The study of anatomy, embryology and phylogeny of the anmial kingdom had a prime period in the second half of the last century with the perfection of the light microscope and Darwin's revolutionary idea about evolution as the result of descent with modification. A long period with emphasis on a number of more "experimental" disciplines followed, but phylogeny is now again in the focus of biology, both because of new methods, such as electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, cladism, and DNA-techniques and because of the interest in biodiversity, where the interrelationships of the living organisms is one of the most important factors.
The zoomorphology group at the Zoological Museum (Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen and Claus Nielsen) and the Zoological Institute (Laboratory for Cell Biology and Anatomy: Åse Jespersen, Jørgen Lützen and Jens Høeg), now with a member at the Medical Faculty (Anders Hay-Schmidt), has played a prominent role in this field over the last decade. A series of papers of fundamental importance for the understanding of a number of animal groups have been published by members of the group and their students, and the international journal "Acta Zoologica (Stockholm)" published by the Swedish and Danish Academies is edited by members of the group. Most members of the group have been invited to write chapters for international multivolume treatises, such as Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates, Traité de Zoologie, Reproductive Biology of Invertebrates, and Treatise of Invertebrate Paleontology and review papers for esteemed international journals. Most members have also been invited to give lectures at various universities and museums in Denmark and abroad as well as at international congresses. The qualifications of our students are so well-recognized that it has in several cases been possible to get them accepted at courses at foreign universities and laboratories with tuition paid by the host institution.
The Zoological Museum and the Laboratory for Cell Biology and Anatomy together have much of the instrumentation needed for modern zoomorphological research, including electron microscopes and various types of light microscopes and the instruments necessary for the preparation of the specimens. The material is collected from all over the world, either by members of the group or by collaborators or colleagues. The group is part of a comprehensive international network with colleagues at universities, museums and other institutions. The projects described below are carefully selected to throw maximum light on the phylogenetic/evolutionary problems with due respect for which animals can be obtained, eventually kept in culture, and the methods available to the group and its international collaborators.
The course in zoomorphology offered by the CAL (with collaboration from colleagues at the Zoological Museum) is one of the most popular among the biology courses and also the field course in biology and systematics of marine invertebrates offered by the Zoological Museum attracts new students to the field. Several students have wanted to continue with Ph.D.-projects, and many of them have been able to win the necessary stipends.
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