The rapid progress of neuroscience in the last decade can be largely attributed to significant advances in neuroethology, a branch of science that seeks to understand the neural basis of natural animal behavior. Novel approaches including molecular biological techniques, optical recording methods, functional anatomy, and informatics have brought drastic changes in how the neural systems underlying high-level behaviors such as learning and memory are described. This book introduces recent research techniques in neuroethology, with diverse topics involving nematodes, insects, and vertebrates (birds, mice and primates), divided into sections by research method. Each section consists of two chapters written by different authors who have developed their own unique approaches. Reports of research in "model animals" including C. elegans, Drosophila, and mice, which were not typical specimens in conventional neuroethology, have been deliberately selected for this book because a molecular genetic approach to these animals is necessary for advances in neuroethology. Novel methodology including optical recording and functional labeling with reporter genes such as GFP has been actively used in recent neurobiological studies, and genetic manipulation techniques such as optogenetics also are powerful tools for understanding the molecular basis of neural systems for animal behavior. This book provides not only these new strategies but also thought-provoking statements of philosophy in neuroethology for students and young researchers in the biological sciences.

The International Symposium on Hearing is a highly-prestigious, triennial event where world-class scientists present and discuss the most recent advances in the field of hearing research in animals and humans. Presented papers range from basic to applied research, and are of interest neuroscientists, otolaryngologists, psychologists, and artificial intelligence researchers. Basic Aspects of Hearing: Physiology and Perception includes the best papers from the 2012 International Symposium on Hearing. Over 50 chapters focus on the relationship between auditory physiology, psychoacoustics, and computational modeling.

This book provides developmental data regarding piglets (with a focus on the gastrointestinal tract), data related to amino acid metabolism in pigs, data related to nutritional and physiological functions of amino acids in pigs, nutritional requirements for amino acids in pigs, signaling roles of amino acids, methodological aspects in amino acid research and the pig model for studying amino acid-related human diseases.

With over 43,000 species, spiders are the largest predacious arthropod group. They have developed key characteristics such as multi-purpose silk types, venoms consisting of hundreds of components, locomotion driven by muscles and hydraulic pressure, a highly evolved key-lock mechanism between the complex genital structures, and many more unique features. After 300 million years of evolutionary refinement, spiders are present in all land habitats and represent one of the most successful groups of terrestrial organisms. Ecophysiology combines functional and evolutionary aspects of morphology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology with ecology. Cutting-edge science in spiders focuses on the circulatory and respiratory system, locomotion and dispersal abilities, the immune system, endosymbionts and pathogens, chemical communication, gland secretions, venom components, silk structure, structure and perception of colours as well as nutritional requirements. Spiders are valuable indicator species in agroecosystems and for conservation biology. Modern transfer and application technologies research spiders and their products with respect to their value for biomimetics, material sciences, and the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Latent knowledge in the field of pig reproduction is vast but scattered, making it difficult to take in all information at a glance. Moreover, nascent branches in biotechnology cannot grow if deprived of roots. The book Boar Reproduction: Fundamentals and New Biotechnological Trends links the past, the present and the emerging scientific research fields on reproductive biotechnology, offering a rigorous but easy to follow compilation of topics, from "old favorites" to the latest advances. The book is organized in three parts. The chapters of the first and second part cover various biological aspects of boar spermatozoa within the male, and within the female environments, respectively. The most common laboratory and artificial insemination techniques are discussed in the third part. As an additional feature, some chapters focus on the basis of a technology transfer to bring research expertise from basic science to the market, making the information provided in this book suitable for academic, research and other professional applications.

The book begins by describing in detail the mechanisms of energy exchange - radiative, convective, conductive and evaporative - together with techniques for their determination. The discussion extends to the importance of CO2, ozone and methane, together with that of aerosol pollutants and the evolution of atmospheric CO2. Subsequent chapters apply the results of the biophysical methods to mammals, birds and aquatic animals. Discussion includes problems of shelter and shade for animals in tropical environments and techniques for the thermal evaluation for shelters and for several tree types. The details of heat exchange between animals and the environment are presented, in separate chapters covering Mammals and Birds and Aquatic Mammals. A chapter on Shade and Shelter describes the importance of shade for animals, factors of shade efficiency, the protections offered by shelter and methods of calculating the protection afforded by both shade and shelter. A Special Methods chapter offers a variety of techniques for evaluating cutaneous and respiratory evaporation, and practical methods for sampling of hairs and the evaluation of hair coat characteristics.

Volume II features a variety of animal and human prion diseases, including the newly-identified atypical forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie in animals, and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy in humans, prions in the environment, Tau pathology in human prion disease, transmission of the disease by blood transfusion, mammalian and non-mammalian models, conventional and advanced diagnoses, prion-specific antibodies, as well as decontamination of prions and development of therapeutics of prion diseases, such as the application of immunomodulation. This volume provides up-to-date knowledge about the etiology, pathogenesis, classification, histopathological, and clinical aspects of the highly publicized animal and human prion diseases.

Volume I highlights the association of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) with copper and zinc, the potential roles of PrPC in Alzheimer's disease and cancers, insoluble PrPC, PMCA, molecular and cellular mechanisms of PrPSc formation and clearance, possible co-factors involved in the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc, infectious and pathogenic forms of PrP, cell biology of prions, prion strains and their interference, as well as yeast prions and their inheritable and structural traits. This unique volume will take you through the fascinating chronicle of prions in mammals, yeast, and fungi.

This comprehensive volume focuses on recent trends and new technologies used in the management of reproduction in major farm animals, focusing on both males and females of bovine, equine, and porcine species. With chapters written by scientists who specialize in their respective topics, the volume presents a selection of different technologies that have been developed to assure reproductive success by improving reproductive efficiency, generating germplasm banks, and maintaining genetic diversity in cattle, horses, and pigs. In the last decade, reproductive technologies in veterinary medicine have progressed considerably, providing high profitability to livestock farms. This book provides basic and applied information on the most used reproductive technologies in bovine, equine, and porcine species for academics, scientists, and veterinarians. The volume discusses reproductive and postpartum management, reproductive ultrasound, sperm management, egg retrieval, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, nutrition, genetics, and certain clinical aspects, such as endocrinology and robustness of reproductive systems.

In recent years, progress in fish biology has advanced at an unprecedented rate and has led to many breakthroughs in the field. This book provides a wealth of information on the strategies that fish adopt with respect to waters with markedly different physical and chemical characteristics. It shows how their physiology, behaviour and lifestyles are adapted to exploit particular niches and gives comprehensive insight into fish life under extreme conditions. The readers are introduced to the ways in which fish exemplify many phenomena of general biological interest - the existence of competitors, chaos, and predator-prey interaction. Fish pathology as well as the components of the immune system are addressed. In this book, original and at times controversial views are presented, areas which have so far received inadequate attention are highlighted and avenues for further research are suggested.

Hopefully, this book will be taken off of the shelf frequently to be studied carefully over many years. More than 40 researchers were involved in this project, which examines respiration, circulation, and metabolism from ?sh to the land vertebrates, including human beings. A breathable and stable atmosphere ?rst appeared about 500 million years ago. Oxygen levels are not stable in aquatic environments and exclusively water-breathing ?sh must still cope with the ever-changing levels of O 2 and with large temperature changes. This is re?ected in their sophisticated count- current systems, with high O extraction and internal and external O receptors. 2 2 The conquest for the terrestrial environment took place in the late Devonian period (355-359 million years ago), and recent discoveries portray the gradual transitional evolution of land vertebrates. The oxygen-rich and relatively stable atmospheric conditionsimpliedthatoxygen-sensingmechanismswererelativelysimpleandl- gain compared with acid-base regulation. Recently, physiology has expanded into related ?elds such as biochemistry, molecular biology, morphology and anatomy. In the light of the work in these ?elds, the introduction of DNA-based cladograms, which can be used to evaluate the likelihood of land vertebrates and lung?sh as a sister group, could explain why their cardio-respiratory control systems are similar. The diffusing capacity of a duck lung is 40 times higher than that of a toad or lung?sh. Certainly, some animals have evolved to rich high-performance levels.

Themonographisdevotedtothetheoreticalstudiesofradiationeffectsonmammals. It summarizes the results obtained by the author over the past 30 years, most of them being of high priority. In the course of these studies, a single approach to the modeling of radiation effects on mammals has been elaborated. Speci?cally, in the framework of the developed deterministic mathematical models, the effects of both acute and chronic irradiation in a wide range of doses and dose rates on vital body systems (hematopoiesis, small intestine, and humoral immunity), as well as on the development of autoimmune diseases, are investigated. The radiation effects on the mortality dynamics in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous(in radiosensitivity) mammalian populations are also studied by making use of the developed stochastic models. The most appealing feature of these mortality models consists of the fact that they account for the intrinsic properties of the exposed organism. Namely, within these models the stochastic biometrical functions are calculated proceeding from statistical characteristics and dynamics of the respective critical body system (hematopoiesis or small intestine). The performed theoretical investigations contribute to the development of the system and quantitative approaches in radiation biology and ecology. These studies elucidate the major regulatory mechanisms of the damage and recovery processes running in the vital body systems of exposed mammals and reveal the key par- eters characterizing the processes.

Biological cell membranes regulate the transfer of matter and information between the intracellular and extracellular compartments as basic survival and maintenance functions for an organism. This volume contains a series of reviews that are c- cerned with how epithelial plasma membranes regulate the transport of solutes between the intracellular and extracellular compartments of a cell. This book is also an attempt to analyze the molecular basis for the movement of various solutes across an epithelial cell membrane. This volume is devoted to a diversity of epithelial transport mechanisms in rep- sentative cell membranes of a variety of living things. The ?rst section of the book (Chapters 1-6) focuses on mechanisms of solute transport in epithelia of inver- brates. The last section which comprises ten chapters (Chapters 7-16) deals with solute transporters in epithelial cell membranes of vertebrates. It is hoped that with this particular ordering the reader can glean a telescopic view of the evolutionary history of the various epithelial solute transporters.

Mechanical stress is vital to the functioning of the body, especially for tissues such as bone, muscle, heart, and vessels. It is well known that astronauts and bedridden patients suffer muscle and bone loss from lack of use. Even the heart, in pumping blood, causes mechanical stress to itself and to vascular tissue. With the loss of mechanical stress, homeostasis becomes impaired and leads to pathological conditions such as osteopenia, muscle atrophy, and vascular tissue dysfunction. In elderly populations, such mechanical pathophysiology, as well as the mechanical activities of locomotor and cardiovascular systems, is important because skeletal and heart functions decline and cause diseases in other organs. In this monograph, mechanical stress is discussed by experts in the field with respect to molecular, cellular, and tissue aspects in relation to medicine. Covering topics such as gravity and tissues and disuse osteoporosis, the book provides the most up-to-date information on cutting-edge advancements in the field of mechanobiology and is a timely contribution to research into locomotor and circulatory diseases that are major problems in contemporary society.

The book, entitled "Welfare of farmed fish in present and future production systems", summarises the view of more than 80 experts in the field of fish welfare, collected over a period of more than five years in an international network entitled "Welfare of Fish in European Aquaculture" (Cost action 867), which was sponsored by the COST Office. COST is the acronym for European Cooperation in Science and Technology. During the time of the action a shift became evident in the general perception of fish welfare. It now not only includes variables with very direct effects on growth, and thereby the economy of the farmer, such as disease, water and feed quality, but the term also includes fish preferences and biology-based stimulation measures. This Cost action has contributed to the notion that welfare sets biological criteria for a sustainable production system. We present the reader with an overview of the results obtained, which can help to guide the way towards welfare of farmed fish in present and future production systems. The first chapter gives an overview of the scientific papers that follow. All scientific papers and the first chapter were previously published in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, vol. 38, number 1, 2012. Given the accruing interest in fish welfare in society, each of these scientific papers should be accessible for stakeholders that are not part of the research community. For that reason each of the scientific papers is preceded by a summary for non-experts. Previously published in Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, vol. 38, number 1, 2012

This book encapsulates over three decades of the author's work on comparative functional respiratory morphology. It provides insights into the mechanism(s) by which respiratory means and processes originated and advanced to their modern states. Pertinent cross-disciplinary details and facts have been integrated and reexamined in order to arrive at more robust answers to questions regarding the basis of the functional designs of gas exchangers. The utilization of oxygen for energy production is an ancient process, the development and progression of which were underpinned by dynamic events in the biological, physical, and chemical worlds. Many books that have broached the subject of comparative functional respiratory biology have only described the form and function of the 'end-product,' the gas exchanger; they have scarcely delved into the factors and the conditions that motivated and steered the development from primeval to modern respiratory means and processes. This book addresses and answers broad questions concerning the critical synthesis of multidisciplinary data, and clarifies previously cryptic aspects of comparative respiratory biology.

Leaping Ahead: Advances in Prosimian Biology presents a summary of the state of prosimian biology as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. The book covers a wide range of topics, from assessments of diversity and evolutionary scenarios, through ecophysiology, cognition, behavioral and sensory ecology, to the conservation and survival prospects of this extraordinary and diverse group of mammals. The collection was inspired by an international conference in Ithala, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2007, where prosimian biologists gathered from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The meeting reverberated with the passion prosimian researchers feel for their study subjects and with their deep concern for the future of prosimians in the face of ongoing habitat destruction and the burgeoning threat of bushmeat hunting. Chapters for this volume were contributed by researchers from across the globe; they attest to the diversity, vibrancy and rapid growth of prosimian biology, and to the intellectual advances that have revolutionized this field in recent years. Since its earliest beginnings, prosimian research and its resultant literature have had a strong francophone component, and researchers in many prosimian habitat countries are more comfortable reading and writing in French rather than English. French summaries of all chapters have been included. The volume is targeted at researchers, both those entering the field and established scientists, who have an interest in the biology of primates and small mammals. It is also aimed at conservation biologists seeking a deeper understanding of the faunas and conservation developments in Africa, Madagascar and Southeast Asia, and anyone who has an interest in discovering the true diversity of our order, the Primates.

Primate Craniofacial Function and Biology is an integrative volume with broad coverage of current research on primate craniofacial biology and function. Topic headings include: the mammalian perspective on primate craniofacial form and function, allometric and comparative morphological studies of primate heads, in vivo research on primate mastication, modeling of the primate masticatory apparatus, primate dental form and function, and palaeoanthropologic studies of primate skulls. Additionally, the volume includes introductory chapters discussing how primatologists study adaptations in primates and a discussion of in vivo approaches for studying primate performance. At present, there are no texts with a similar focus on primate craniofacial biology and no sources that approach this topic from such a wide range of research perspectives. This breadth of research covered by leaders in their respective fields make this volume a unique and innovative contribution to biological anthropology.

In light of mounting fishing pressures, increased aquaculture production and a growing concern for fish well-being, improved knowledge on the swimming physiology of fish and its application to fisheries science and aquaculture is needed. This book presents recent investigations into some of the most extreme examples of swimming migrations in salmons, eels and tunas, integrating knowledge on their performance in the laboratory with that in their natural environment. For the first time, the application of swimming in aquaculture is explored by assessing the potential impacts and beneficial effects. The modified nutritional requirements of "athletic" fish are reviewed as well as the effects of exercise on muscle composition and meat quality using state-of-the-art techniques in genomics and proteomics. The last chapters introduce zebrafish as a novel exercise model and present the latest technologies for studying fish swimming and aquaculture applications.

Given the importance of livestock to the global economy, there is a substantial need for world-class reference material on the sustainable management of livestock in diverse eco-regions. With uncertain climates involving unpredictable extreme events (e.g., heat, drought, infectious disease), environmental stresses are becoming the most crucial factors affecting livestock productivity. By systematically and comprehensively addressing all aspects of environmental stresses and livestock productivity, this volume is a useful tool for understanding the various intricacies of stress physiology. With information and case studies collected and analyzed by professionals working in diversified ecological zones, this book explores the influence of the environment on livestock production across global biomes. The challenges the livestock industry faces in maintaining the delicate balance between animal welfare and production are also highlighted.

One of the most interesting aspects of thermogenesis research is that it quite naturally attracts workers from an extremely wide spectrum of interests, ranging from the mechanism of cellular respiratory control at the molecular level and neuro-hormonal control of energy dissipation both at the cellular level and that of the whole organisms to the mechanism of temperature control during the hibernating cycle and that of cold acclimatation. Thus, the Satellite Symposium on "The Effectors of Thermogenesis" brought together not only physiologists, but also biochemists, pharmacologists, zoologists and clinicians, and provided a forum for the airing of new ideas as well as for the confrontation of different points of view. These are now reproduced in this book in exactly the same form and order in which they were presented at the Symposium, in the hope of providing a bird's-eye view of the various facets of thermogenesis research. A "mini-review", summarizing the current knowledge in each domain, therefore precedes the corresponding papers. The editors are deeply indebted to the contributors of these introductory lectures for so competently selecting from the mass of available information in each field, only the most essential elements. This book is dedicated to Dr. Robert Emrie Smith, a pioneer and path-finder in this field, who organized the first meeting on thermogenesis as a satellite of the XXI International Congress of Physiological Sciences and took an active part in the four subsequent meetings. L. Girardier DEDICATION Dr.

This book describes in detail various aspects of fluoride toxicity in animals. Animals, like human beings, suffer from the toxic effects of excess fluoride intake. They show pathological changes in their teeth and bone, together with a marked reduction in appetite, productive and reproductive potentials, which can result in severe economic losses in the dairy industry. Laboratory and wild animals also suffer from this ailment. Animal suffering and economic losses alike can be minimized through early diagnosis of the problem and by adopting suitable preventive and therapeutic measures. The book details the susceptibility of different animal species, important sources of toxicity, clinical signs and symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, preventive and therapeutic approaches. It offers a valuable resource for scientists working in the fields of toxicology, veterinary science, animal nutrition, and environmental science, as well as for public health workers, animal welfare activists, public health veterinarians, field veterinarians, medical professionals and all others interested in the subject.

All animals face the possibility of food limitation and ultimately starvation-induced mortality. This book summarizes state of the art of starvation biology from the ecological causes of food limitation to the physiological and evolutionary consequences of prolonged fasting. It is written for an audience with an understanding of general principles in animal physiology, yet offers a level of analysis and interpretation that will engage seasoned scientists. Each chapter is written by active researchers in the field of comparative physiology and draws on the primary literature of starvation both in nature and the laboratory. The chapters are organized among broad taxonomic categories, such as protists, arthropods, fishes, reptiles, birds, and flying, aquatic, and terrestrial mammals including humans; particularly well-studied animal models, e.g. endotherms are further organized by experimental approaches, such as analyses of blood metabolites, stable isotopes, thermobiology, and modeling of body composition.

This collection of reviews will be of considerable interests to biologists and MDs working on any aspect of cardiovascular function. With state-of-the-art reviews written by competent experts in the field, the content is also of interest for MSc and PhD students in most fields of cardiovascular physiology.

This book summarises the newest information on seasonal adaptation in animals. Topics include animal hibernation, daily torpor, thermoregulation, heat production, metabolic depression, biochemical adaptations, neurophysiology and energy balance. The contributors to this book present interdisciplinary research at multiple levels ranging from the molecular to the ecophysiological, as well as evolutionary approaches. The chapters of this book provide original data not published elsewhere, which makes it the most up-to-date, comprehensive source of information on these fields.

The book s subchapters correspond to presentations given at the 14th International Hibernation Symposium in August 2012 in Austria. This is a very successful series of symposia (held every four years since 1959) that attracts leading researchers in the field. Like the past symposia, this meeting and consequently the book is aimed not only at hibernation but at covering the full range of animal adaptations to seasonal environments. For the next four years, this book will serve as the cutting-edge reference work for graduate students and scientists active in this field of physiology and ecology.."