First published in 1981, this book presents an original approach to an area of great importance in comparative zoology and physiology and evolutionary biology: the evolution of air breathing in vertebrates from aquatic ancestors. The subject is approached from a functional as well as an anatomical viewpoint, utilising knowledge of the physiology of extant animals to trace probable evolutionary steps. Opening with a brief summary of current views of vertebrate evolution, the authors then go on to deal with problems of oxygen transfer in water and air and the structure and function of gills and lungs. Carbon dioxide transfer in water-breathing forms is seen as being tightly coupled to an ion and acid-base regulation. The evolution of air breathing is seen as a several-stage process, beginning with the evolution of accessory air-breathing structures for oxygen uptake.

The Wildfowl Trust (founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946) has worked actively to promote wildfowl conservation over many years and this volume will surely be recognised as one of its finest achievements. Here in one volume the Wildfowl Trust, supported by the Nature Conservancy Council, presents a synthesis of detailed data collected by a wide range of enthusiasts on the distribution of wildfowl and their major habitats. The importance of sensitive conservation planning is stressed as is the vulnerability of wetlands to modern technology. The international dimension of wildfowl conservation is also well covered, especially by the clear maps of ringing recoveries and migration routes. This book emphasises the need for international action in conserving wetlands and stresses the benefits enjoyed by the fortunate countries endowed with these habitats. By their very presence the spectacular flocks of wildfowl provide one of the strongest arguments to convince laymen, planners and politicians that our wetlands are not wastelands but a very precious and vulnerable part of our heritage.

The aim of the authors in writing this monograph has been to provide a comprehensive and critical, but personal account of salt glands. Papers on salt glands are scattered through a great many different journals. There is therefore a great need for a synthesis of what is known about salt glands. The means by which salt glands perform their vital function of forming and excreting a concentrated salt solution is of great biological importance in understanding salt and water relations in the cells of all living things. In addition to the basic physiology of salt glands there is consideration of their ecological importance, their interaction with other systems of the body, their role in non-marine birds and reptiles and their evolution. Salt glands have interested biologists from a wide range of disciplines. This book brings together the scattered literature and will be a convenient source of reference to those working in the field, as well as providing information for comparative studies and for teaching purposes.

This volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of plethodontid salamanders. Readers will find the best current understanding of many aspects of the evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology of these animals.

Comparative Physiology: Primitive Mammals attempts to dispel the widely held notion that 'primitive' animals are less advanced or less complex than the 'non-primitive'. The term 'primitive', or more accurately 'conservative', refers to the fact that these animals have retained many of the characteristics of their evolutionary ancestors. Because they have been able to adapt to a variety of environmental conditions, these so-called primitive animals should be considered highly successful evolutionary solutions. The papers contained in this volume are the result of the Fourth International Conference on Comparative Physiology held at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1978. The conference, which was sponsored by the Interunion Commission on Comparative Physiology representing the International Unions of Biological Sciences, Physiological Sciences, and Pure and Applied Biophysics, brought together scientists from various fields to discuss the widely scattered information on primitive mammals from the perspective of comparative physiology.

The introduction earlier this century of Norwegian reindeer to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia provided scientists with the unusual opportunity of studying the interaction between a large arctic herbivore and a southern ecosystem that had not previously been exposed to grazing by mammals. Originally published in 1988, this book synthesises the results of many years' research into this fascinating ecological situation. The author develops the observations into two main themes. First, a comparative study of the biology and ecology of a deer that occurs in a wide variety of Arctic habitats. Secondly, an investigation into the ways in which an introduced population adapts to a new environment, its relevance to the population ecology of mammals and to the conservation of southern island ecosystems. In doing this, the author discusses many topics including reproductive biology, feeding ecology, growth, mortality and population dynamics. This in-depth study of a single species in an alien environment will appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, research workers in wildlife management and ecology, conservationists and polar scientists

Thanks to enormous scientific efforts of the last decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro production (IVP) have now been introduced successfully in the practice of human infertility treatment and cattle breeding programs. This comprehensive book allows us to bridge the knowledge from both biomedical and veterinary fields of research. For the first time, studies concerning the human embryo as well as embryos from domestic species are brought together. The central theme of the book is "the assessment of mammalian embryo quality." In 15 chapters, written by well-known scientists, different aspects of the assessment of mammalian embryo quality are summarized. Non-invasive and invasive techniques to evaluate embryo quality are separated in two parts. In addition the book is provided with appendices on practical aspects and, thus, the book should be present in each laboratory for IVF and IVP.

The Chapman and Hall Fish and Fisheries Series occasionally includes books devoted to a single taxon of fish that are of particular interest to fish and fisheries science. All three previous books of this type (Cichlid Fishes, Cyprinid Fishes, Sea Bass) have included important material on commercial fishery exploitation, but Hake: Biology, fisheries and markets, number 15 in the Series, is the first book that focuses on a major global fishery resource. This book brings together detailed analyses of the ocean habitats, biology, ecology, assessment and management of all the hake fisheries of the world for the first time. Globally, there are ten major world fisheries for 12 species of hake on both sides of the North and the South Atlantic, the Mediterra nean, the eastern North and South Pacific and New Zealand. The book includes an overview of industrial markets and products of hake. Hake fisheries are of particular economic interest as their location spans almost a complete spectrum of industrial development from major industrial countries like USA, Canada, Spain and Italy through New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile to Morocco, Peru, Mauritania, Namibia and Angola."

The Anatomy of Dolphins: Insights into Body Structure and Function is a precise, detailed, fully illustrated, descriptive, and functionally oriented text on the anatomy and morphology of dolphins. It focuses on a number of delphinid species, with keynotes on important dolphin-like genera, such as the harbor porpoise. It also serves as a useful complement for expanding trends and emphases in molecular biology and genetics. The authors share their life-long expertise on marine mammals in various disciplines. Written as a team rather than being prepared as a collection of separate contributions, the result is a uniform and comprehensive style, giving each of the different topics appropriate space. Many color figures, which use the authors' access to wide collections of unique dolphin and whale material, round out this exceptional offering to the field.

British Fossil reptile sites are of international importance since they include remains that fill the time gaps poorly known elsewhere. They include rich classic reptile beds which have been the source of dozens of important specimens. This volume details all those sites that have yielded fossil reptiles. The fifty most important localities are described in detail and an extensive bibliography of everything published on British Fossil reptiles since 1676 is provided.

The Antarctic fish fauna has evolved over a long period of geographic and climatic isolation. In the course of this evolution, Antarctic fish have developed specialized adaptations, some of which characterize these organisms as unique. In strong contrast to the continental shelf faunas elsewhere, the Antarctic shelf ichthyofauna is dominated by a single highly endemic group, the Notothenioidei. This group of perciform fish probably first appeared and diversified in the early Tertiary. The development of the Polar Front (referred to as the Antarctic Convergence in the older literature) resulted in a natural oceanographic barrier to migration in either direction, and thus became a key factor in the evolution of Antarctic fish. The dominance of the Antarctic continental shelf fauna by a single taxonomic group of fish provides a simplified natural laboratory for exploring the wealth of physiological, biochemical and ecological adaptations that characterize the fauna. Understanding of the patterns of adaptation in this highly specialized group of fish can tell us much about of evolution.

Originally published in 1986, this book is concerned with the ways in which seabirds function as predators in the marine environment; in particular about how they find and catch food and how much of it they consume. It reviews both the feeding ecology of seabirds (including adaptations for flight and diving) and also most of the leading field studies (in polar, temperate and tropical regions) that have quantitatively examined the interactions of seabird communities with their prey.

Rodents are the predominant experimental animals found in life-sciences research laboratories. The body temperature of a rodent is markedly affected by surgical, chemical or environmental manipulation. Because temperature regulation is controlled essentially by a 'holistic' regulatory system, meaning that its responses affect the activities of all other psychological and behavioural processes, it is clear that researchers working with rodents must be familiar with thermoregulatory physiology. With the help of extensive data tables and figures, this book explains the key facets of rodent thermal physiology, including neurological control and gender and intraspecies variations. There is a novel chapter on the effects of trauma, toxic chemicals and other factors. The book should therefore find use in government, academic or industrial laboratories whose researchers are working with rodents.

Scientists' views on what makes an experiment successful have developed dramatically throughout history. Different criteria for proper experimentation were privileged at different times, entirely new criteria for securing experimental results emerged, and the meaning of commitment to experimentation altered. In About Method, Schickore captures this complex trajectory of change from 1660 to the twentieth century through the history of snake venom research. As experiments with poisonous snakes and venom were both challenging and controversial, the experimenters produced very detailed accounts of their investigations, which go back three hundred years-making venom research uniquely suited for such a long-term study. By analyzing key episodes in the transformation of venom research, Schickore is able to draw out the factors that have shaped methods discourse in science. About Method shows that methodological advancement throughout history has not been simply a steady progression toward better, more sophisticated and improved methodologies of experimentation. Rather, it was a progression in awareness of the obstacles and limitations that scientists face in developing strategies to probe the myriad unknown complexities of nature. The first long-term history of this development and of snake venom research, About Method offers a major contribution to integrated history and philosophy of science.

Elusive Birds of the Tropical Understory is an arresting visual trip to the unseen corners of the Neotropical forest understory. Edited by John P. Whitelaw, Jeffrey D. Brawn, Henry S. Pollock, and John W. Fitzpatrick, this book combines unique images of tropical birds with inspired essays by leaders in the world of modern ornithology. With one-of-a-kind photos of seldom-documented birds, the authors use photography as a conservation tool. Many of the birds are more often heard than seen-not much is known about some of them, and much of what we do know is found in historical natural history literature, not contemporary accounts. Due to dense vegetation, low light conditions, and the birds' furtive behavior and cryptic coloring, they are notoriously difficult to photograph. Yet, Elusive Birds of the Tropical Understory delves deep into the Panamanian forest understory to show why these birds should be included in discussion of the current conservation crisis. What these species lack in bright colors they make up for in distinctive behaviors, subtle plumage patterns, and ongoing mystery. Elusive Birds of the Tropical Understory invites and inspires naturalists of all ages to take a closer look at a fascinating assemblage of overlooked birds.

Language is just one particularly highly developed form of primate communication. Recent years have seen increased attention to other forms: studies of animals in the wild, efforts to teach sign language to apes. This volume reflects perspectives from a variety of disciplines on the nature and function of primate signalling systems. Monkeys and apes, like people, live in a world in which they are constantly receiving and transmitting information. How can we interpret the ways in which they process it without imposing our own language-based categorizations? The problem is partly scientific, partly conceptual: that is, partly concerned with what language is. The authors' findings and insights will be of interest to a broad group of primatologists, linguists, psychologists, anthropologists and philosophers.

Studies of brain evolution have moved rapidly in recent years, building on the pioneering research of Harry J. Jerison. This book provides state-of-the-art reviews of primate (including human) brain evolution. The volume is divided into two sections, the first offers new perspectives on the developmental, physiological, dietary, and behavioral correlates of brain enlargement. However, it has long been recognized that brains do not merely enlarge globally as they evolve, but that their cortical and internal organization also changes in a process known as reorganization. Species-specific adaptations therefore have neurological substrates that depend on more than just overall brain size. The second section explores these neurological underpinnings for the senses, adaptations, and cognitive abilities that are important for primates. With a prologue by Stephen J. Gould and an epilogue by Harry J. Jerison, this is an important new reference work for all those working on primate brain evolution.

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) has been protected by law since 1955 in Japan, because it was becoming rarer and approaching extinction. Thereafter, the serow population has increased gradually. The Japanese serow is thought to be a primitive relict species on the islands of Japan, and the geographical range of the serow has retracted upwards into the moun tain forests to avoid contact with humans. Little was therefore known about these animals. However, increasing losses of forest habitat due to exploit ation of the mountain forests or expanding cultivation by local foresters have driven the Japanese serow back into the lowlands of Japan. Since then, complaints of damage to trees and other vegetation have accumulated against the serow. In some prefectures the shooting of Japanese serow was allowed in order to prevent damage to forests. The animals killed were taken for research by the Departments of the Environment and by universities. was set up at the summit of Mt. Gozaisho, The Japan Serow Center Komono-cho, Mie Prefecture, in 1962 and has made a great effort to breed the serow and its related species in captivity. In addition, the International Studbook of Capricorn is crispus in captivity was established in Japan, and the state of breeding of the Japanese serows is now reported annually. However, without detailed scientific research, it is impossible to conduct sensible protection, conservation or management of the serow in captivity or in the wild.

It is almost thirty years since Professor G. G. Winberg established the basis for experimental studies in fish energetics with the publication of his monograph, Rate of Metabolism and Food Requirements of Fishes. His ultimate aim was to develop a scientific approach to fish culture and management, and the immense volume of literature generated in the ensuing years has been mainly in response to the demand for information from a rapidly expanding, world-wide aquaculture industry and to the shortcomings of contemporary practices in fisheries management. The purpose of this book is not to review this literature compre hensively, but, assuming an informed readership, to focus attention on topics in which new knowledge and theory are beginning to be applied in practice. Most emphasis has been placed on food; feeding; production (growth and reproduction) and energy budgeting, as these have most influence on the development of fish culture. Some chapters offer practical advice for the selection of methods, and warn of pitfalls in previous approaches. In others the influence of new theory on the interpretation of studies in fish energetics is discussed in the context of resource allocation and adaptation. We hope that the scope of material presented here will have sufficient interest and value to help significantly to fulfil Winberg's original objectives.

A comprehensive treatment of primate paleontology. Profusely illustrated and up to date, it captures the complete history of the discovery and interpretation of primate fossils. The chapters range from primate origins to the advent of anatomically modern humans. Each emphasizes three key components of the record of primate evolution: history of discovery, taxonomy of the fossils, and evolution of the adaptive radiations they represent. The Primate Fossil Record summarizes objectively the many intellectual debates surrounding the fossil record and provides a foundation of reference information on the last two decades of astounding discoveries and worldwide field research for physical anthropologists, paleontologists and evolutionary biologists.

Gorillas are one of our closest living relatives, the largest of all living primates, and teeter on the brink of extinction. These fascinating animals are the focus of this in-depth and comprehensive examination of gorilla biology. Gorilla Biology combines recent research in morphology, genetics and behavioural ecology to reveal the complexity and diversity of gorilla populations. The first section focuses on morphological and molecular variation and underscores the importance of understanding diverse biological patterns at all levels in testing evolutionary and adaptive hypotheses and elucidating subspecies and species diversification. Following are discussions of the ecological constraints that influence gorilla social organization and highlight their surprising flexibility. The book ends with discussions of the conservation status of gorillas and the many and increasing threats to their continued survival. Giving insight into the evolutionary biology of these unique primates, this book will be essential reading for primatologists, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists.

Animal welfare is attracting increasing interest worldwide, especially in developed countries where the knowledge and resources are available to (at least potentially) provide better management systems for farm animals, as well as companion, zoo and laboratory animals. The key requirements for adequate food, water, a suitable environment, appropriate companionship and good health are important for animals kept for all of these purposes. There has been increased attention given to farm animal welfare in many co- tries in recent years. This derives largely from the fact that the relentless pursuit of nancial reward and ef ciency, to satisfy market demands, has led to the devel- ment of intensive animal production systems that challenge the conscience of many consumers in those countries. In developing countries, human survival is still a daily uncertainty, so that p- vision for animal welfare has to be balanced against human needs. Animal welfare is usually a priority only if it supports the output of the animal, be it food, work, clothing, sport or companionship. In principle the welfare needs of both humans and animals can be provided for, in both developing and developed countries, if resources are properly husbanded. In reality, however, the inequitable division of the world's riches creates physical and psychological poverty for humans and a- mals alike in many parts of the world.

Until quite recently, the field of reproductive immunology was very much a neglected area of biology, seen by most reproductive physiologists as of only peripheral importance. It was generally acknowledged as curious that a female mammal tolerated the intrusion of alien sperm and the persisting presence of an alien fetus, while reserving the prerogative of rejecting grafts of tissue, even when these were from her own mate. Several theories were advanced to explain this paradox, each with some supporting evidence: all were eventually shown to be inadequate. And there the matter was, on the whole, permitted to rest. In the last few years, the situation has changed dramatically, and the neglected area of overlap between immunology and reproduction has again become densely populated by research workers. As a symptom of this resurgence of interest, a specialist journal (the Journal of Reproductive Immunology) has been launched to supply what had rapidly been perceived as a need.

The present conference is the third in a series on this topic sponsored by the NCP. Drs. HcGhee, l1estecky, Genco and Bowen are to be commended for arranging this truly comprehensive program. We are fortunate that they have been able to assemble such a wealth of expertise. Program staff considers the advice of scientists such as yourselves essential to the success of its mission. Your presentations and discussions will focus on the crucial problems to be solved in exploiting the secretory immune system to combat dental caries. The published proceedings will bring these to the attention of the research community quickly and hopefully they will stimulate new investigators to bring their talents to these problems. This meeting will, to a large extent, determine the direction of research sponsored by the NCP. Finally, I would like to thank the members of the planning committee for their dedicated efforts over the past two years, which have culminated in this symposium. Our thanks are also due to each of you, in advance, for contributing so freely to the success of this meeting.

Denis Noble Nearly a decade after completion of the first draft of the entire Human Genome sequence we are in a better position to assess the nature and the consequences of that heroic achievement, which can be seen as the culmination of the molecular biological revolution of the second half of the twentieth century. The achievement itself was celebrated at the highest levels (President and Prime Minister) on both sides of the Atlantic, and rightly so. DNA sequencing has become sufficiently c- mon now, even to the extent of being used in law courts, that it is easy to forget how technically difficult it was and how cleverly the sequencing teams solved those problems in the exciting race to finish by the turn of the century [1, 2]. The fanfares were misplaced, however, in an important respect. The metaphors used to describe the project and its biological significance gave the impression to the public at large, and to many scientists themselves, that this sequence would reveal the secrets of life. DNA had already been likened to a computer program [3]. The "genetic program" for life was therefore to be found in those sequences: A kind of map that had simply to be unfolded during development. The even more colo- ful "book of life" metaphor gave the promise that reading that book would lead to a veritable outpouring of new cures for diseases, hundreds of new drug targets, and a brave new world of medicine.