The present series, "Bio-organic Marine Chemistry," is being launched at a time when we have the fundamental knowledge and the requisite instrumentation to probe the molecular basis of many biological phenomena. The final volume of "Marine Natural Products-Chemical and Biological Perspectives" (Academic Press), which may be con sidered the precursor of this series, was published in 1983. In that series, which I edited, primary emphasis was placed on molecular structure and phyletic relationships. This focus was compatible with the major concerns of a growing research community in the field of...