A functional biology of scyphozoa

As a group, the Scyphozoa are of interest to many people. Naturalists watch their graceful locomotion. Fishermen may dread the swarms which can prevent fishing or eat larval fish. Bathers retreat from the water if they are stung. People in some Asiatic countries eat the medusae. Comparative physiologists examine them as possibly simple models for the functioning of various systems.

The present volume collates the data from investigations into these animals over the last thirty-five years into a functional biology of the Scyphozoa. The wide range of adaptive responses of these morphologically simple animals is emphasized. This book, the first of its type to be published since the 1970s, includes an extensive bibliography. It will be invaluable to anyone conducting research on scyphozoa and to students of marine zoology and comparative physiology.