A functional biology of echinoderms /

Echinoderm ``functional morphology'' is described in considerable detail, following a brief first chapter in which the phylum and its subdivisions (Crinoidea, Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea) are characterized. Functions discussed include feeding, oxygen uptake, circulation, locomotion, maintenance of position, protection, and reproduction; virtually nothing is said about sensation, nervous and hormonal coordination, and muscle function. Figures are numerous, but in some cases photographs are blurry and line drawings are overshaded. The text reflects a high level of scholarship as a synthesis of information from class and recent works; but for maximum understanding the reader must be well versed in echinoderm taxonomy and morphology. Structural features of the taxa are enumerated in an appendix, but the descriptions include many undefined technical terms, and there is no glossary. Other books on this subject, such as R.A. Boolootian's Physiology of Echinodermata (CH, Jun '67) and J. Binyon's Physiology of Echinoderms (CH, Sep '83) are somewhat dated but include a wider range of topics and cover the basics better. Lawrence's book serves to build on some of the topics addressed in these earlier publications, but it seems most suitable for echinoderm specialists.-R.E. Knowlton, The George Washington University