Physiological Ecology

Physiological Ecology PDF Author: William H. Karasov
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691074534
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 758

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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

Physiological Ecology

Physiological Ecology PDF Author: William H. Karasov
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691074534
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 758

Get Book Here

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

Physiological Animal Ecology

Physiological Animal Ecology PDF Author: Gideon Louw
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
A textbook for undergraduates in the life sciences, especially for students of ecology, who tend to lack an understanding of the physiological basis of animal behavior and survival tactics. Discusses the physical and physiological principles of temperature regulation, water relations, nutrition and energy, and reproduction and the environment. Co-published with Wiley. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Physiological Ecology of Animals

Physiological Ecology of Animals PDF Author: R. M. Sibly
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780632014941
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description


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.

Environmental Physiology of Animals

Environmental Physiology of Animals PDF Author: Pat Willmer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444309226
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 768

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Book Description
The new and updated edition of this accessible text provides a comprehensive overview of the comparative physiology of animals within an environmental context. Includes two brand new chapters on Nerves and Muscles and the Endocrine System. Discusses both comparative systems physiology and environmental physiology. Analyses and integrates problems and adaptations for each kind of environment: marine, seashore and estuary, freshwater, terrestrial and parasitic. Examines mechanisms and responses beyond physiology. Applies an evolutionary perspective to the analysis of environmental adaptation. Provides modern molecular biology 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 rather more about the spectacularly successful strategies of invertebrates. A companion site for this book with artwork for downloading is available at: www.blackwellpublishing.com/willmer/

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Mammals

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Mammals PDF Author: Philip Carew Withers
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199642710
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 607

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Book Description
This book summarizes our current knowledge of the complex and sophisticated physiological models that mammals provide for survival in a wide variety of ecological and environmental contexts: terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic.

Insect Physiological Ecology

Insect Physiological Ecology PDF Author: Steven L. Chown
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191523348
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
This book provides a modern, synthetic overview of interactions between insects and their environments from a physiological perspective that integrates information across a range of approaches and scales. It shows that evolved physiological responses at the individual level are translated into coherent physiological and ecological patterns at larger, even global scales. This is done by examining in detail the ways in which insects obtain resources from the environment, process these resources in various ways, and turn the results into energy which allows them to regulate their internal environment as well as cope with environmental extremes of temperature and water availability. The book demonstrates that physiological responses are not only characterized by substantial temporal variation, but also shows coherent variation across several spatial scales. At the largest, global scale, there appears to be substantial variation associated with the hemisphere in which insects are found. Such variation has profound implications for patterns of biodiversity as well as responses to climate change, and these implications are explicitly discussed. The book provides a novel integration of the understanding gained from broad-scale field studies of many species and the more narrowly focused laboratory investigations of model organisms. In so doing it reflects the growing realization that an integration of mechanistic and large-scale comparative physiology can result in unexpected insights into the diversity of insects.

Microbial Ecology of Growing Animals

Microbial Ecology of Growing Animals PDF Author: Wilhelm Holzapfel
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0444509267
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
The complexity of the microbial population of the animal gastro-intestinal trac has been recognised long ago. However, thus far, investigations have been limited to a few major groups, considered to be dominating, and pathogens that are detrimental and may case diseases and concomitant financial losses in the production animal. Thanks to the latest developments, including improved micriological detection and sampling techniques, and the application of molecular tools to monitor the presence of specific strains in the intestine, our knowlede has increased rapidly in recent years. In addition, new approaches towards improving and/or stabilising animal health, are addressed, with special emphasis on probiotics, and also with regard to the use selected bacterial strains as vehicles for delivery of pharmaceutically active compounds to the muscosa. The book is unique in several respects, not only by its coverage of an extremely wide area in animal gut microbiology, but also by the fact that production animals such as fish and reindeer are included. Scope and treatment of the subject matter and the kind of information that can be found in the volume: Colonisation and development (succession), and mucosal surface composition of the normal microbial population flora in the healthy animal are addressed, whilst estensive information is given on diverse and dominating bacterial populations of different animal types. Reference is also made to those microbial groups considered to be of special benefit to the health and immune protection of the (young) animal bacteria. The development and application of models of the Gastro-Intestinal tract provides a solid basis for studying gut microbial interactions, whilst molecular approaches and the us of molecular tools to monitor the presence of specific strains in the intestine is treated in a comprehensive manner. Wide coverage of different animal types and their gut microbial ecology Extensive and partly new information on the major microbial groups associated with the animal gastro-intestinal tract The book is unique and partly new information and up-to-date information proved in the chapters as a whole

Ecological Physiology of Daily Torpor and Hibernation

Ecological Physiology of Daily Torpor and Hibernation PDF Author: Fritz Geiser
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030755258
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
This book provides an in-depth overview on the functional ecology of daily torpor and hibernation in endothermic mammals and birds. The reader is well introduced to the physiology and thermal energetics of endothermy and underlying different types of torpor. Furthermore, evolution of endothermy as well as reproduction and survival strategies of heterothermic animals in a changing environment are discussed. Endothermic mammals and birds can use internal heat production fueled by ingested food to maintain a high body temperature. As food in the wild is not always available, many birds and mammals periodically abandon energetically costly homeothermic thermoregulation and enter an energy-conserving state of torpor, which is the topic of this book. Daily torpor and hibernation (multiday torpor) in these heterothermic endotherms are the most effective means for energy conservation available to endotherms and are characterized by pronounced temporal and controlled reductions in body temperature, energy expenditure, water loss, and other physiological functions. Hibernators express multiday torpor predominately throughout winter, which substantially enhances winter survival. In contrast, daily heterotherms use daily torpor lasting for several hours usually during the rest phase, some throughout the year. Although torpor is still widely considered to be a specific adaptation of a few cold-climate species, it is used by many animals from all climate zones, including the tropics, and is highly diverse with about 25-50% of all mammals, but fewer birds, estimated to use it. While energy conservation during adverse conditions is an important function of torpor, it is also employed to permit or facilitate energy-demanding processes such as reproduction and growth, especially when food supply is limited. Even migrating birds enter torpor to conserve energy for the next stage of migration, whereas bats may use it to deal with heat. Even though many heterothermic species will be challenged by anthropogenic influences such as habitat destruction, introduced species, novel pathogens and specifically global warming, not all are likely to be affected in the same way. In fact it appears that opportunistic heterotherms because of their highly flexible energy requirements, ability to limit foraging and reduce the risk of predation, and often pronounced longevity, may be better equipped to deal with anthropogenic challenges than homeotherms. In contrast strongly seasonal hibernators, especially those restricted to mountain tops, and those that have to deal with new diseases that are difficult to combat at low body temperatures, are likely to be adversely affected. This book addresses researchers and advanced students in Zoology, Ecology and Veterinary Sciences.

Animal Migration, Orientation and Navigation

Animal Migration, Orientation and Navigation PDF Author: Gauthreaux
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080918336
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
Animal Migration, Orientation, and Navigation presents the various aspects of animal migration, including the evolution of migration, climatic and meteorological influences, and bioenergetics. This book discusses the physiological control, sensory systems, orientation and navigation, and biological clocks and phenology aspects of animal migration. Organized into five chapters, this book begins with an overview of the migration strategies of animals in the context of a space continuum. This text then explains the influence of short- and long-term climatic cycles on the spectrum of migratory patterns in nature. Other chapters consider the energetic requirements of different migration strategies and the energy stores of the migrants. This book discusses as well the physiological basis of animal migration, with emphasis on endocrinal findings on the timing and energetic aspects of different migration strategies. The final chapter deals with the mechanisms used in direction finding by migrating animals. This book is a valuable resource for biologists and ecologists.