Evolutionary Biomechanics

This title discusses the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Instead of reviewing the entire breadth of the biomechanical literature, a few key examples are explored in depth as vehicles for discussing fundamental concepts, analytical techniques, and evolutionary theory.

The first in two decades to exclusively integrate physiological and biomechanical studies of fish locomotion, feeding and breathing, making this book both comprehensive and unique. Fish Physiology: Fish Biomechanics reviews and integrates recent developments in research on fish biomechanics, with particular emphasis on experimental results derived from the application of innovative new technologies to this area of research, such as high-speed video, sonomicrometry and digital imaging of flow fields. The collective chapters, written by leaders in the field, provide a multidisciplinary view and synthesis of the latest information on feeding mechanics, breathing mechanics, sensory systems, stability and maueverability, skeletal systems, muscle structure and performance, and hydrodynamics of steady and burst swimming, including riverine passage of migratory species. Book presents concepts in biomechanics, a rapidly expanding area of research First volume in over twenty years on this subject Multi-author volume with contributions by leaders in the field Clear explanations of basic biomechanical principles used in fish research Well illustrated with summary figures and explanatory color diagrams

Origins and Principles of Clinical Biomechanics in Human Locomotion discusses key concepts of how biomechanics links to the development of pathology through mechanical laws, anatomy, physiology and health. It provides fundamental principles and practical data, and guidance of how to apply these in the clinical biomechanics field. Coverage includes: major joint movement, muscle action around joints, physiology and patho-physiology of bone, muscle and neurologic disorders. This reference is ideal for teaching students in biomechanics, orthopedics and physiotherapy. It should also be of interest to product development engineers, rehabilitation engineers, those working in prosthetics and orthotics, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. The authors explore the simple laws of motion as applied to anatomy and physiology, in order to help readers understand human pathology within the human lower limb and mobility. They then go on to look at materials science concerns within this field, such as engineering stresses and strains, principles and types of material properties and the shaping of structural properties. Readers will also find within this book information on tissue science, force generation, biological sciences, evolution in biomechanics, human gait, functional units of the lower limb and foot, and finally pathomechanical principles; all as applied to clinical biomechanics. Bridges the void between research biomechanics and clinically applied biomechanics Links human locomotive biomechanics to medicine, physiology and evolutionary anatomy and medicine Prepares students, bioengineers and clinicians for the reality of utilizing biomechanical principles in clinical practice, while informing researchers of the environment limits that most clinical biomechanics practice occurs in

From the rain forests of Borneo to the tenements of Manhattan, winged insects are a conspicuous and abundant feature of life on earth. Here, Robert Dudley presents the first comprehensive explanation of how insects fly. The author relates the biomechanics of flight to insect ecology and evolution in a major new work of synthesis. The book begins with an overview of insect flight biomechanics. Dudley explains insect morphology, wing motions, aerodynamics, flight energetics, and flight metabolism within a modern phylogenetic setting. Drawing on biomechanical principles, he describes and evaluates flight behavior and the limits to flight performance. The author then takes the next step by developing evolutionary explanations of insect flight. He analyzes the origins of flight in insects, the roles of natural and sexual selection in determining how insects fly, and the relationship between flight and insect size, pollination, predation, dispersal, and migration. Dudley ranges widely--from basic aerodynamics to muscle physiology and swarming behavior--but his focus is the explanation of functional design from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. The importance of flight in the lives of insects has long been recognized but never systematically evaluated. This book addresses that shortcoming. Robert Dudley provides an introduction to insect flight that will be welcomed by students and researchers in biomechanics, entomology, evolution, ecology, and behavior.

'Species' are central to understanding the origin and dynamics of biological diversity; explaining why lineages split into multiple distinct species is one of the main goals of evolutionary biology. However the existence of species is often taken for granted, and precisely what is meant by species and whether they really exist as a pattern of nature has rarely been modelled or critically tested. This novel book presents a synthetic overview of the evolutionary biology of species, describing what species are, how they form, the consequences of species boundaries and diversity for evolution, and patterns of species accumulation over time. The central thesis is that species represent more than just a unit of taxonomy; they are a model of how diversity is structured as well as how groups of related organisms evolve. The author adopts an intentionally broad approach, stepping back from the details to consider what species constitute, both theoretically and empirically, and how we detect them, drawing on a wealth of examples from microbes to multicellular organisms.