Physiological and Ecological Adaptations to Feeding in Vertebrates

Physiological and Ecological Adaptations to Feeding in Vertebrates PDF Author: J. Matthias Starck
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description
Responding to recent interest in the gastrointestinal tract as a model for studies in physiological and ecological adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions, this collection summarizes the current state of knowledge from an integrative perspective. The contributors come from the fields of comparative morphology, nutritional physiology, eco

Physiological and Ecological Adaptations to Feeding in Vertebrates

Physiological and Ecological Adaptations to Feeding in Vertebrates PDF Author: J. Matthias Starck
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 444

Get Book Here

Book Description
Responding to recent interest in the gastrointestinal tract as a model for studies in physiological and ecological adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions, this collection summarizes the current state of knowledge from an integrative perspective. The contributors come from the fields of comparative morphology, nutritional physiology, eco

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Fishes

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Fishes PDF Author: F. Brian Eddy
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199540942
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Fish have evolved to colonise almost every type of aquatic habitat and today they are a hugely diverse group of over 25,000 species. This title presents a current and comprehensive overview of fish physiology to demonstrate how living fish function in their environment.

Feeding in Vertebrates

Feeding in Vertebrates PDF Author: Vincent Bels
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030137392
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 865

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Book Description
This book provides students and researchers with reviews of biological questions related to the evolution of feeding by vertebrates in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Based on recent technical developments and novel conceptual approaches, the book covers functional questions on trophic behavior in nearly all vertebrate groups including jawless fishes. The book describes mechanisms and theories for understanding the relationships between feeding structure and feeding behavior. Finally, the book demonstrates the importance of adopting an integrative approach to the trophic system in order to understand evolutionary mechanisms across the biodiversity of vertebrates.

Environmental Physiology of Animals

Environmental Physiology of Animals PDF Author: Pat Willmer
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780632035175
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Book Description
This new text provides a fresh approach to the subject of animal physiology, truly integrating comparative and environmental aspects for the first time. The book is divided into three sections: the first covers the basic principles of adaptation and problems of size and scale; the second tackles the key mechanisms in comparative physiology; and the third considers in detail how organisms (both vertebrate and invertebrate) cope with particular environments. Throughout this final section, relevant comparative aspects are given prominence in boxes so that interesting topics can be explored in greater depth. Several textbooks deal with the physiological functioning and comparative adaptations of animals, but this one is different: Includes both comparative systems physiology (basic principles and mechanisms of excretion, thermal biology, respiration, etc) and environmental physiology (problems of life in different habitats), with easy cross-reference between the two. Analyses and integrates problems and adaptations for each kind of environment: marine, seashore and estuary, freshwater, terrestrial and parasitic. For example, it explains how seashore animals survive both tidal submersion in cold salt water and exposure to warm dry air, cope with wide variations in salinity and temperature and achieve both aerial and underwater breathing. Examines mechanisms and responses beyond physiology. It analyses the costs of different types of locomotion, together with the mechanical challenges and varying sensory needs imposed by different environments. Behavioural responses to environmental challenges are considered, including the evolution of mating systems and life-history strategies, as well as responses to stresses imposed by humans. The book therefore integrates the biochemical, physiological, behavioral and ecological adaptations that allow animals to survive in particular environments. Applies an evolutionary perspective to the analysis of environmental adaptation. It introduces modern, phylogeny-based comparative methods that have become standard techniques in the analysis of evolutionary patterns. Provides modern molecular biological insights into the mechanistic basis of adaptation, and takes the level of analysis beyond the cell to the membrane, enzyme and gene. Incorporates more varied material from a wide range of animal types, with less of a focus purely on terrestrial reptiles, birds and mammals and more on the spectacularly successful strategies of invertebrates. This is a core text for modern undergraduate courses in animal physiology, comparative physiology, environmental physiology and physiological ecology. It is also suitable for the physiological components of any animal biology course, and a key resource for degree courses in environmental biology.

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds PDF Author: J. Eduardo P. W. Bicudo
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191574112
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Birds have colonized almost every terrestrial habitat on the planet - from the poles to the tropics, and from deserts to high mountain tops. Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds focuses on our current understanding of the unique physiological characteristics of birds that are of particular interest to ornithologists, but also have a wider biological relevance. An introductory chapter covers the basic avian body plan and their still-enigmatic evolutionary history. The focus then shifts to a consideration of the essential components of that most fundamental of avian attributes: the ability to fly. The emphasis here is on feather evolution and development, flight energetics and aerodynamics, migration, and as a counterpoint, the curious secondary evolution of flightlessness that has occurred in several lineages. This sets the stage for subsequent chapters, which present specific physiological topics within a strongly ecological and environmental framework. These include gas exchange, thermal and osmotic balance, 'classical' life history parameters (male and female reproductive costs, parental care and investment in offspring, and fecundity versus longevity tradeoffs), feeding and digestive physiology, adaptations to challenging environments (high altitude, deserts, marine habitats, cold), and neural specializations (notably those important in foraging, long-distance navigation, and song production). Throughout the book classical studies are integrated with the latest research findings. Numerous important and intriguing questions await further work, and the book concludes with a discussion of methods (emphasizing cutting-edge technology), approaches, and future research directions.

The Physiological Ecology of Vertebrates

The Physiological Ecology of Vertebrates PDF Author: Brian Keith McNab
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 9780801439131
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 618

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Book Description
Though physiological ecology has been a discipline since the 1950s, McNab redresses a perceived absence of a theoretical framework with a comparative, inductive approach to studying vertebrate evolution and ecology. He discusses the patterns and limits of adaptation to the environment, acclimation to temperature variation and material exchange with the environment, and the energetics of locomotion and growth. The final section treats the significance of energetics for population ecology and distribution. Includes a taxonomic as well as subject index. Suitable for advanced students and researchers in the biological and ecological sciences. The Gainesville, FL-based author is referred to by the foreword writer as a keen naturalist, but his credentials are not stated. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.

Physiological Ecology

Physiological Ecology PDF Author: William H. Karasov
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691213313
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 744

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Book Description
Unlocking the puzzle of how animals behave and how they interact with their environments is impossible without understanding the physiological processes that determine their use of food resources. But long overdue is a user-friendly introduction to the subject that systematically bridges the gap between physiology and ecology. Ecologists--for whom such knowledge can help clarify the consequences of global climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and pollution--often find themselves wading through an unwieldy, technically top-heavy literature. Here, William Karasov and Carlos Martínez del Rio present the first accessible and authoritative one-volume overview of the physiological and biochemical principles that shape how animals procure energy and nutrients and free themselves of toxins--and how this relates to broader ecological phenomena. After introducing primary concepts, the authors review the chemical ecology of food, and then discuss how animals digest and process food. Their broad view includes symbioses and extends even to ecosystem phenomena such as ecological stochiometry and toxicant biomagnification. They introduce key methods and illustrate principles with wide-ranging vertebrate and invertebrate examples. Uniquely, they also link the physiological mechanisms of resource use with ecological phenomena such as how and why animals choose what they eat and how they participate in the exchange of energy and materials in their biological communities. Thoroughly up-to-date and pointing the way to future research, Physiological Ecology is an essential new source for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students-and an ideal synthesis for professionals. The most accessible introduction to the physiological and biochemical principles that shape how animals use resources Unique in linking the physiological mechanisms of resource use with ecological phenomena An essential resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students An ideal overview for researchers

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds PDF Author: J. Eduardo P. W. Bicudo
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199228442
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
Examining avian physiology in detail, this text specifically addresses the unique physiological characteristics of birds, although experimental techniques and future research directions are also considered.

Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates

Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates PDF Author: V.L. Bels
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364257906X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Although feeding is not yet been thoroughly studied in many vertebrates taxa, and different conceptual and methodological approaches of the concerned scientists make a synthesis difficult, the aim of the editors is to provide a comprehensive overview of the feeding design in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates with a detailed description of its functional properties. The book emphasizes the constant interaction between function and form, behaviour and morphology in the course of evolution of the feeding apparatus and way of feeding both complementary and basically related to survival interspecific competition, adaptation to environmental changes and adaptive radiations. Special stress is drawn onquantification of the observational and experimental data on the morphology and biomechanics of the feeding design and its element jaws, teeth, hyoidean apparatus, tongue, in order to allow present and further comparisons in an evolutionary perspective.

Physiological Adaptations in Vertebrates

Physiological Adaptations in Vertebrates PDF Author: Alan Hargens
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780824785581
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
This volume originates from a symposium held in Copenhagen in June 1989 to commemorate Kjell Johansen, who died March 4, 1987. The volume begins with a nonscientific but fascinating glimpse at Kjell, followed by an overview of the kinds of physiology that interested him, i.e. adaptational, environme