Bücher der Reihe Tertiary Level Biology

It is now nine years since the first edition appeared and much has changed in marine science during that time. As in the first edition, PSM has been mainly responsible for the text and lIC for the illustrations, although each has responded to advice from the other and also from many colleagues.

Writing a textbook on microbial genetics in about 200 pages was un doubtedly a difficult task, but I have been encouraged by the response from both students and lecturers to the first edition.

For the inhabitants of many of the world's major cities and towns, estuaries provide their nearest glimpse of a natural habitat; In spite of these problems, life in estuaries can be very abundant because estuarine mud is a rich food supply which can support a large number of animals with a large total weight and a high annual production.

The germination of seeds is a magical event, in which a pinch of dust-like material may give rise to all the power and the beauty of the growing plant. Plant physiologists attempt to understand the relation ship between plant form and function and to explain, in physical and chemical terms, plant growth and development.

In the decade since the first edition of this book was published advances have been made in our knowledge of the fresh waters of the world, espe cially in understanding many of the processes involved in their functioning as systems and in countering the problems created by human activities.

The germination of seeds is a magical event, in which a pinch of dust-like material may give rise to all the power and the beauty of the growing plant. Plant physiologists attempt to understand the relation ship between plant form and function and to explain, in physical and chemical terms, plant growth and development.

In the decade since the first edition of this book was published advances have been made in our knowledge of the fresh waters of the world, espe cially in understanding many of the processes involved in their functioning as systems and in countering the problems created by human activities.

The authors have adopted a habitat-organismal approach because they believe that a knowledge of biota and major features of their environment is the best key to an understanding of both larger and smaller scale processes.

Mammalian sociobiology is a rapidly advancing field which has made enormous strides in the last ten years. While I am fully aware that human beings are mammals, any detailed consideration of human social behaviour lies outside the scope of this book.

Polar Ecology is one ecologist's attempt to sum up plant, animal and environmental relationships in the polar regions. I was grabbed in Antarctica by Adelie penguins, incubating contentedly at - 20 DegreesC with unmelting snow on their backs, and by minute black insects basking at lOoC in tufts of moss, while winds at - 15 DegreesC swept past unheeded.

In the last few years there has been an excltmg upsurge in seabird research. Man's increased ex ploitation of natural resources has led to a greater awareness of the potential conflicts with seabirds, and of the use of seabirds to indicate the damage we might be doing to our environment.

In the last decade interest in this aspect of microbiology has developed greatly, and research findings have provided an understanding of the genetic, molecular and biochemical bases of development.

THE STUDY OF ANIMAL COMMUNICATION HAS TRADITIONALLY FORMED AN important part of the study of animal behaviour. Some excellent texts on animal communication are available, as are collected essays on the neural substrates of specific behaviour patterns, but none of these provides a broad synthesis of concepts in neuro physiology and behaviour.

In the preface to the first edition ofthis book, we expressed a conviction that there was a need for a short book that highlighted important advances in the new discipline of plant molecular biology.

An introduction for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates in marine ecology, freshwater ecology, fish biology, fisheries ecology and aquaculture. It adopts a habitat-based approach, ranging from head waters to ocean depths, and from tropics to polar regions.

This book is directed at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students-and their teachers-who are involved in those areas of cell biology which require a basic knowledge of cytoskeletal structure, parti cularly with respect to cell motility.

Problems have been perceived, hypotheses have been formulated to explain them, facts have been amassed to test the hypotheses, more problems have been perceived, more hypotheses formu lated, and so on.