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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.
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.
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