Environmental physiology of animals /

"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 biolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Willmer, Pat, 1953- (Author)
Other Authors: Stone, G., Johnston, Ian A.
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Malden, MA : Blackwell Science, [2000]
Subjects:
Table of Contents:
  • The Nature and Levels of Adaptation
  • Introduction: comparative, environmental and evolutionary physiology
  • The meaning of 'environment'
  • The meaning of 'adaptation'
  • Comparative methods to detect adaptation
  • Physiological response on different scales
  • Fundamental Mechanisms of Adaptation
  • Introduction: adaptation at the molecular and genome level
  • Controlling protein action
  • Control of protein synthesis and degradation
  • Protein evolution
  • Physiological regulation of gene expression
  • The Problems of Size and Scale
  • The principle of similarity: isometric scaling
  • Allometric scaling
  • The scaling of metabolic rate
  • Scaling of locomotion
  • Conclusions: is there a right size to be?
  • Central Issues in Comparative Physiology
  • Water, Ions and Osmotic Physiology
  • Aqueous solutions
  • Passive movements of water and solutes
  • Non-passive solute movements
  • Concentrations of cell contents
  • Overall regulation of cell contents
  • Animal Water Balance, Osmoregulation and Excretion
  • Exchanges occurring at the outer body surface
  • Osmoregulation at external surfaces
  • Osmoregulatory organs and their excretory products
  • Water regulation via the gut
  • Regulation of respiratory water exchanges
  • Water loss in reproductive systems
  • Water gain
  • The costs and energetics of regulating water and ion balance
  • Roles of nervous systems and hormones
  • Metabolism and Energy Supply
  • Metabolic intermediaries
  • Anaerobic metabolism
  • Aerobic metabolism
  • Metabolic rates
  • Energy budgets.