Abstract

Advances in Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, Volume 5, presents three papers that cover the different physiological and chemical aspects of biology, from functional morphology at one end to behavior at the other end of the spectrum. As always this serial publication emphasizes comparison, be it within a group of related organisms or related substances or mechanisms throughout the animal kingdom.
The first study on the feeding and digestion in the Bivalvia examines both the feeding mechanisms and digestive processes within this class of mollusks, solidly based on functional morphology and biochemistry. The second study on isoenzymes, multiple enzymes, and phylogeny traces the evolutionary relationships between and within groups of important enzyme systems, taking evidence from representatives of the whole animal kingdom. The final paper on the comparative physiology of reproduction in arthropods examines the reproductive mechanisms in a whole phylum. It considers patterns of sexuality, germ cell formation, physiology, mating behavior and the nervous and hormonal factors governing reproduction.