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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences
Jan Fennell’s remarkable gifts have earned her the nickname “the dog whisperer”. Her unique understanding of the canine world and its instinctive language has enabled her to bring even the most desperate and delinquent of dogs to heel. This easy-to-follow guide to understanding Jan’s simple techniques draws on her countless case histories of problem dogs – from biters and barkers to bicycle chasers – to show how we can bridge the language barrier that separates man from his best friend. In The Dog Listener Jan will share her secrets, telling us how she grew determined to find a more compassionate alternative to standard “obedience” training techniques and ultimately how to communicate with canines. Jan is currently working on her latest Yorkshire TV series, gearing up to make it national. By the time of publication she will be a household name.
The very best photographs from Bird Photographer of the Year. The Bird Photographer of the Year competition celebrates the artistry of bird photography, and this beautiful book reflects this. A celebration of avian beauty and diversity, it is a tribute to both the dedication and passion of the photographers as well as a reflection of the quality of today's modern digital imaging systems. The book includes the winning and short-listed images from the seventh year of this annual competition, showcasing some of the finest bird photography and with a foreword by birdwatcher and explorer, Steve Backshall. A proportion of the profits from the book goes directly to Birds on the Brink to support their conservation work. The advent of digital technology has revolutionised photography in recent years, and the book brings to life some of the most stunning bird photography currently on offer. It features a vast variety of photographs by hardened pros, keen amateurs and hobbyists alike, reflecting the huge diversity of bird enthusiasts and nature lovers which is so important in ensuring their conservation and survival.
A cosy and delightful book - a real joy to behold.' Daily Mail 'A gorgeous book to be treasured' BBC Countryfile A beautifully illustrated guide to nature through the seasons by much-loved printmaker Angela Harding. The cover of this stunning book has an exclusive triptych printed on the reverse - a perfect collector's item This stunning work, the first book that is solely dedicated to Angela's art, is a celebration of her beautiful prints, and a glimpse into her detailed and meticulous process. A Year Unfolding is a journey through Angela's year in nature watching the seasons unfold in front of her from her studio in Rutland, and giving the reader detail into how nature transforms and evolves over the course of the year. A Year Unfolding also tells the stories behind some of Angela's most popular images, giving context to Angela's celebrated work, as well as new art created specifically for the book. The beautiful illustrations and evocative imagery of the prose make this the perfect book for Angela's fans and readers and art lovers everywhere. Angela has created the covers for many bestselling books, including The Salt Path and The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn, October, October by Katya Balen, English Pastoral by James Rebanks, Christmas is Murder by Val McDermid and RSPB Birds among many others.
"Are bird songs learned or genetically programmed?
Italy, the birthplace of opera in the late sixteenth century, has
in recent decades seen remarkable and vital musical growth, with
composers as diverse as Luciano Berio and Nino Rota, Luigi Nono and
Sylvano Bussotti, Giacomo Manzoni, Bruno Maderna and Salvatore
Sciarrino. The musical theatre has figured prominently in the work
of Italian composers during this period, ranging from operas
conceived in a traditional mode to works of a Music Theatre
variety, and in style from popular to avant-garde.
This book examines the application of fish community characteristics to evaluate the sustainability and biological integrity of freshwaters. Topics include perspectives on use of fish communities as environmental indicators in program development, collaboration, and partnership forming; influence of specific taxa on assessment of the IBI; regional applications for areas where the IBI had not previously been developed; and specific applications of the IBI developed for coldwater streams, inland lakes, Great Lakes, reservoirs, and tailwaters.
The most complete photographic field guide to hoverflies of Britain and North-west Europe ever written. An essential part of our eco-systems, hoverflies are the second most important pollinators after bees but sadly, more than a third of all European species are now under threat of extinction. Written by two leading experts, Hoverflies of Britain and North-west Europe is the first and only photographic field guide to cover all 400 hoverfly species occurring in Britain and neighbouring countries in such detail. Each species account contains a description, population status, ecology and habitat, an up-to-date map of its distribution across North-western Europe, a flight time diagram and guidance on differentiating similar species. There are also detailed illustrations and stunning full-colour macro photographs in each account, showing key features of the species to aid accurate identification. This is the ultimate photographic field guide to hoverflies, and a perfect introduction into the world of these important pollinators, both for amateur and expert entomologists alike.
This volume is taken from an ecological study of wetlands undertaken in northern Lake Victoria (East Africa) between 1993 and 1996 with the major aim of characterizing shallow vegetation-dominated interface habitats, and evaluating their importance for fish, in particular, for the Nile tilapia.
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring From frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders, to the lesser-known caecilians, there are over 8,000 species of amphibians alive today. Characterised by their moist, naked skin and the tadpole phase of their lives, they are uniquely adapted to occupy the interphase habitat between freshwater and land. This Very Short Introduction explores amphibians' evolution, adaptations, and biology, from the first emergence of tetrapods onto land 370 million years ago, to how their permeable skin enables them to thrive in their habitat today. T. S. Kemp describes how different amphibians go about their lives, looking in particular at their complex courtship behaviour and their extraordinary means of providing care for their eggs and larvae. Finally, he considers amphibians' relationship to humans, and the ways in which they have been exploited as food, folk medicine, and pets, as well as used in many areas of scientific research. Today amphibians face a serious threat, with almost half of species judged to be at risk of extinction. As the causes include habitat destruction, pollution, and disease, mostly resulting from human activity, T. S. Kemp shows that the conservation of amphibians is very much in our hands. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This volume provides a primarily nontechnical summary of
experimental and theoretical work conducted over the course of 35
years which resulted in a developmental framework capable of
integrating causal influences at the genetic, neural, behavioral,
and ecological levels of analysis. It describes novel solutions to
the nature-nurture problem at both the empirical and theoretical
levels. Following field observations, laboratory experiments led to
the discovery of the nonobvious prenatal experiential basis of
instinctive behavior in two species--ground-nesting mallard
ducklings and hole-nesting wood ducklings. This work also describes
the experiences that lead to the rigid canalization of behavioral
development as well as the social and sensory experiences that
favor the continuance of flexibility. The author also describes in
detail a developmental psychobiological systems view that supports
a behaviorally and psychologically mediated pathway to evolutionary
change in humans and other species. Written in a way that is
readable to even the nonspecialist, the text is accompanied by
numerous photographs that illuminate and add personal meaning to
the written words. Readers will be engaged by the emphasis on the
human aspect of the scientific enterprise.
All biological systems with vision move about their environments
and successfully perform many tasks. The same capabilities are
needed in the world of robots. To that end, recent results in
empirical fields that study insects and primates, as well as in
theoretical and applied disciplines that design robots, have
uncovered a number of the principles of navigation. To offer a
unifying approach to the situation, this book brings together ideas
from zoology, psychology, neurobiology, mathematics, geometry,
computer science, and engineering. It contains theoretical
developments that will be essential in future research on the topic
-- especially new representations of space with less complexity
than Euclidean representations possess. These representations allow
biological and artificial systems to compute from images in order
to successfully deal with their environments.
By presenting background information on the selection and application of biochemical tests in safety assessment studies, this text seeks to provide a basis for improving the knowledge required to interpret data from toxicological studies. In addition to chapters which discuss the assessment of specific organ toxicity (such as the liver, kidney and thyroid), the book also covers pre-analytical variables, regulatory requirements and statistical approaches, and highlights some of the major differences between man and different laboratory animals. The editor and contributor are all members of the Animal Clinical Chemistry Association, a group formed to advance the science of animal clinical chemistry in safety evaluation, toxicology and veterinary science.
Comprehensively revised, expanded and updated, this compact guide makes the ideal travelling companion on trips to the wildlife areas and nature reserves of East Africa. It features - authoritative text describing key identification features; - full-colour photographs illustrating a range of commonly encountered, rare and beautiful species; - distribution maps showing the range of each species; - thumbnail outlines of each family group, enabling quick identification.
Originally published in 1977, the objective of this book was to examine the mechanisms by which the multiple factors or determinants - homeostatic deficits, hormonal influences, circadian rhythms, experiential and cognitive factors - become translated by the central nervous system into thermoregulatory, feeding, sexual, aggressive, and other behaviours. A conceptual framework has been used that reflects relevant contributions from biology, regulatory physiology, physiological psychology, and other neuroscience disciplines. The final chapter deals with difficulties in brain-behaviour research in relation to experimental strategies and with crucial problems for future investigation.
Throughout history, hearing and sound perception have been typically framed in the context of how sound conveys information and how that information influences the listener. "Hear Where We Are" inverts this premise and examines how humans and other hearing animals use sound to establish acoustical relationships with their surroundings. This simple inversion reveals a panoply of possibilities by which we can re-evaluate how hearing animals use, produce, and perceive sound. Nuance in vocalizations become signals of enticement or boundary setting; silence becomes a field ripe in auditory possibilities; predator/prey relationships are infused with acoustic deception, and sounds that have been considered territorial cues become the fabric of cooperative acoustical communities. This inversion also expands the context of sound perception into a larger perspective that centers on biological adaptation within acoustic habitats. Here, the rapid synchronized flight patterns of flocking birds and the tight maneuvering of schooling fish becomes an acoustic engagement. Likewise, when stridulating crickets synchronize their summer evening chirrups, it has more to do with the 'cricket community' monitoring their collective boundaries rather than individual crickets establishing 'personal' territory or breeding fitness. In "Hear Where We Are" the author continuously challenges many of the bio-acoustic orthodoxies, reframing the entire inquiry into sound perception and communication. By moving beyond our common assumptions, many of the mysteries of acoustical behavior become revealed, exposing a fresh and fertile panorama of acoustical experience and adaptation.
This textbook covers aspects of animal behaviour featured in both A-Level Psychology and Social Biology courses. It includes accounts and discussions of imprinting, maternal behaviour, courtship and territoriality, social organization, and animal communication. Throughout the book the principle of behavioural diversity is built upon to show the complexities of animal behaviour and its relationship with the social and physical environment. The issues and perspectives arising from evolutionary theory are explored, and the need to utilize multiple levels of analysis in the understanding of animal (and human) behaviour is emphasized.
Echinoderms are now considered as a biological and geological model that underlies researches of primary importance. The extent of the contributions made by the International Echinoderm Conferences to various fields of research is attested by the scope covered by presentation at the international conferences. These proceedings contain the complete papers or abstracts of all the presentations and posters presented at the eighth International Echinoderm Conference, held in Dijon, France in September, 1994. Coverage includes: general; extinct classes; crinoids; asteroids; ophiuroids; holothuroids; and echinoids.
Pests cause economic damage to crop and stored products, while vectors are responsible for transmission of disease-causing agents in human beings and livestock. Application of synthetic pesticides in agriculture though has given immediate relief but has also caused well known side effects, leading to a consensus among entomologists and agriculturists to shift towards other ecofriendly pest management. Insect natural enemies consisting of predators, parasitoids and pathogens have attracted the attention of scientists across the globe. These natural enemies exist in agroecosystems and suppress the populations of pests. Parasitoids are farmers' friends and most successful group of natural enemies. Highly specialized in their host choice, female parasitoid searches for a suitable host to lay eggs and larvae in or on or near the hosts. Exploiting this potency of parasitoids may yield successful results in controlling notorious pests in an ecofriendly way. This book covers information on the important biocontrol agents effective in pest suppression. It starts with insect parasitic groups followed by specific group of parasitoids. It is hoped that the book presents a comprehensive account of beneficial parasitoids and will be useful to Undergraduate and Postgraduate students of Entomology, Biological Control, Plant Protection, Agricultural Zoology and Zoology, besides those involved in competitive examinations and policy planning. Features Each chapter has been written by specialized senior persons. Every chapter contains Learning Objectives and Points to Remember. This book offers comprehensive knowledge of parasitoids and their application in pest management in a lucid way.
The series is designed to meet the needs of students and lecturers of the National Certificate Vocational. To facilitate students' learning, the following features are used in the series: Content is written in easy-to-understand language, key terms are carefully explained, using everyday English, case studies show how to apply the theory in the work environment, the study skills sections help students make the most of their learning in class and prepare for the exams, there are many practice activities and questions with model answers at the back of the title, checklists assist students to make sure that they have covered all the skills and content in each chapter, and summaries at the end of each chapter are useful for exam revision. Lecturers using the series can teach with confidence because content is comprehensive, up-to-date, and meets all the curriculum requirements for the subject, outcomes and assessment standards are clearly identified, and assessment tasks and activities are aligned to the outcomes and assessment standards. Prescribing lecturers have access to comprehensive lecturer support material on CD including model answers to assessments in the textbook, additional assessments with model answers, rubrics for assessments, and general reference material on teaching outcomes-based education. The series is available for all programmes, all fundamental and compulsory subjects, and all elective and optional subjects.
Since the publication of the original edition in 1982,
pesticide-related poisonings, both single cases and epidemic-scale
situations, have continued to occur unabated. This new edition of
Pesticides and Neurological Diseases reviews current literature
describing the effects of insecticides (chlorinated hydrocarbons,
organophosphorus and carbamate esters, and the pyrethroid esters),
fungicides (organomercurials, dithiocarbamates), and herbicides
(chlorophenoxy acids and esters) on the mammalian nervous system.
Acute and chronic exposures have resulted in both subtle and
serious neurological deficits in the peripheral and central nervous
systems, marked by transient effects preceding those of delayed
onset and of persistent duration. The chapters have been largely
revised and rewritten to introduce newer theories of mechanism(s)
of action studied at the laboratory bench. New findings and
observations on human intoxications are included as well.
The desert is full of suprises You never know what you might find nestled in a tall saguaro or climbing steep canyon walls. All you have to do is look "Guess Who's in the Desert" is a fun, interactive, guessing game that invites curious children to discover all of the secrets and surprises the desert holds. Who leaves x-shaped tracks? Who has orange and black beady skin? Just open the book to find out. Each time you do, you're bound to find something new.
Britain's gardens are a vast, living landscape and the home to hundreds of species of birds. Learn to pay attention to these visitors to your own garden or local park and you'll have a front-row seat to the unfolding drama that is the garden bird's year. As dawn breaks across your back garden, if you were paying attention, you would notice that the robin and the blackbird are always the first birds to arrive. These ground hunters have large eyes, so don't mind the dim light of the early morning. And that's just the beginning of what you can learn watching your own back garden. Ornithologist Mike Toms has spent a year avidly observing his own garden, and the result is a comprehensive picture of the lives of garden birds. From the crowded yet quiet January garden populated by migratory fieldfares and bramblings, to the riotous gardens of spring, filled with songbirds competing for mates, the garden ecosystem changes throughout the year. Learn to spot these changes, to greet the arrival of the swifts in May and the new crop of fledgling goldfinches and blackbirds in June, and you'll find a new world opening up to you. A Garden Bird's Year is the perfect introduction to this world. Supremely readable, it explains biology and behaviour to paint a picture of the lives of common bird species, while also offering practical information for watching and feeding the birds in your own backyard. Toms details birds' preferences for particular plants, seeds and feeders, so you can learn to attract different species to your own garden. He also charts fascinating recent adaptations - urban birds sleep later than their rural counterparts, probably because cities are on average a few degrees warmer, and they sing either earlier or later, to avoid competing with local traffic; and the balance of migratory birds to Britain is being affected by the world's changing climate. Many species of garden birds are threatened, but there is much that each one of us can do to support them, to attract them, and to help them thrive through the year.
Many genes have been cloned from chicken cells, and during the next decade numerous laboratories will be concentrating their resources in developing ways of using these tools. Manipulation of the Avian Genome contains the most recent information from leading research laboratories in the areas of developmental and molecular genetics of the chicken. This information was presented at the Keystone Symposium held at Lake Tahoe in March, 1991. The book discusses potential applications of emerging technology in basic science and poultry production. Various techniques for altering genomic DNA, such as microinjection, retroviral vectors, and lipofection are covered. Genome evaluation using DNA fingerprinting and conventional breeding techniques are presented.
Prepared as a tribute to Donald A. Riley, the essays that appear
here are representative of a research area that has loosely been
classified as animal cognition -- a categorization that reflects a
functionalist philosophy that was prevalent in Riley's laboratory
and that many of his students absorbed. According to this
philosophy, it is acceptable to hypothesize that an animal might
engage in complex processing of information, as long as one can
operationalize evidence for such a process and the hypothesis can
be presented in the context of testable predictions that can
differentiate it from other mechanisms. The contributions to this
volume represent the three most important areas of research in
animal cognition -- stimulus representation, memory processes, and
perceptual processes -- although current research has considerably
blurred these distinctions. |
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