The Biology of Ascidians

Ascidians are the invertebrate group that gave rise to vertebrates, thus the biology of ascidians provides an essential key to understanding both invertebrates and vertebrates. This book covers all areas of ascidian biology, including development, evolution, biologically active substances, heavy metal accumulation, asexual reproduction, self-defence mechanisms, neuroscience, allorecognition mechanisms, comparative immunology, taxonomy, ecology, genome science, and food science. The articles that make up the collection were contributed by leading ascidiologists from Europe, North America, and Asia who participated in the First International Symposium on the Biology of Ascidians, held in June 2000 in Sapporo, Japan.