The Ultrastructure And Phylogeny Of Insect Spermatozoa

This 1987 book examines the structure, as seen by the scanning and transmission electron microscopes, of the spermatozoa of insects, centipedes, millipedes and onychophorans.

'Insects' reviews the salient points of a large number of research reports on the ultrastructure of insect spermatozoa within a taxonomic and phylogenetic framework.

Sperm Biology represents the first analysis of the evolutionary significance of sperm phenotypes and derived sperm traits and the possible selection pressures responsible for sperm-egg coevolution. An understanding of sperm evolution is fast developing and promises to shed light on many topics from basic reproductive biology to the evolutionary process itself as well as the sperm proteome, the sperm genome and the quantitative genetics of sperm. The Editors have identified 15 topics of current interest and biological significance to cover all aspects of this bizarre, fascinating and important subject. It comprises the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of the evolution of sperm and pointers for future research, written by experts in both sperm biology and evolutionary biology. The combination of evolution and sperm is a potent mix, and this is the definitive account. The first review survey of this emerging field Written by experts from a broad array of disciplines from the physiological and biomedical to the ecological and evolutionary Sheds light on the intricacies of reproduction and the coevolution of sperm, egg and reproductive behavior

Decapod crustaceans are of tremendous interest and importance evolutionarily, ecologically, and economically. There is no shortage of publications reflecting the wide variety of ideas and hypotheses concerning decapod phylogeny, but until recently, the world's leading decapodologists had never assembled to elucidate and discuss relationships among

In this 1991 book, Professor Jamieson masterfully brings together the literature on fish spermatozoa and voluminous work on the evolutionary history of fishes to provide a detailed synthesis of the two fields of fish spermatology and fish systematics. The author begins by considering invertebrate phyla related to the chordates, and goes through the lower chordates and early fishes to the line leading to amphibians and to highest teleosts. His treatment provides a review of fish systematics based on the classical evidence of gross morphology in a cladistic framework and a critical integration of this with information on the degree to which spermatozoa support of conflict with the various hypotheses of relationship. Additionally, Professor Jamieson is joined by Luke K. -P. Leung to give a review of the principles of biological cryopreservation and of the live preservation of fish gametes.

One hundred years after Darwin considered how sexual selection shapes the behavioral and morphological characteristics of males for acquiring mates, Parker realized that sexual selection continues after mating through sperm competition. Because females often mate with multiple males before producing offspring, selection favors adaptations that allow males to preempt sperm from previous males and to prevent their own sperm from preemption by future males. Since the 1970s, this area of research has seen exponential growth, and biologists now recognize sperm competition as an evolutionary force that drives such adaptations as mate guarding, genital morphology, and ejaculate chemistry across all animal taxa. The insects have been critical to this research, and they still offer the greatest potential to reveal fully the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition. This book analyzes and extends thirty years of theoretical and empirical work on insect sperm competition. It considers both male and female interests in sperm utilization and the sexual conflict that can arise when these differ. It covers the mechanics of sperm transfer and utilization, morphology, physiology, and behavior. Sperm competition is shown to have dramatic effects on adaptation in the context of reproduction as well as far-reaching ramifications on life-history evolution and speciation. Written by a top researcher in the field, this comprehensive, up-to-date review of the evolutionary causes and consequences of sperm competition in the insects will prove an invaluable reference for students and established researchers in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.

In the last decades a remarkable renaissance has materialized in insect morphology, mainly triggered by the development of new cutting-edge technologies. This is an exciting time for biological synthesis where the mysteries and data derived from genomes can be combined with centuries of data from morphology and development. And, now, more than ever, detailed knowledge of morphology is essential to understanding the evolution of all groups of organisms. In this “age of phylogenomics” researchers rely on morphological data to support molecular findings, test complex evolutionary scenarios, and for placing fossil taxa. This textbook provides an in-depth treatment of the structures and the phylogeny of the megadiverse Hexapoda. The first part presents an up-to-date overview of general insect morphology with detailed drawings, scanning electron micrographs, and 3-D reconstructions. Also included is a chapter covering innovative morphological techniques (e.g., μ-computer tomography, 3-D modeling), brief treatments of insect development and phylogenetic methods, and a comprehensive morphological glossary. The second part is of a modern synthesis of insect systematics that includes taxon-specific morphological information for all Orders. The work is an invaluable reference for students and researchers working in all facets of biology and is a must for evolutionary biologists. A detailed understanding of morphology is essential in unraveling phylogenetic relationships and developing complex evolutionary scenarios. Increasingly researchers in phylogenomics are re/turning to morphological data to support their findings, while the development of new cutting-edge technologies has further increased interest in this growing field. This definitive handbook provides an in-depth treatment of insect morphology. The first part presents an up-to-date overview of insect morphology with detailed drawings, brilliant scanning electron micrographs and 3-D reconstructions as interactive PDFs. This is complemented by a chapter on innovative morphological techniques (e.g., μ-computer tomography, 3-D modeling) and a comprehensive morphological glossary. The second part treats the state of the art in insect systematics and includes taxon-specific morphological information for all orders. Systematics are treated formally, with for example the arguments for relationships (“apomorphies”) always listed explicitly. The work is a useful reference for students and researchers working in different fields of biology and a must for those dealing with insects from an evolutionary perspective.