Echinoderm Studies 6 2001

This study is part of a series dedicated to the publication of reviews by experts of important topics in all areas of echinoderm studies, from molecular biology to ecology, palaeontology, biology and taxonomy. It addresses a range of topics in depth. The reviews seek to provide access to the field and to give direction to further study and research.

The Echinodermata is a phylum of marine invertebrates with a fossil record reaching back to the Precambrian. Major elements of the benthic macrofauna, they play a significant role in the dynamics of the ecosystems and are choice biological models in the life sciences, from ecology to genomics. This title offers 50 papers presented at the sixth European Conferences on Echinoderms (ECE), covering population biology, biodiversity, anatomy and functional morphology, physiology and behavior, biological cycles, and resource potential. This book reflects the great diversity of its contributors, offering an opportunity to cover a broad range of important questions in a single, authoritative reference.

The purpose of this book is to present the state of knowledge concerning nutrition and point out directions for future work for the Echinodermata, an ancient group which shows great diversity in form and function, and whose feeding activities can have great environmental impact.

Echinoderms, including feather stars, seastars, brittle stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, are some of the most beautiful and interesting animals in the sea. They play an important ecological role and several species of sea urchins and sea cucumbers form the basis of important fisheries. Over 1000 species live in Australian waters, from the shoreline to the depths of the abyssal plain and the tropics to Antarctic waters. Australian Echinoderms is an authoritative account of Australia’s 110 families of echinoderms. It brings together in a single volume comprehensive information on the identification, biology, evolution, ecology and management of these animals for the first time. Richly illustrated with beautiful photographs and written in an accessible style, Australian Echinoderms suits the needs of marine enthusiasts, academics and fisheries managers both in Australia and other geographical areas where echinoderms are studied.

This book compiles for the first time the development of echinoderm research in Latin America. The book contains 17 chapters, one introductory, 15 country chapters, and a final biogeographic analysis. It compiles all the investigations published in international and local journals, reports, theses and other gray literature. Each chapter is composed of 7 sections: introduction describes the marine environments, and main oceanographic characteristics, followed by a history of research account divided by specific subjects. The next section addresses patterns of distribution and diversity. A specific section would explain fishery or aquaculture activities. The next sections deal with environmental and anthropogenic threats that are affecting echinoderm, and any conservation or management action. Finally, a section with conclusions, needs and new lines of research. The book will include two appendixes with species lists of all echinoderms with bathimetric data, habitat and distribution.

Since 1972, scientists from all over the world working on fundamental questions of echinoderm biology and palaeontology have conferred every three years to exchange current views and results. The 11th International Echinoderm Conference held at the University of Munich, Germany, from 6-10 October 2003,continued this tradition. This volume

Fossil crinoids are exceptionally suited to deep-time studies of community paleoecology and niche partitioning. By merging ecomorphological trait and phylogenetic data, this Element summarizes niche occupation and community paleoecology of crinoids from the Bromide fauna of Oklahoma (Sandbian, Upper Ordovician). Patterns of community structure and niche evolution are evaluated over a ~5 million-year period through comparison with the Brechin Lagerstätte (Katian, Upper Ordovician). The authors establish filtration fan density, food size selectivity, and body size as major axes defining niche differentiation, and niche occupation is strongly controlled by phylogeny. Ecological strategies were relatively static over the study interval at high taxonomic scales, but niche differentiation and specialization increased in most subclades. Changes in disparity and species richness indicate the transition between the early-middle Paleozoic Crinoid Evolutionary Faunas was already underway by the Katian due to ecological drivers and was not triggered by the Late Ordovician mass extinction.

Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology, Fourth Edition, Volume 43 expands its coverage to include the entire class of Echinoidea, making this new edition an authoritative reference of the entire class of species. This is a valuable resource that will help readers gain a deep understanding of the basic characteristics of sea urchins, the basis of the great variation that exists in sea urchins, and how sea urchins are important components of marine ecosystems. Updated coverage includes sections on reproduction, metabolism, endocrinology, larval ecology, growth, digestion, carotenoids and disease. Includes pertinent tables and graphs within chapters to visually summarize information Provides case studies with research applications to provide potential solutions Includes the entire class of Echinoidea and the effect of climate change on the biology and ecology of the species

The study of echinoid evolution, diversity, and ecology has always suffered from the fact that they are represented by taxa showing widely differing architectural designs of their multi-plated skeletons, inhabiting a large range of marine paleoenvironments, which result in highly varying taphonomic biases dictating their presence and recognition. This Element addresses the taphonomy of echinoids and includes: a general introduction to the morphological features of echinoids that play a role in their preservation; a review of processes which play an important role in the differential preservation of both regular and irregular echinoids including predation and transport; a summary of taphonomic pathways included in actualistic studies for recent sea urchins and then reconstructed for fossil taxa; and finally, a case study of the variation of echinoid taphonomy across a shelf gradient using the rich Miocene echinoid fauna of Sardinia.

Taphonomic bias is a pervasive feature of the fossil record. A pressing concern, however, is the extent to which taphonomic processes have varied through the ages. It is one thing to work with a biased data set and quite another to work with a bias that has changed with time. This book includes work from both new and established researchers who are using laboratory, field and data-base techniques to characterise and quantify the temporal and spatial variation in taphonomic bias. It may not provide all the answers but it will at least shed light on the right questions.