INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY - H. I. Shcherbak - 2008

PREFACE

Invertebrate zoology is one of the oldest biological disciplines, and it continues to develop rapidly today. In recent decades, not only has The rate of describing new invertebrate taxa—including those of high rank, such as phyla and classes—remained undiminished, but numerous publications have also emerged presenting substantially revised concepts regarding the origin and phylogenetic relationships of various invertebrate groups, differing significantly from those widely accepted until recently.

The main purpose of this textbook is to introduce students to The Diversity of invertebrate animals inhabiting our planet, the uniqueness of their Morphology, reproduction, life strategies, distribution, and their crucial role in the biological cycling of matter within biogeocenoses and in human life.

The textbook provides information on 13 phyla and 20 classes from the Protozoa group, as well as 25 phyla and 63 classes from the Metazoa group of invertebrate animals. Various theories concerning the phylogenetic relationships of different invertebrate groups are deliberately omitted, as these are better suited for a specialized manual.

The authors express their sincere gratitude to Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine V. I. Monchenko, Professor V. V. Kornyushin, and Doctor of Biological Sciences I. V. Dovgal for their valuable comments and advice during the preparation of this textbook, as well as to Associate Professor V. G. Kononko for assistance in preparing it for publication.