Invertebrates do not display the level of sophistication in immune reactivity characteristic of mammals and other 'higher' vertebrates. Their great number and diversity of forms, however, reflect their evolutionary success and hence they must have effective mechanisms of defence to deal with parasites and pathogens and altered self tissues. Inflammation appears to be an important first line def...

Arginine kinase plays an important role in the cellular energy metabolism of invertebrates. Dimeric arginine kinase (dAK) is unique in some marine invertebrates. The effects of Zn²(+) on the unfolding and aggregation of dAK from the sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus were investigated. Our results indicated that Zn²(+) caused dAK inactivation accompanied by conformational unfolding, the exposure ...

Invertebrates are a very diverse group of animals, showing a wide spectrum of life strategies and adaptations. They often exhibit very complex behavioural and social patterns. In crayfish, the largest freshwater invertebrates, we found a new behavioural pattern, burying their own exuviae after moulting. Such a pattern may be an as yet unrecognized type of hoarding or caching. The buried exuvia ...

The use of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates as a management tool for monitoring change in ecosystems is reviewed and critically evaluated. Their suitability and value for assessing a range of environmental problems from pollution impacts, through habitat evaluation for conservation to the long-term degradation and recovery of ecosystems, is critically discussed. Guidelines are provided for...

Recently it has become evident that invertebrates may mount a highly variable immune response that is dependent on which pathogen is involved. The molecular mechanisms behind this diversity are beginning to be unravelled and in several invertebrate taxa immune proteins exhibiting a broad range of diversity have been found. In some cases, evidence has been gathered suggesting that this molecular...

Bees exposed to vigorous shaking designed to simulate a dangerous event judge ambiguous stimuli as predicting a negative outcome - a 'pessimistic' cognitive bias that is characteristic of anxious or depressed humans and other vertebrates in putative negative emotional states.

Our definition of the word 'animal' centers on vertebrates, yet 99% of the animals on the planet are invertebrates, about which we know little. In addition, although the Census of Marine Life (COML.org) has recently conducted an extensive audit of marine ecosystems, we still do not understand much about the animals of the seas. Surveys of the best-known ecosystems, in which invertebrate populat...

Recent results in the chemistry of bioactive marine products are presented. Concerning the cytotoxic a-carbolines : grossularins A and B, the mechanism of the toxicity using supercoiled DNA and synthesis of the imidazolo-a-carboline moiety are presented. In the polysulfur compounds series, the structure of lissoclinotoxin B is proposed as well as a new synthesis of pentathiepins. Novel sesquite...

bouts irrespective of sex. This behavior seems to fit the play criteria and certainly warrants closer study. I have studied Vietnamese mossy frog tadpoles repeatedly ‘riding’ bubbles from an airstone at the bottom of a tall tank to the top. I have observed similar behavior in marine fish in a large very tall communal aquarium with such an air column. Here it is actually possible to be a bit ant...

Pre-publication copy 1 Broom, D.M. 2013. The welfare of invertebrate animals such as insects, spiders, 2 snails and worms. In Animal Suffering: From Science to Law, International 3 Symposium, ed. Kemp, T. A. van der and Lachance, M., 135-152. Paris: Éditions 4 Yvon Blais. 5 THE WELFARE OF INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS SUCH AS INSECTS, 6 SPIDERS, SNAILS AND WORMS 7 8 D. M. Broom 9 10 ABSTRACT 11 The conc...