Reproduction of Marine Invertebrates V3

Book excerpt: Reproduction of Marine Invertebrates, Volume III: Annelids and Echiurans illustrates the importance of annelids and echiurans in the evolution of reproductive mechanisms and in the ecology of the sea. It discusses the asexual reproduction, sexual reproduction capacity, and developmental stages of specific annelids, such as polychaeta and clitellata, and of echiurans. The annelids appear to be midway forms in the evolutionary progression of the metazoans. The echiurans, with close affinities to the annelids, are organisms that have become increasingly important for researches in developmental biology. The book will be helpful to marine scientists and biologists, reproduction researchers, and developmental biologists.