INVERTEBRATE DEVELOPMENT (general) (see also 48,56) 



Treatises 



21. 



G. CZIHAK, ed. 1975. THE SEA URCHIN EMBRYO, biochemistry and morphogenesis 



Springer, BerUn etc. XX, 700 pp., 352 figs., 90 tabs., subject index. DM 139.00, $ 57.00 



Contributors: Baltzer, Brandriff, Chen, Gustafson, Hinegardner, Horstadius, Ishikawa, 

 N. Isono, Y. Isono, Lallier, von Ledebur-Villiger, Millonig, Okazaki, Osanai, 

 Piatigorsky, Rappaport, Runnstrom, Rustad, Schmekel, Yanagisawa 



The nature of this treatise is primarily compilatory. In over 560 pages of text and 

 some 100 pages of bibUography, all in small print, an enormous wealth of information has 

 been amassed by carefully selected American, European and Japanese authors. In 

 22 chapters of very unequal length almost every conceivable aspect of the normal and 

 experimental morphology, cell biology, physiology and biochemistry of sea urchin 

 development passes in review. There are two introductory chapters on the care and 

 handUng of American and Japanese sea urchins, respectively. Although a certain amount 

 of molecular biology is found throughout the book, a systematic treatment of this subject 

 was considered premature. 



In a work of this kind one clearly cannot expect to find the most recent advances. In 

 most chapters the Uterature cited goes no further than 1970 or '71, with occasional titles 

 from later years. Only one chapter was updated later. The literature prior to 1970 is very 

 completely covered. Inevitably there is considerable overlap between chapters in some 

 areas. In the shorter chapters the emphasis is usually on the author's own contributions. 



The book is printed in close offset; it is profusely illustrated with high-quahty figures, 

 many of which are original. 



Textbooks 



22. 



J. M. ASHWORTH and J. DEE. 1975. THE BIOLOGY OF SLIME MOULDS 



E. Arnold, London. The Institute of Biology's Studies in Biology no. 56. IV, 68 pp., 

 27 figs. £ 2.80 (cloth), £ 1.40 (paper) 



This little book was written primarily for teachers and students and is not meant to be 

 comprehensive but to present a personal view arising from the authors' own research 

 experience and interests. Nevertheless, an attempt was made to give a balanced account. 

 All problems of sUme mould development that are at present being studied are at least 

 briefly touched upon, and attention is drawn to unsolved problems. 



The Myxomycetes and the Acrasiales are each allotted about half of the space. The 

 text is well organized and fluently written. No hterature is cited in the text and the 

 reading list consists almost entirely of books. An appendix Usts culture methods and 

 sources of supply. 



The illustrations are of good quality except for the three electron micrographs. 



Monographs 



23. 



W. F. LOOMIS. 1975. DICTYOSTELIUM DISCOIDEUM, a developmental system 



Academic Press, New York, etc. X, 214 pp., 102 figs., 9 tabs., subject index. $ 19.50, 



£9.35 



Contents: 1. The life cycle, 2. Amoeboid stage, 3. The genome, 4. Genetics of Dicty- 

 ostelium, 5. Aggregation stage, 6. Pseudoplasmodial stage, 7. Cuhnination stage, 8. Ma- 

 cromolecular aspects of development, 9. Enzymatic aspects of development, 

 10. Changes in metabolites during development, 1 1 . The relation of biochemical differ- 

 entiations to morphogenesis, 12. Modifications of development, 13. Tissue proportio- 

 ning 



185 



