| Diapause in the Crustacea: A Compilation of Refereed Papers from the International Symposium, Held in St. Petersburg, Russia, September 12-17, 19 Softcover Repri Edition Contributor(s): Alekseev, Victor R. (Editor), Fryer, Geoffrey (Editor) |
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ISBN: 9401072469 ISBN-13: 9789401072465 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $161.49 Product Type: Paperback Published: September 2011 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Life Sciences - Zoology - General - Nature | Ecosystems & Habitats - Lakes, Ponds & Swamps - Science | Life Sciences - Ecology |
| Dewey: 595.304 |
| Series: Developments in Hydrobiology |
| Physical Information: 242 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - Ecology |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Diapause is an event of great ecological significance in the lives of a wide range of invertebrates. The underlying physiological and genetic mechanisms pose many intriguing questions and have important evolutionary implications. Some of the most dramatic examples of diapause are provided by crustaceans. Most branchiopods produce resting eggs that can withstand intense desiccation and extremes of temperature and pressure far beyond those to which they are ever subjected in nature. Furthermore they can remain in a dry condition, displaying no measurable metabolism, for many years. Such abilities enable them to inhabit infrequently-filled pools in arid regions. When the pools fill with water these dormant eggs hatch and give rise to animals that grow quickly to maturity and produce a new generation of resting eggs. There is every reason to believe that primitive branchiopods have employed diapause in this way since Palaeozoic times and that their abilities in this direction have played a key role in their continued success as freshwater animals. |