Invertebrates

For each of the 32 recognised phyla, this book presents detailed classifications, revised taxonomic synopses, updated information on general biology and anatomy, and current phylogenetic hypotheses.In the 12 years between the publication of the second and third editions of this book, fundamental shifts occurred in our understanding of the origins and evolutionary relationships among protists and animals. These changes are largely due to the explosion of molecular phylogenetics and evo-devo research, emergence of the new field of animal genomics, major new fossil discoveries, and important new embryological and ultrastructural studies. As a result, new phyla have been described, and old phyla have been collapsed into others. Phyla once thought to be deuterostomes are now part of the protostome clade, and the Protostomia has been reorganised into two major clades known as Ecdysozoa and Spiralia. Invertebrates, Third Edition integrates these latest developments, organised with boxes and tables and illustrated with abundant line drawings and new colour photos. This benchmark volume on our modern views of invertebrate biology should be in every zoologist’s library.New to This Edition Two new coauthors have been added to the writing team, and 22 additional invertebrate zoologists have contributed to chapter revisions.Introductory chapters provide basic background information on the general biology of invertebrates, while subsequent chapters are organised around the “new animal phylogeny”