Handbook of Marine Model Organisms in Experimental Biology

Much of our biological and biomedical knowledge derives from studying marine model systems. In this new handbook world-leading experts describe the cutting-edge work and potential for their unique model system. This will be a gold mine for students and scientists from all fields of life sciences.

Bernd Schierwater is a Director ITZ and Professor of Zoology, TiHo University Hannover, Germany. He received his Ph.D. (special honors degree'summa cum laude') from Technical University Braunschweig (TUB), Germany in 1989. He was a Distinguished Sabbatical Scholar at NESCent, Duke University. He was awarded with Senior Ecologist of the Ecological Society of America (2009). His training in evolutionary and ecological genetics has arisen from running laboratories at Frankfurt University (Assistant Professor), Freiberg University (Associate Professor) and Hannover TiHo University (Full Professor) and from working as a Research Associate in different departments at Yale University and also at the AMNH New York (Rob DeSalle lab). He has developed the most primitive metazoan animals, the placozoans, into an emerging model system for next generation biodiversity and cancer research. Hans-Jürgen Osigus is at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Institute of Animal Ecology.

Preface. About the Editors. List of Contributors. Marine Bacterial Models for Experimental Biology. Brown Algae: Ectocarpus and Saccharina as Experimental Models for Developmental Biology. Unicellular Relatives of Animals. Porifera. The Homoscleromorph Sponge, Oscarella lobularis. Placozoa. Nematostella vectensis as a Model System. The Marine Jellyfish Model, Clytia hemisphaerica. The Upside-Down Jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana as an Emerging Model System to Study. Cnidarian-Algal Symbiosis. Acropora -The Most-Studied Coral Genus. Stylophora pistillata -A Model Colonial Species in Basic and Applied Studies. Symsagittifera roscoffensis as a Model in Biology. The Annelid Platynereis dumerilii as an Experimental Model for Evo-Devo and Regeneration Studies. Cycliophora-An Emergent Model Organism for Life Cycle Studies. Crustaceans. Parhyale hawaiensis, Crustacea. Echinoderms. Echinoderms: Temnopleurus reevesii. Cephalochordates. Solitary Ascidians. Botryllus schlosseri -A Model Colonial Species in Basic and Applied Studies. Cyclostomes (Lamprey and Hagfish). Current Trends in Chondrichthyes Experimental Biology. Anemonefishes. Index.