Conceptual Breakthroughs In Comparative Animal Physiology

Conceptual Breakthroughs in Comparative Physiology focuses on milestones and research achievements in comparative animal physiology. The book looks at the future of the field, illustrating how advances in technology continue to help us understand how animals work and adapt to their environments. Written by a leading expert in comparative physiology, the book follows the chronological order of discoveries and developments in the field. It covers the origins of comparative physiology in the 16th century, moving on to describe new topics such as developmental, diving and renal physiology. In addition, it examines new developments in ecological physiology and the birth of evolutionary physiology. This is an essential resource for undergraduates, graduate students and researchers interested in physiology with its comprehensive synopsis on the field’s foundational history and significant advances. Provides a single-source, historical overview of the field Examines more than 70 significant achievements in the history of comparative animal physiology Written in a comprehensive and easy-to-read format

This truly comparative text takes a fundamental, biophysical approach toward animal physiology. Students majoring in zoology, biology, or premedicine will study animals ranging from simple invertebrates and protozoans to complex multicellular invertebrates and vertebrates. Emphasis on evolution shows the progressive changes, modifications, and developments of physiological systems from simple to complex animals. Comparisons show the similarities and differences in how animals function, but stress fundamentally similar adaptations in very different animals.

Environmental physiology, sensory, effector, and neuroendocrine physiology.

Conceptual Breakthroughs in Ethology and Animal Behavior highlights, through concise summaries, the most important discoveries and scientific revolutions in animal behavior. These are assessed for their relative impact on the field and their significance to the forward motion of the science of animal behavior. Eighty short essays capture the moment when a new concept emerged or a publication signaled a paradigm shift. How the new understanding came about is explained, and any continuing controversy or scientific conversation on the issue is highlighted. Behavior is a rich and varied field, drawing on genetics, evolution, physiology, and ecology to inform its principles, and this book embraces the wealth of knowledge that comes from the unification of these fields around the study of animals in motion. The chronological organization of the essays makes this an excellent overview of the history of animal behavior, ethology, and behavioral ecology. The work includes such topics as Darwin’s role in shaping the study of animal behavior, the logic of animal contests, cognition, empathy in animals, and animal personalities. Succinct accounts of new revelations about behavior through scientific investigation and scrutiny reveal the fascinating story of this field. Similar to Dr. John Avise’s Contemporary Breakthroughs in Evolutionary Genetics, the work is structured into vignettes that describe the conceptual revolution and assess the impact of the conceptual change, with a score, which ranges from 1-10, providing an assessment of the impact of the new findings on contemporary science. Features a lively, brisk writing style and brief entries to enable easy, enjoyable access to this essential information Includes topics that cover the range of behavioral biology from mechanism to behavioral ecology Can also be used as supplemental material for an undergraduate animal behavior course, or as the foundational text for an upper level or graduate discussion course in advanced animal behavior

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/

Advances in Physiological Sciences, Volume 20: Advances in Animal and Comparative Physiology covers the proceedings of the symposia of the 28th International Congress of Physiology. The book discusses several studies that tackle issues about the advances in animal and comparative study. The text is comprised of 61 chapters in which Chapter 4 and the succeeding chapters are grouped into eight parts based on the topic of the studies. The opening chapter explains sensory modalities beyond human perception, while Chapter 2 discusses trends in the physiology of domesticated animals. Chapter 3 reviews muscles in living animals, which is followed by topics grouped into parts. The first part deals with fetal homeostasis, while the second part discusses control of corpora lutea function of ruminant and non-ruminant domesticated animals. The third part deals with the comparative physiology of lactation in farm animals, while the fourth part tackles digestion in non-ruminant herbivorous animals. Parts 5 and 6 cover topic on diving, which includes metabolism, physiology, and control. The seventh part discusses phylogenesis of hormones and hormone receptors, and the last part covers neuromuscular transmission in invertebrates. Researchers whose line of work concerns the physiological properties of animals will find this book as a great source of related literatures.