Gene silencing through RNA interference (RNAi) is gaining momentum for crustaceans, both in basic research and for commercial development. RNAi has proven instrumental in a growing number of crustacean species, revealing the functionality of novel crustacean genes essential among others to development, growth, metabolism and reproduction. Extensive studies have also been done on silencing of vi...

Several techniques for preparing the internal and external surfaces of crustaceans for SEM are described in detailed flow-chart form. Suggestions are given for improving fixation, cleaning, and overall appearance of specimens. The study of gross morphological detail as well as fine structures of crustaceans has been substantially enhanced by the many recent technological advances in scanning el...

The photoreceptor design of crustaceans, often containing regular arrays of intrinsically polarisation-sensitive microvilli, has had a profound influence on the visual biology of this subphylum. The land-based arthropods (insects and arachnids) also construct photoreceptors from ordered microvilli; however while in many species polarisation sensitivity results, a general overview of these group...

Plasticity, learning and memory, and neurological disease are exciting topics for students. Discussion around these subjects often results in the consideration of the role of neurogenesis in development, or its involvement in a potential cure for some diseases. We have therefore designed a lab that allows students to experimentally examine how the rate of neurogenesis can be altered by environm...

The olfactory lobes of crustaceans and the antennal lobes of insects are the primary olfactory brain centers in Tetraconata. Recent publications considered the apparent lackof olfactory centers in several crustacean and insect taxa and structural differences in the organization of olfactory and antennal lobes as evidence for an independent origin of both brain areas. In depth comparison of spec...

For growing, crustaceans have to molt cyclically because of the presence of a rigid exoskeleton. Most of the crustaceans harden their cuticle not only by sclerotization, like all the arthropods, but also by calcification. All the physiology of crustaceans, including the calcification process, is then linked to molting cycles. This means for these animals to find regularly a source of calcium io...