NOTE: Information Resources on the Care
and Use of Molluscs may be viewed in sections below or as one
complete
publication file at molluscs.htm. |
Acknowledgments
How to Use This Guide
Laboratory Care / Research
(Bivalves
Cephalopods
Gastropods
Miscellaneous)
Aquaculture Related Resources
(Bivalves
Cephalopods
Gastropods
Miscellaneous)
World Wide Web Resources
Acknowledgments
The author gratefully acknowledges the staff members of the Animal Welfare Information
Center (AWIC): Barbara Buchanan for her assistance in editing/ formatting/ the
web publication, D’Anna Jensen for guidance/ editing/ formatting the print version
of this publication (available by request),
Tim Allen for help developing the
search strategy, Michael Kreger (former staff) also for help developing the
search stragegy,
and Jean Larson for overall guidance/
support.
How
to Use This Guide*
Invertebrates
are playing an increasingly important role in biomedical research. Because many
of their biological processes are temperature dependant, they have allowed us
to view biochemical pathways and intermediate steps in ways that would be impossible
with birds or mammals. Some have cells or organs similar to those found in man
but greatly enlarged. The giant axon in the squid and the muscle cells in barnacles
are the largest in the animal kingdom. Octopuses have the most complex brain
of all invertebrates; which include long and short-term memories. Aplysia are
used in many different types of nervous system studies. Sea squirts have been
used to study kidney stones and squid are used in multiple sclerosis research.
From scallop to sea slug, invertebrates have served as models of human and animal
disease.
Invertebrates
are relatively easy to maintain, less expensive, and less labor intensive than
more traditional laboratory animals. From a societal standpoint, invertebrates
may be more acceptable as laboratory animals than vertebrates. Many researchers,
either by law or policy, are required to consider ways to reduce the number
of animals proposed for an experiment, refine their techniques to minimize pain
and distress to the animals, and replace the animal model with a non-animal
model or a taxonomically lower species. Use of the invertebrate is considered
a replacement alternative to the use of vertebrates. Since research has not
yet shown invertebrate cognition of what would be considered pain in mammals
and birds, their use is also a refinement alternative.
This
guide, Information Resources on the Care and Use of Molluscs, provides
a snap shot of how Molluscs are being used in research and, just as important,
how they are cultured, reared, and housed in the laboratory and elsewhere. The
bibliographic citations cover the publication years 2002 to approximately 1973.
The bibliographic citations resulted from searching numerous scientific and
technical databases. The call number is included for materials in the National
Agricultural Library’s (NAL) collection. NAL’s document delivery
policies can be found at http://www.nal.usda.gov/services/request.shtml.
The
websites and organizations at the end of some sections are current through April
2003. They were found by running general searches on the World Wide Web. As
sites can become outdated or relocated and new sites emerge, a general search
on one of the commercial search engines should help locate address changes or
new sites if the addresses included in this document no longer function.
*Information included in this portion of this publication and other
web-resources sections were adapted from Information Resources for the Care
and Use of Invertebrates (published previously in AWIC by Michael D. Kreger,
Ph.D.) and included with his permission.
The Animal Welfare Information Center,
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/contact.php
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/molluscs/molluscs2.htm
December 17, 2003
