Marine biology Books

Book SynopsisThis book presents topical research from across the globe in the study of the biology, habitats and threats to aquatic animals. Topics discussed include the acoustic ecology of pinnipeds in polar habitats; the immunotoxicological reactivity of hemocytes of juvenile mudcrabs; the potential threat of genotoxic metals to marine mammal health; toxic contaminants in aquatic medium concerns and the role of bacteria in the chilled storage and cryopreservation of sperm in aquatic animals.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents topical research in the study of the physiology, habitat and conservation of eels. Topics discussed in this compilation include the species and geographic distribution of freshwater eels; the ecological risk for organotin accumulation in relation to life history in the anguillid eel; habitat use and migration in the Japanese eel anguilla japonica and quality and vitamin content of the eggs of the Japanese eel.

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Book SynopsisThe freshwaters of North America are populated by a rich tapestry of native fishes, some of which possess enough charisma and colour to rival their marine and tropical counterparts. While names such as trout and bass are well-embedded into the American vernacular, the less familiar monikers of darter, madtom, and dace remain relatively unknown. However, it is more often these lesser known groups function as valuable bioindicators of biological integrity, thereby providing important information to scientists regarding the health of our nation''s waterways. This book provides reference for environmental and fisheries professionals, naturalists, and educators on the use of fishes and mussels as biological indicators.

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Book SynopsisMarine and freshwater biotoxins are a well-known problem in food safety, mainly for filter-feeding molluscs and for freshwater aquaculture. This is a challenging matter since, in recent years, toxic algal blooms seems to grow in frequency and duration, leading to longer closure of harvesting areas, disruption in trade, mortality in farmed fish and a growing concern in producers, consumers and health authorities. Unfortunately, in recent years toxins from far latitudes are emerging, leading to new human health problems. Research and exhaustive knowledge of a problem makes it easier to draw a scenario where the best management strategies are gathered. This book combines information related to food-borne illness associated with marine or freshwater biotoxins, the anthropogenic and environmental factors that cause the appearance of toxic episodes and all available analytical procedures for phycotoxins detection.

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Book SynopsisOmega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have been part of the human diet since the beginning of mankind. With the recent discovery of the tremendous health benefits provided by fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); a growing progress is occurring in understanding their biological functions and mode of action as well as the introduction of EPA-enriched value-added foods and nutraceuticals. This book discusses the sources, health effects and role in disease prevention of EPA. Topics include the eicosapentaenoic acid role in bone metabolism, malignant diseases, mental health, and reducing coronary heart disease; identification and characterization of n-6 and n-3 fatty acid desaturase and elongase from acanthopagrus shlegelii; fractionation and concentration of omega-3 by molecular distillation; and combined supplmentation with EPA-rich fish oil and phytosterols can improve plasma lipid profile and c-reactive protein in hyperlipidemia.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, the authors discuss the structure, ecology and life cycle of crustaceans. Topics include the structure, development and evolution of crustacean eyes; the effect of gamma radiation on the extraction of chitosan from the exoskeleton of crustaceans; lipid transport and metabolism in crustaceans; and soft-bottom crustacean assemblages influenced by anthropogenic activities in the Arabian Gulf.

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Book SynopsisThe Arabian Gulf is characterised by physical, chemical and biological uniqueness. It is considered the hottest water body in the world. Marine organisms and ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf are unique as they thrive despite extreme environmental conditions such as marked fluctuations in sea temperatures and elevated levels of salinity. Heavy metals are serious threats to ecosystems and human health due to their toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation characteristics. Coasts of the Arabian Gulf are witnessing rapid industrialisation and urbanisation that contribute to heavy metal loads in the coastal and marine habitats. Continuous inputs of heavy metals from different anthropogenic sources in the Arabian Gulf could be critical for both the naturally stressed marine ecosystems and humans that relay on marine resources for food, recreation and industry. This book identifies valued ecosystem components in the Arabian Gulf, characterises sources of anthropogenic impacts, assesses the heavy metal contamination in a variety of living organisms, seawaters and sediments, and suggests measures for environmental management of heavy metal pollution in the Arabian Gulf.

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Book SynopsisForaminifera is a big group of unicellular eukaryotic and mostly sea animals, having a hard shell of complexity striking for unicellular organisms. It includes over 4,500 genera and about 40,000 species, mostly now extinct. Their usual size is about 0.5 mm but some giant forms may reach 17 to 20 cm. The multi-chamberedness of their advanced forms with their complex inner integrative systems represents the evolutionary attempt to overcome a unicellular level of organization. The role of the ramified system of the thinnest canals in their multi-chambered shells could be compared with the role of the blood system in Metazoans. The beauty of their shells attracted Leonardo da Vinci to describe them in his ornaments. The highest morphological variability of their shells along with the small number of their chromosomes may permit their usage in the future as classical objects of genetic-morphological studies. Their species are used as bio-indicators of recent and paleo environments, as well as markers of the carbohydrates bearing strata.

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Book SynopsisSex determination, differentiation and gamete maturation are well organised molecular events in vertebrates. In vertebrates, sex determination and differentiation are two important events in the development of gonads (testis or ovary). Sex determination is the genetic (sex chromosomes) or environmental process by which the sex (male or female) of an individual is established. During embryonic development, primordial germ cells migrate from the site of origin to the gonadal primordia where they differentiate along with somatic cells and finally form the indifferent/bipotential gonads. Depending on the action of various factors the bipotential gonads give rise to either testis or ovaries. In most vertebrates, excluding fishes and some amphibians, the event of sex determination is controlled genetically and later the progression of gonadal development is controlled by hormones and other factors. Interestingly, these processes in fishes are controlled not only genetically but also through hormones or environmental factors. These characteristics make fish the champions of sex reversal and serve as excellent animal models to precisely understand sexual development. The next interesting aspect is meiotic maturation which is essentially mediated by gonadotropins and progesterone metabolites to trigger final gamete maturation in fishes which is different from mammals. The novel aspects pertaining to gamete maturation has been studied in great detail in fish which depicts precise regulatory events of gamete maturation.

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Book SynopsisThe number of proliferation zones in the adult brain is strongly reduced in the transition between fish and tetrapods and even more in mammals compared to non-mammalian vertebrates. While the adult mammalian brain generally contains only two neurogenic areas, the adult teleost brain displays numerous proliferative niches. This book discusses the entire neurogenesis, the sexual reproduction of teleosts and touches base on the occurrence and possible role of heat shock protein 70 in the developing sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.). The cytokine receptor signaling in teleosts are critical mediators of cell-cell communication throughout the life cycle. Over recent years, much has been learned about the cytokine receptor repertoire in teleosts and this book explains how they are utilised. Other topics the authors of this book presented are the central nervous system of the teleosts, their thermoregulatory behaviour, the lipid peroxidation in teleosts, and finally, the molecular evolution and environmental acclimation of fish skeletal muscle tropomyosin.

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Book SynopsisThe term neuroecology was first coined in the 1980s and describes the ways in which species adapt to their environment both in the short term and in evolutionary time. Here, we focus on molluscan neuroecology to show how it interfaces with neuroethology and how animal behaviour adapts to environmental cues. Neuroecology is thus meeting point between ethology, neuroscience, evolution, ecology, physics and chemistry. In this book, our contributors examine the concept of Neuroecology as applied to molluscs for the first time with particular reference to the areas of chemical ecology, predator prey relationships, neuroethology and evolution. Significant neuroecological progress has been made with a number of molluscan groups in terms of neurotoxic peptides, complex defensive ink alarm pheromones, bioaccumulation of shellfish toxins and the evolution of chemical defence mechanisms in species with reduced physical protection. Many molluscs inhabit a world of olfactory cues and their perceptions of the outside world are largely chemically driven, leading to odorant driven behavioural responses. This is important to both molluscan predators and prey and this area is explored in some detail with particular reference to gastropod molluscs. It is also true for cephalopod molluscs which although they have excellent vision, rely on distance chemoreception particularly prey perception, thus demonstrating their significance in affecting marine populations and communities. For completed book description, please visit our link below.

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Book SynopsisBrazil is home to equatorial, tropical, semi-arid, highland tropical, and subtropical climatic regions. The semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil, considered an area of drought polygon, has distinctive scrub vegetation referred to as Caatinga that covers over 10% of the Brazilian territory with approximately twenty million inhabitants. The Caatinga is considered one of the 37 Wilderness Areas of the World, and it plays an important role in the maintenance of regional macro-ecological processes, as well as indirectly supporting regions with biodiversity and endemism. The Brazilian semiarid region is also home to Neotropical fish species that occur in diversified aquatic ecosystems, exhibiting different strategies to survive and reproduce. In this scenario of fantastic diversity there exists an intensive and yet insufficiently known interaction of environmental factors and fish communities. To fully understand this it is necessary to know the details about how it works. For completed book description please visit our website at the link below.

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years dolphins have been man''s best friend in the sea. Their brain power, sociability, communication ability and altruism have been the issue of reference for myths, tales and several scientific or experimental studies. They have also inspired people to create several works of art from the ancient times until today. Ancient Greeks called dolphins "people of the sea" and considered them equal to human beings. This book discusses several topics on different species of dolphins, their natural habitat, behaviours, and conservation strategies. Some of the topics included are behaviours of botos and short-finned pilot whales; isolation of yeasts from stranded and captive dolphins in Italy; ecological stressors of the coastal bottlenose dolphin; and dolphin-assisted therapy.

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Book SynopsisFish and seafood are widely available foods that provide important nutrients to consumers. Research conducted over the past few years suggests that there are health benefits associated with fish and seafood consumption, including for the cardiovascular and visual systems. It was also reported that such a diet increases protection in infants against arthritis or cancer. Although regular seafood consumption has been linked to health benefits for the general population, contaminants that may be present in seafood could pose a risk to humans. There are a number of contaminants that may be associated with seafood, including chemicals, metals, toxins and other substances as well as potentially harmful microbes. Most seafood contains detectable levels of contaminants because these are a part of the environment and food chain. This book discusses shellfish in more detail, including the purification process of bivalve shellfish; shellfish toxins; phycotoxins and heavy metals in shellfish; and shellfish sensitivity.

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Book SynopsisCrustaceans, such as crabs, provide a high quality protein and omega 3 fatty acids that provide potential health benefits. Crabs have commercial importance worldwide constituting one of the main fishing resources. For this reason, in the last 30 years, Crab aquaculture has been identified as an emerging aquaculture sector with significant potential. In conjunction with the growth of these industries, there was an increase in the study of the diseases. This book discusses the diseases and factors that cause diseases in crabs. It also discusses population ecology of mangrove crabs in Brazil; behavioural repertoire and substrate choice of the freshwater crabs; intracohort cannibalism of the mud crab; biodiversity of Venezuelan brachyuran crabs; alien crabs in the Mediterranean Sea; and the evolution of mangrove crabs distribution in the Atlantic coast of Cameroon.

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Book SynopsisSea urchins play a key role in marine ecosystems, controlling through its grazing activity the dynamic, structure and composition of seaweed and sea grasses. Moreover, it is a crucial component of the food web, as prey for fishes and other marine animals. Due to its sedentary habits and sensitivity to pollutants, adult sea urchin has been used in several studies as a biologicalbiochemical indicator of local pollution. This book provides several topics on sea urchins. It discusses the phenotypic variation and resilience in sea urchin morphogenesis; response of sea urchins to environmental stress; nonparametric regression applied to sea urchin growth; and sea urchin immune systems.

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Book SynopsisAfter decades of research, monitoring, and analysis, we still have so much to learn about sea turtles. As reptiles, they are environmentally sensitive animals and thus can sense acute changes in their habitat. This rudimentary tactic of ectothermic animals has possibly conceded to the survival of sea turtle populations over millions of years. They have endured cooling and warming of the earth. The habitats they depend on have endured fierce hurricanes and erosion. Now the question remains if sea turtle populations and their habitats will survive the challenges and pressures that humans place on the world. The anthology of research presented in this textbook is diverse and yet so interconnected. We cannot work to conserve wildlife populations without a fundamental understanding of habitat or the range of changes that individuals within a population can tolerate. Sea turtles are no exception. Changes in migration patterns due to climate change, diversity of food sources between species, acute habitat selection for nesting, mutations in genetics, and differences in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry between species and even individuals make the study of sea turtles dynamic and challenging.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a comprehensive review of some predominant environmental risks that marine fish cage aquaculture poses in the marine environment and designs and practices now in use to address these environmental risks in the U.S. and elsewhere. The book includes a critical review of the large body of scientific work published since 2000 on the environmental impacts of marine finfish aquaculture around the world. The purpose of this book is to provide a basic set of guidelines for risk managers and other decision makers to use all information available to assess the different ecological risks of marine fish aquaculture in a variety of marine ecosystems.

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