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Antarctic Cheilostomatous Bryozoa
) Pergamon
Biochemical Systematicsand Ecology, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 277-278,1997 O 1997 Elsevier Science Lid All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0305-1978/97 $17.00+0.00
PII: S0305-1978(97)00009-4
Book Review
A n t a r c t i c Cheilostomatous Bryozoa. By P. J. Hayward, Oxford Science Publications, Oxford, 1 995. 355+xi pp. ISBN 0 1 9 854891 5. £75.00. The author is to be congratulated on a superb achievement; would that we could see the day when such scholarly, accessible compendia will be available for all groups. The objective of the work is to make this group accessible to non-specialists who need to identify Antarctic bryozoans and, without a doubt, this has been done. There will always be the problem in groups such as bryozoa and sponges that the taxonomic schemes available are evolving even at ordinal level and above, and frequently this instability is used as an excuse for not producing works such as this. This is acknowledged by the author. A clear statement is made as to which higher order classification is used, the input of earlier workers is recognized, and the certainty of future taxonomic rearrangement as new areas are explored, and old collections sorted is noted. While the work deals with Antarctic organisms, its utility extends far beyond that relatively wellknown region. Those working on temperate and tropical faunas will, in particular, find the well illustrated key to the genera extremely useful. A number of observations in the introductory chapters which provide context for the main systematic text are of interest; for example a well based confidence is expressed that bryozoan diversity in cold and cool temperate waters will match that of tropical seas. This certainly will also be the case for sponges. An interesting difference between the state of our understanding of the biology and population dynamics of the two dominant Antarctic benthic groups, sponges and bryozoans is discussed. Sponges have been the subject of a number of excellent ecological studies and their reproductive vagaries have also received attention. Very little is known about bryozoan ecology and reproduction. This sends a challenge to future workers. Lastly, with respect to the introductory chapters, there is comment on zoogeography of the group but a refreshing approach is taken. In the absence of an appropriate faunistic and taxonomic base, the tendency to over-analyse and over-interpret distribution data is avoided. Only some broad scale patterns are indicated. The introductory figures (SEMS) could have been made more useful to the non-specialist by a bracketed reference to the ordinal, subordinal or infraordinal classification of the genus illustrated in each case. The bulk of the text, dealing with systematic diagnoses, is well illustrated, clear and concise with keys to Antarctic species of each genus included. Scanning electron micrographs support this text and provide a major input to present classification. Perhaps routine access to SEM is what has prompted the encouraging growth in numbers of active bryozoan specialists noted by the author. The group now looks more accessible, but the challenges in bringing biological as opposed to simply skeletal data to bear on classification will confront these recruits. Again, similar trends can be noted in the field of sponge biology, where the number of active taxonomists has seen 277
278
BOOK REVIEW
considerable expansion and SEM has improved interpretation of skeletal structure and organization. In conclusion, to compile this work has been a huge task for a single author but, as a result it has coherence and consistent high quality. PATRICIA R. BERGQUIST School of Biological Sciences The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Biochemical Systematicsand Ecology, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 277-278,1997 O 1997 Elsevier Science Lid All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0305-1978/97 $17.00+0.00
PII: S0305-1978(97)00009-4
Book Review
A n t a r c t i c Cheilostomatous Bryozoa. By P. J. Hayward, Oxford Science Publications, Oxford, 1 995. 355+xi pp. ISBN 0 1 9 854891 5. £75.00. The author is to be congratulated on a superb achievement; would that we could see the day when such scholarly, accessible compendia will be available for all groups. The objective of the work is to make this group accessible to non-specialists who need to identify Antarctic bryozoans and, without a doubt, this has been done. There will always be the problem in groups such as bryozoa and sponges that the taxonomic schemes available are evolving even at ordinal level and above, and frequently this instability is used as an excuse for not producing works such as this. This is acknowledged by the author. A clear statement is made as to which higher order classification is used, the input of earlier workers is recognized, and the certainty of future taxonomic rearrangement as new areas are explored, and old collections sorted is noted. While the work deals with Antarctic organisms, its utility extends far beyond that relatively wellknown region. Those working on temperate and tropical faunas will, in particular, find the well illustrated key to the genera extremely useful. A number of observations in the introductory chapters which provide context for the main systematic text are of interest; for example a well based confidence is expressed that bryozoan diversity in cold and cool temperate waters will match that of tropical seas. This certainly will also be the case for sponges. An interesting difference between the state of our understanding of the biology and population dynamics of the two dominant Antarctic benthic groups, sponges and bryozoans is discussed. Sponges have been the subject of a number of excellent ecological studies and their reproductive vagaries have also received attention. Very little is known about bryozoan ecology and reproduction. This sends a challenge to future workers. Lastly, with respect to the introductory chapters, there is comment on zoogeography of the group but a refreshing approach is taken. In the absence of an appropriate faunistic and taxonomic base, the tendency to over-analyse and over-interpret distribution data is avoided. Only some broad scale patterns are indicated. The introductory figures (SEMS) could have been made more useful to the non-specialist by a bracketed reference to the ordinal, subordinal or infraordinal classification of the genus illustrated in each case. The bulk of the text, dealing with systematic diagnoses, is well illustrated, clear and concise with keys to Antarctic species of each genus included. Scanning electron micrographs support this text and provide a major input to present classification. Perhaps routine access to SEM is what has prompted the encouraging growth in numbers of active bryozoan specialists noted by the author. The group now looks more accessible, but the challenges in bringing biological as opposed to simply skeletal data to bear on classification will confront these recruits. Again, similar trends can be noted in the field of sponge biology, where the number of active taxonomists has seen 277
278
BOOK REVIEW
considerable expansion and SEM has improved interpretation of skeletal structure and organization. In conclusion, to compile this work has been a huge task for a single author but, as a result it has coherence and consistent high quality. PATRICIA R. BERGQUIST School of Biological Sciences The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand