This volume is one of those published from the proceedings of the invited lectures to the First International Congress of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry I organized at Liege (Belgium) in August 1984 under the auspices of the Section of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry of the International Union of Biological Sciences. In a general foreword to these different volumes, it seems to me appropriate to consider briefly what may be the comparative approach. Living organisms, beyond the diversity of their morphological forms, have evolved a widespread range of basic solutions to cope with the different problems, both organismal and environmental with which they are faced. Soon after the turn of the century, some biologists realized that these solutions can be best comprehended in the frame­ work of a comparative approach integrating results of physiological and biochemical studies done at the organismic, cellular and molecular levels. The development of this approach amongst both physiologists and biochemists remained, however, extremely slow until recently.

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Symposium I Regulation of Ion Transport Across Epithelial Membranes.- Neurohumoral Regulation of HCO3- Secretion by Choroid Plexus.- cAMP Increases the Apical Cl--Conductance in the Rectal Gland of Squalus acanthias.- Control of Chloride Secretion by Intracellular Calcium in the Rat Colon.- Passive Cl- Currents in Toad Skin: Potential Dependence and Relation to Mitochondria-Rich Cell Density.- Na+ Transport in Toad Bladder Microsomes.- Apical K+ Channels in Frog Skin: A Pathway for K+ Excretion.- Coupling of the Free Energy of Hydrolysis of ATP to Na+ Transport Across Frog Skin.- Symposium II Mineralocorticoid Control of Ion Transport - Role in NaCl Adaptation.- Osmotic Control of Aldosterone Secretion.- Acute, Delayed, and Chronic Actions of Mineralocorticoids.- Evidence for Bipolar Effects of Aldosterone in Toad Skin.- Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the Stimulation of Na Transport in the Toad Urinary Bladder by Aldosterone.- Mineralocorticoid Regulation of Lower Intestinal Ion Transport.- Symposium III Ion Transport Across Gills: Comparative Aspects.- Ion Transport in Crustacean Gills: Physiological and Ultrastructural Approaches.- The Function of Carbonic Anhydrase in Crustacean Gills.- Modes of Ammonia Transport Across Fish Gills.- Branchial Ion Transfer Processes as Mechanisms for Fish Acid-Base Regulation.- Peptidergic Control of Transport in the Teleost Gill.- Symposium IV Intestinal Transport: Comparative Aspects.- Modulation of Transepithelial Cl- Permeability.- Comparative Aspects of Enterocyte Differentiation.- Adaptation of Intestinal Sugar and Amino Acid Transport in Vertebrate Evolution.- Electrophysiology of Fish Intestine.- Transport Across the Invertebrate Intestine.- The Gut as an Osmoregulatory Organ: Comparative Aspects and Special References to Fishes.- Symposium V The Exchange of Organic Substances Between Animal Organisms and Their Environment.- Regulation of Uptake of Free Amino Acids in Eukaryote Marine Organisms.- Mechanism and Physiological Role of Epidermal Amino Acid Transport in Marine Bivalves.- Increased Uptake of Nucleosides in the Activation of Sea Urchin Eggs.- Energy Coupling in Active Transport of Substrates in Leishmania.- Transport Physiology of Syncytial Epithelia.- Nutrient Uptake by Tapeworms.- The Transport of Exogenous Organic Substances by Invertebrate.- Symposium VI Cell Volume Control Processes: Comparative Approaches.- a) Cell Volume Maintenance and Regulation.- Cell Volume Maintenance in Isosmotic Conditions.- Neuronal Adaptations to Osmotic Stress.- Cell Volume Control and Ion Transport in a Mammalian Cell.- Volume-Sensitive Passive Potassium Fluxes in Red Cells.- b) Organic Osmotic Effectors and Buffer Substances.- The Osmotic Role of Amino Acids: Discovery and Function.- Organic Osmotic Effectors in Cartilaginous Fishes.- Glycerol and Other Carbohydrate Osmotic Effectors.- Intracellular pH, Buffering Substances and Proteins: Imidazole Protonation and the Conservation of Protein Structure and Function.- Molecular Basis of the Biological Compatibility of Nature's Osmolytes.