Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds
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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.Features
- Focuses on the comparative physiology of birds with a particular emphasis on energy metabolism
- Includes information on anatomy, ecology, phylogeny, and development
- Describes the unique physiological implications of the evolution of flight and migration
- Incorporates the latest experimental techniques with an emphasis on molecular methods and advanced technology
- Provides a synthesis of current research and suggests a future research agenda
Reviews
Listed in New Titles Section Bioscience Sept 2010
"In this thorough, current, and authoritative review, Bicudo et al. summarize what we know about how birds work and place avian physiology firmly in its ecological and evolutionary context...It summarizes the questions that avian physiologists are (and should be) tackling. It will be a necessary reference for ornithologists and comparative physiologists." -- The Quarterly Review of Biology
About the Author(s)
The contributors to this book are a diverse group of professional biologists from across the globe, each with their own particular specialized training and expertise. Each is thoroughly versed in the rigorous, disciplined, and objective methods of science and has used them to build a career, in whole or in part, probing physiological questions and adding to our understanding of how avian biology 'works' at a mechanistic level.
