Structure And Function In The Nervous Systems Of Invertebrates

The Nervous Systems of Invertebrates: An Evolutionary and Comparative Approach

In this volume outstanding specialists review the state of the art in nervous system research for all main invertebrate groups. They provide a comprehensive up-to-date analysis important for everyone working on neuronal aspects of single groups, as well as taking into account the phylogenesis of invertebrates. The articles report on recently gained knowledge about diversification in the invertebrate nervous systems, and demonstrate the analytical power of a comparative approach. Novel techniques in molecular and developmental biology are creating new perspectives that point toward a theoretical foundation for a modern organismic biology. The comparative approach, as documented here, will engage the interest of anyone challenged by the problem of structural diversification in biology.

Structure and Function in the Nervous Systems of Invertebrates

Structure and Evolution of Invertebrate Nervous Systems

The nervous system is particularly fascinating for many biologists because it controls animal characteristics such as movement, behavior, and coordinated thinking. Invertebrate neurobiology has traditionally been studied in specific model organisms, whilst knowledge of the broad diversity of nervous system architecture and its evolution among metazoan animals has received less attention. This is the first major reference work in the field for 50 years, bringing together many leading evolutionary neurobiologists to review the most recent research on the structure of invertebrate nervous systems and provide a comprehensive and authoritative overview for a new generation of researchers. Presented in full colour throughout, Structure and Evolution of Invertebrate Nervous Systems synthesizes and illustrates the numerous new findings that have been made possible with light and electron microscopy. These include the recent introduction of new molecular and optical techniques such as immunohistochemical staining of neuron-specific antigens and fluorescence in-situ-hybridization, combined with visualization by confocal laser scanning microscopy. New approaches to analysing the structure of the nervous system are also included such as micro-computational tomography, cryo-soft X-ray tomography, and various 3-D visualization techniques. The book follows a systematic and phylogenetic structure, covering a broad range of taxa, interspersed with chapters focusing on selected topics in nervous system functioning which are presented as research highlights and perspectives. This comprehensive reference work will be an essential companion for graduate students and researchers alike in the fields of metazoan neurobiology, morphology, zoology, phylogeny and evolution.