Many creatures use adhesive polymers and structures to attach to inert substrates, to each other, or to other organisms. This is the first major review that brings together research on many of the well-known biological adhesives dealing with bacteria, fungi, algae, and marine and terrestrial animals. As we learn more about their molecular and mechanical properties we begin to understand why they adhere so well and with this comes broad applications in areas such as medicine, dentistry, and biotechnology.

1 Mechanical Properties of Bacterial Exopolymeric Adhesives and their Commercial Development Anthony P. Haag 2 The molecular genetics of bioadhesion and biofilm formation Paolo Landini, Gregory Jubelin, and Corinne Dorel-Flamant 3 Adhesion and adhesives of fungi and oomycetes Lynn Epstein and Ralph L. Nicholson 4 The Ulva spore adhesive system James A. Callow and Maureen E. Callow 5 Diatom adhesives: Molecular and Mechanical Properties Anthony Chiovitti, Tony M. Dugdale, and Richard Wetherbee 6 Phenolic-based adhesives of marine brown algae Philippe Potin and Catherine Leblanc 7 Chemical Subtleties of Mussel and Polychaete Holdfasts Jason Sagert, Chengjun Sun, and J. Herbert Waite 8 Barnacle underwater attachment Kei Kamino 9 The Biochemistry and Mechanics of Gastropod Adhesive Gels Andrew M. Smith 10 Adhesive secretions in echinoderms: An overview Patrick Flammang 11 An adhesive secreted by Australian frogs of the genus Notaden Lloyd D. Graham, Veronica Glattauer, Yong Y. Peng, Paul R. Vaughan, Jerome A. Werkmeister, Michael J. Tyler, and John A.M. Ramshaw 12 Properties, Principles, and Parameters of the Gecko Adhesive System Kellar Autumn 13 Biomimetic Adhesive Polymers Based on Mussel Adhesive Proteins Bruce P. Lee, Jeffrey L. Dalsin and Phillip B. Messersmith