Oxford Animal Biology Series – serie

The Oxford Animal Biology Series is an innovative new series of supplementary undergraduate texts in comparative animal biology. Topics within each book are addressed using examples from throughout the animal kingdom, looking for parallels that transcend taxonomy. Further reading sections will guide the student into the literature at greater depth. The series will be international in scope, both in terms of the species used as examples and in references to scientific work. Energy for Animal Life, the first book in the series, is about how animals get energy, and how they use it, a central topic in our understanding of animal biology. Life depends on energy, and much of the activity of animals is devoted to getting the food which is their energy source. It encompasses the food chain, from solar radiation and photosynthesis to food sources for herbiviores and for carnivores, and compares the merits of different designs of digestive system, and of different strategies for finding and choosing food. Of course, animal energy isn't simply a question of feeding, and several chapters in turn look at energy use. The energy costs of motion - of running, swimming, and flight - are discussed in one chapter, and the energetic demands of growth and reproduction in another. A chapter on body temperature shows how the processes of life go faster at higher temperatures, and discusses how animals regulate their temperature. A final chapter draws all of these aspects of energy use together, and considers the energy budgets of several different animals, assessing the different energy gains and costs of their everyday activities in the wild. The book is truly comparative, drawing on examples from a wide range of animal species, and lots of practical information on relevant experiments is included. The style is very accessible, and suitable as supplementary reading for first and second year undergraduates taking a degree course in biological sciences.

Construction behaviour occurs across the entire spectrum of the animal kingdom and affects the survival of both builders and other organisms associated with them. Animal Architecture provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of animal building. The book recognizes three broad categories of built structure: homes, traps, and courtship displays. Even though some of these structures are complex and very large, the behaviour required to build them is generally simple and the anatomy for building unspecialized. Standardization of building materials helps to keep building repertoires simple, while self-organizing effects help create complexity. In a case-study approach to function, insects demonstrate how homes can remain operational while they grow, spiderwebs illustrate mechanical design, and the displays of bowerbirds raise the possibility of persuasion through design rather than just decoration. Studies of the costs to builders provide evidence of optimal designs and of trade-offs with other life history traits. As ecosystem engineers, the influence of builders is extensive and their effect is generally to enhance biodiversity through niche construction. Animal builders can therefore represent model species for the study of the emerging subject of environmental inheritance. Building, and in particular building with silk, has been demonstrated to have important evolutionary consequences. This book is intended for students and researchers in comparative animal biology, but will also be of relevance and use to the increasing numbers of architects and civil engineers interested in developing ideas from the animal kingdom.

Water is fundamental to life and all metabolic reactions are influenced by the aqueous environment in which they occur. Osmoregulation and water balance are therefore absolutely essential topics in animal physiology. Animal Osmoregulation collates a widely dispersed literature to produce a comprehensive and authoritative synthesis of the field, providing detailed examples of osmoregulatory processes at the organismal, organ and cellular level. It incorporates clear background information on ion regulation and transport (specifically in the light of recent molecular studies) and illustrates the physical principles to which each organism must adhere, as well as the phylogenetic constraints within which it must operate.As with other titles in the Oxford Animal Biology Series, the topic is addressed using examples from throughout the animal kingdom, identifying common themes that transcend taxonomy.

Animal Eyes provides a comparative account of all known types of eye in the animal kingdom, outlining their structure and function with an emphasis on the nature of the optical systems and the physical principles involved in image formation. A universal theme throughout the book is the evolution and taxonomic distribution of each type of eye, and the roles of different eye types in the behaviour and ecology of the animals that possess them. In comparing the specific capabilities of eyes, it considers the factors that lead to good resolution of detail and the ability to function under a wide range of light conditions. This new edition is fully updated throughout, incorporating more than a decade of new discoveries and research.