This volume comprises selected contributions by internationally renowned researchers and represents the state-of-the-art in the field of haemoglobin function in vertebrates living in extreme and temperate environments.

This book represents the state-of-the-art of Antarctic fish research, as a result of multidisciplinary approaches and multinational collaborative efforts. Of particular interest is, therefore, the interaction between traditional taxonomists, evolutionary biologists, physiologists and molecular scientists. Several chapters present, for the first time, a comparative analysis between the Antarctic and Arctic ichthyofauna. The difference in the two polar environments entail important implications in the mechanisms of adaptation in fish.