Die Seescheiden von Helgoland: Biologie und Bestimmung der Ascidien
Groepler, W. (2012). Die Seescheiden von Helgoland: Biologie und Bestimmung der Ascidien. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei, 673. Westarp Wissenschaften: Hohenwarsleben. ISBN 978-3-89432-917-4. 454 pp.
Part of: Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Westarp-Wiss: Hohenwarsleben. ISSN 0138-1423, more
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| Available in | Author |
VLIZ: Invertebrate Biology INV.37 [103418]
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| Keywords |
Biology
Morphology (animal)
Taxa > Species
Ascidia Linnaeus, 1767 [WoRMS]
ANE, Germany, Helgoland [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract |
Sea squirts or ascidians (Ascidiacea) belong to the phylum Chordata and thus are distantly related to vertebrates. The marine organisms are distributed worldwide and inhabit shallow water as well as the deep sea. All ascidians are sessile and, with the exception of a few predatory species, live as plankton filterers. They are either solitary or build colonies and their size reaches from millimetres up to some metres. In the course of sexual reproduction, sea squirts undergo a tadpole-like larval stage which settles after a short free-swimming period and metamorphoses into the adult stage. Additionally, colonial ascidians reproduce asexually in an astonishing variety of modes. The book gives a general introduction to the manifold morphology, anatomy, physiology, reproduction and ecology of sea squirts and presents in detail the species of the German archipelago Heligoland. Identification keys, numerous illustrations and colour photos, and distribution maps allow the identification of these mostly neglected animal group. Thus, the book provides valuable information for specialists and students, but also for divers and snorkelers, and encourages to make own observations. |
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