to the ciliate subclass Haptoria (Protozoa, Ciliophora), that is, they are predators using toxicysts to overwhelm the prey.Over 200 nominal spathidiid species have been described, sometimes based on seemingly minute differences. Thus, many protozoologists considered them as indeterminable and claimed for a detailed revision. The present monograph carefully revises the taxonomy, nomenclature, and ecology of all nominal species and shows that spathidiid diversity has been greatly underestimated. Based on the reinvestigation of described species with modern methods (silver impregnation, scanning electron microscopy) and the first description of over 50 new species, the family Spathidiidae is split into four families and 20 genera. Each species is described and figured in detail, making it unnecessary to go back to the original literature often difficult to obtain. Two identification keys are provided, viz., one for taxonomists and another, simple key for users not specifically trained in ciliate taxonomy.

The book includes 22 chapters by 28 authors united by the single theme: biogeography and ecology of Bulgaria.

Maritime canals dissolve natural barriers to the dispersal of marine organisms, thus providing novel opportunities for natural dispersal, as well as for shipping-mediated transport. The introduction of alien species has proved to be one of the most profound and damaging of anthropogenic deeds - with both ecological and economic costs. This book is the first to assess the impacts of the world’s three principal maritime canals – the Kiel, the Panama, the Suez – as invasion corridors for alien biota. These three canals differ in their hydrological regimes, the types of biotas they connect, and in their permeability to invasions. Dr. Stephan Gollasch was involved in the first European ship sampling programme on ballast water, tank sediments and ship hull fouling (1992-1996). His PhD is world-wide the first thesis based on ballast water sampling. In addition to laboratory and desk studies he spent more than 125 days at sea during several biological surveys and joint ships on their voyages through the Kiel and Suez Canals. Due to the international aspect of biological invasions Dr. Gollasch became a member of several international working groups: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES); International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the Baltic Marine Biologists (BMB). As an independent consultant he is today involved projects related to biological invasions (e.g. ballast water treatment, ship sampling, risk assessment). Recently he was involved in the development of risk assessments and ballast water management scenarios for the European Atlantic coast, North, Baltic, Caspian and Mediterranean Seas.Dr. Bella Galil is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography, Israel. Her main research interests are the anthropogenic changes occurring in the Levantine marine biota, and the impact of alien species on the Mediterraneanecosystem. She has conducted numerous studies and surveys off the Israeli coast monitoring the benthic biota from the intertidal to the bathyal. She co-chairs the scientific committee of marine ecosystems of the International Commission for Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean (CIESM), and is a member of the Invasive Species Scientific Committee, IUCN. Galil published over 130 papers in scientific journals and co-edited a volume of the "CIESM Atlas of Exotic species in the Mediterranean". Recently she coordinated the drafting of Guidelines for controlling the vectors of introduction into the Mediterranean of non-indigenous species and invasive marine species for the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas RAC/SPA.Dr. Andrew Cohen is the Director of the Biological Invasions Program at the San Francisco Estuary Institute in Oakland, California. His research has focused on the extent, impacts and vectors of aquatic invasions. He has organized and led rapid assessment surveys for exotic marine species in various localities including one at both ends of the Panama Canal. He helped write California's first ballast water law in 1999, and recently helped develop ballast water discharge standards for the state that seem likely to be enacted this year. He also drafted a petition from the research community that led to a U.S. ban on importing the "Killer Seaweed" Caulerpa taxifolia, and provided technical assistance to a recently successful lawsuit that will force ballast water discharges into U.S. waters to be regulated as biological pollutants under the U.S. Clean Water Act. For his work he has received a Pew Marine Conservation Fellowship and the San Francisco BayKeeper's Environmental Achievement Award.

This is the second book of a series treating the hypotrichs, a major part of the spirotrichous ciliates. It summarises 230 years of morphological, morphogenetic, faunistic, and ecological data, heretofore scattered in some 1,300 references around the world. The book provides taxonomists, cell biologists, and ecologists with a thorough survey supplying synonyms, nomenclature and systematics, and an extensive description of morphology and ecology, including almost all published records, for each species.

Dormancy is a suspension of the vital functions in an organism to overcome harsh environmental conditions, and sometimes can last for centuries. It is a widespread adaptation in many phyla, ranging from bacteria to vertebrates, and may exert a great influence on aquatic communities.Contributors to this new book are leaders in the field of diapause studies, and many authors were participants at a recent workshop on diapause in aquatic invertebrates (Pallanza, Italy 2003). The book consists of two major parts, as indicated in its title: Phenomenology of diapause and significance of this adaptation in scientific and practical uses. Application to newly developing areas such as cultivation of live food, like rotifers or Artemia, in modern aquaculture is covered, as are aspects of diapause that promote the colonization of new environments by facilitating the passive transport of resting stages of invasive species. Creation of artificial ecosystems outside of the Earth’s biosphere using dormant propagules becomes an actual possibility as humankind develops plans to colonize our nearest planets. Also, studies on the vertical distribution of resting stages in undisturbed sediment cores yield important ecological and evolutionary information useful in investigations of past environments.Throughout the book properties of diapause and individual peculiarities of this ancient and well-developed adaptive phenomenon are regarded in evolutionarily distant groups such as Rotifers, Crustaceans and Insects.

How many marine species are there in Costa Rica? Recent estimates of the numbers of species on coral reefs range from 1–9 million, so that the true number of marine species in Costa Rica is certainly far higher. Indeed the task of describing marine species is daunting – if there really are about 9 million marine species and Costa Rica has 3.

2 In China, there are more than 2,759 lakes with surface area greater than 1km , and 2 the total lake area is 91,019km . Lake Taihu is the third largest freshwater lake in China, with an area of about 2 2338km and a mean depth of 1.

The present book is a monograph about two groups of hypotrichous ciliates, namely the Amphisiellidae and the Trachelostylidae. It is the third of six volumes which - view the Hypotricha, one of the three major taxa of the spirotrichs. The first volume is about the Oxytrichidae, a rather large group, many species of which have 18 highly characteristically arranged frontal-ventral-transverse cirri and, much more importantly, a comparatively complex dorsal ciliature due to (oxytrichid) fragmen- tion of dorsal kineties during cell division (Berger 1999). The second volume deals with the Urostyloidea, which are characterised by a zigzag-arrangement of the ventral cirri (Berger 2006). Although this pattern is often very impressive, it is a relatively simple feature originating by a more or less distinct increase of the number of frontal-ventral-transverse cirri anlagen. These anlagen produce cirral pairs which are serially arranged in non-dividing specimens. Some - ers are likely astonished that the monograph on urostyloids does not include Urol- tus, a group of tailed species, which also have a distinct zigzagging cirral pattern.However, morphological and molecular data indicate that the zigzag pattern of U- leptus evolved independently, that is, convergently to that of the urostyloids. Thus, Uroleptus was excluded from the urostyloid review. A zigzag pattern is also known from some oxytrichids, for example, Neokeronopsis, Territricha, Pattersoniella, showing that this pattern evolved several times independently (Berger 1999, 2006, Foissner et al. 2004).

What have we learnt about the Nile since the mid-1970s, the moment when Julian Rzóska decided that the time had come to publish a comprehensive volume about the biology, and the geological and cultural history of that great river? And what changes have meanwhile occurred in the basin? The human popu- tion has more than doubled, especially in Egypt, but also in East Africa. Locally, industrial development has taken place, and the Aswan High Dam was clearly not the last major infrastructure work that was carried out. More dams have been built, and some water diversions, like the Toshka lakes, have created new expanses of water in the middle of the Sahara desert. What are the effects of all this on the ec- ogy and economy of the Basin? That is what the present book sets out to explore, 33 years after the publi- tion of “The Nile: Biology of an Ancient River”. Thirty-seven authors have taken up the challenge, and have written the “new” book. They come from 13 different countries, and 15 among them represent the largest Nilotic states (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya). Julian Rzóska died in 1984, and most of the - authors of his book have now either disappeared or retired from research. Only Jack Talling and Samir Ghabbour were still available to participate again.

With the second volume in this senes we have continued the theme of Volume 1 and expanded more generally into separation and continuous­ flow techniques. The first chapter gives an account on flow injection analysis. Thi~ technique has gained considerable interest in the recent past and offers many facets of the use of chemistry in automated analysis procedures. One of these facets is certainly also the use of ion-pairing reactions, and we have been fortunate to get two well-known experts to treat this subject. The use of ion-pairing techniques is being discussed from a batch extraction (sample handling) point of view as well as for flow injection and chromato­ graphic purposes. Immobilized enzymes are another area of major attention and their multidirectional use in analytical chemistry is illuminated in Chapter 3 with special emphasis on their use in connection with liquid chromatography. Needless to say, similar techniques have also found their way into con­ tinuous-flow methodology (Auto-Analyzers) and many of the aspects dis­ cussed in Chapter 3 are adaptable to this end. The need and recent urgency for separation of optical isomers in many areas, particularly pharmaceutical and clinical analysis, has spurred a flurry of activity in this special section of chromatography. The current status of the field of optical isomer separation is competently reviewed in Chapter 4. Again this is a typical area wherein it is the proper use of chemistry that finally delivers a solution. The last two chapters deal with precolumn or prechromatographic derivatization techniques.

This volume merges all geographical and paleogeographical data on all groups of the arachnofauna. The book features topics such as the ecological factors, climate and other barriers that influence the distribution of arachnida. It also elaborates on the characteristics of the distribution such as arachnida at high altitude (e.g. Himalaya), in caves, in polar regions and highlights differences between the arachnofauna of e.g. Mediterranean regions vs Central Europe, West African vs Indomalayan and more. Furthermore, amongst other topics the volume also includes chapters on the systems of arachnida, fossil orders, dispersal and dispersion, endemics and relicts, regional arachnogeography, cave and high altitude arachnida.

This is the second volume on dormancy in aquatic organisms. The book is divided into three parts whereby the first part is devoted to several groups of aquatic organisms which are under-studied in terms of the dormancy’s role in the life cycle. The second part looks at the use of dormancy phenomena in science and potential human applications. Furthermore, part 3 comprises of examples of using modeling in relation to dormancy phenomenon and it opens with a theoretical analysis of studies of biological information, including seasonal information. This work can be used as a text book for students as well as a manual for science and practice purposes in ecology, aquaculture, nature protection and space researches with regards to creating ecological life supporting systems and discovering extraterrestrial life on other planets with harsh environmental conditions.