Calcium and comparable cations are fast being recognised for their role as vital components of animal physiology. When trying to answer questions such as why salmon can adjust to life in fresh water as well as seawater, or why chilli peppers taste hot to humans but evoke little response from chickens, we often find the answers lie in patterns of movement of these ions and their roles in sensing, transmitting and collecting messages. Bringing together scattered literature on calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium in biology, this book examines important biological contributions of these ions including enzyme activation, effects in all types of muscle and biomineralization. Attention is focused on: channel construction and ion movement; calcium as a second messenger and in the construction of solids and ion channelopathies, with the help of personalities such as Agatha Christie, van Gogh and Captain Cook. The Role of Calcium and Comparable Cations in Animal Behaviour will be valued by a wide-range of readers including students of bioinorganic chemistry and animal behavioural studies, teachers and other professionals in academia.

Accounts are appearing on some facet of genetics in nearly every issue of scientific magazines and often in the daily newspapers. This book sets out to cover the fundamentals of the subject without the details in a much larger genetics text in order to provide background reading for those not studying the subject. It features humans (a lot), other mammals (a good deal) and occasionally other animals to illustrate principles. Although many of the important concepts were established with prokaryotes and plants, the text is confined to animals in order to keep the book a manageable size and since now many of the concepts can be explained using the animal kingdom. Supported with numerous figures and short vignettes, often from current areas of research such as tackling cystic fibrosis with gene directed drugs, genetic analysis of Richard III remains or reconstructing woolly mammoth haemoglobin, the reader will be entertained as they gain knowledge about this important area without going too deeply into the subject. Written in an appealing style, it will be useful to a wide audience from chemists, pharmacists and healthcare professionals.