Pictorial Keys to Soil Animals of China

About this book

Language: English

Pictorial Keys to Soil Animals of China was written by more than 30 zoological taxonomists headed by MCAS (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ) Yin Wenying on the basis of the Chinese NSF key project "Studies on the Subtropical Soil Animals of China" in 1987-1991, and of the output from the Chinese NSF key program "Researches on Soil Animals in Typical Regions of China" in 1993-1996. The investigated regions embraced the high-altitude cold grass marshes and grass steppe, temperate forests, nature reserve of warm temperate zone, subtropical forests, ditch valley rain forest of the mid-tropical zone, and rain forest of the north tropical zone, altogether 6 typical regions; the investigated animal taxa included Protozoa, Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Nemata, Nemata, Mollusca, Annelida, Tardigrada and Arthropoda altogether 1 400 genera of soil animals belonging to approximately 500 families, 90 odd orders, 28 classes and 8 phyla. Most of the raw Materials for the numerous diagrams of key characteristics were according to identified specimens. The distribution area of grams of key characteristics were drawn according to identified specimens. The distribution area of various taxa was also as certained on the basis of synthesizing the actual recordings from on-the-spot field surveys. Both of them represent precious first-hand materials of soil animals research in China.

Taxa involved in soil animals are extraordinarily extensive. Among every soil sample investigated, there was an assemblage of scores or even around one hundred discrete them one by one simply and conveniently was a pressing problem to be tackled. The present book integrates the diagram of characteristics with the identification key to form a diagram-key complex, which is convenient for information retrieval on the one hand, and helpful in perceiving the relationship between the relevant taxa on the other hand. Book of such kind, combining atlas and key "two-in-one", is unprecedented in China.

Pictorial Keys to Soil Animals of China represents an achievement of not only taxonomical research with high specialty, but also a popularization monograph with extensive reference value. Its publication will undoubtedly give strong impetus to the teaching and learning of soil zoology and the research activities of agriculture forestry, environmental protection as well as of nature reserve.

Contents

Foreword
Preface
Grouping of Soil Animals and Directions For Use of The Keys
Taxonomic Key to Phyla, Class Es and Orders of Soil Animals
Protozoa
Plathelminthes
Rotifera
Nemata
Annelida
Mollusca
Tardigrada
Arthropoda
References
Index

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