Book Description
Ostracoda are small, mostly 0.3-5 mm long crustaceans the body of which is totally enclosed within a carapace consisting of two calcified valves. Only the tips of various appendages protrude through the narrow gap when the valves open.Ostracods are found living in both marine and non-marine environments. They occur in almost every type of freshwater habitats, whether permanent or temporary, epigean or hypogean, stagnant or flowing. They colonize springs, ditches and canals, (rock)pools, slow rivers, man made basins, the aquatic interstitial habitats, cave waters, ponds and lakes where they are found from the shallow littoral down to the great depths of the profundal zone. A number of species are ecologically specialized and are considered indicators of various environmental conditions, mainly temperature, depth and salinity.The present work provides a practical guide to the freshwater and slightly brackish water species recorded in western and central Europe from the British Isles and the northern half of France to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Keys to all taxa are given. The treatment of each of the 158 species recorded includes descriptions and illustrations of both the carapace and appendages as well as summaries of the ecology, life history, distribution and fossil record.It should be of value to both beginners and experienced workers, freshwater biologists and ecologists.Übersicht über die lieferbaren Bände der Reihe ... Read more

Book Description
Diapause is an event of great ecological significance in thelives of a wide range of invertebrates. The underlying physiologicaland genetic mechanisms pose many intriguing questions and haveimportant evolutionary implications. Some of the most dramaticexamples of diapause are provided by crustaceans. Most branchiopodsproduce resting eggs that can withstand intense desiccation andextremes of temperature and pressure far beyond those to which theyare ever subjected in nature. Furthermore they can remain in a drycondition, displaying no measurable metabolism, for many years. Suchabilities enable them to inhabit infrequently-filled pools in aridregions. When the pools fill with water these dormant eggs hatch andgive rise to animals that grow quickly to maturity and produce a newgeneration of resting eggs. There is every reason to believe thatprimitive branchiopods have employed diapause in this way sincePalaeozoic times and that their abilities in this direction haveplayed a key role in their continued success as freshwater animals. ... Read more