Biology and Ecology of Antarctic Krill gives a unique insight into the current knowledge of krill population dynamics including distribution, biomass, production, recruitment, growth and mortality rates. Detailed analysis is provided on food and feeding, reproduction and krill behaviour. The volume provides an overview on the aspects of natural challenges to the species, which involve predation, parasites and the commercial exploitation of the resource and its management.
A chapter on genetics shows the results of population subdivision and summarizes recent work on sequencing transcriptomes for studying gene function as part of the physiology of live krill.
The focus of Chapter 4 is on physiological functions such as biochemical composition, metabolic activity and growth change with ontogeny and season; and will demonstrate which environmental factors are the main drivers for variability. Further discussed in this chapter are the bottle necks which occur in the annual life cycle of krill, and the mechanisms krill have adapted to cope with severe environmental condition.
Preface
Chapter 1: Introducing Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana, 1850
Chapter 2: Distribution, biomass and demography of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba
Chapter 3: Age, growth, mortality, and recruitment of Antarctic Krill, Euphausia superba
Chapter 4: Physiology of Euphausia superba
Chapter 5: Feeding and food processing in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana)
Chapter 6: Reproduction and larval development in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)
Chapter 7: Genetics of Antarctic krill
Chapter 8: Swarming and behaviour in Antarctic krill
Chapter 9: The importance of krill predation in the Southern Ocean
Chapter 10: Parasites and diseases
Chapter 11: The fishery for Antarctic krill - its current status and management regime
Glossary
Genera and Species Index
Index
"[...] This book is a very timely overview of what we know for a keystone species of the Southern Ocean. As with all good reviews the authors provide the reader with some key unanswered questions [...] Given the current uncertain state of publishing, it is brave of Springer to start a new polar series on ecology. The series editor is the Editor of Polar Biology and with two more volumes on the stocks [...] this series promises to be an important and useful addition to our libraries. This is an expensive book but everyone working on Southern Ocean marine ecosystems really does need to see this as a key resource."
– David Walton, BES Bulletin, Volume 48(4), December 2017