Comparative physiology of desert mammals

Includes bibliographical references (page 31)

Desert animals : physiological problems of heat and water /

WE1

Scaling : why is animal size so important? /

This book is about the importance of animal size. We tend to think of animal function in chemical terms and talk of water, salts, proteins, enzymes, oxygen, energy, and so on. We should not forget, however, that physical laws are equally important, for they determine rates of diffusion and heat transfer, transfer of force and momentum, the strength of structures, the dynamics of locomotion, and other aspects of the functioning of animal bodies. Physical laws provide possibilities and opportunities for an organism, yet they also impose constraints, setting limits to what is physically possible. This book aims to give an understanding of these rules because of their profound implications when we deal with animals of widely different size and scale. The reader will find that the book raises many questions. Remarkable and puzzling information makes it read a little like a detective story, but the last chapter, instead of giving the final solution, neither answers all questions nor provides one great unifying principle.Includes index.Bibliography: p. [225]-236.Preface 1. The size of living things 2. Problems of size and scale 3. The use of allometry 4. How to scale eggs 5. The strength of bones and skeletons 6. Metabolic rate and body size 7. Warm-blooded vertebrates: what do metabolic regression equations mean? 8. Organ size and tissue metabolism 9. How the lungs supply enough oxygen 10. Blood and gas transport 11. Heart and circulation 12. The meaning of time 13. Animal activity and metabolic scope 14. Moving on land: running and jumping 15. Swimmng and flying 16. Body temperature and temperature regulation 17. Some important concepts Appendixes References Index.This book is about the importance of animal size. We tend to think of animal function in chemical terms and talk of water, salts, proteins, enzymes, oxygen, energy, and so on. We should not forget, however, that physical laws are equally important, for they determine rates of diffusion and heat transfer, transfer of force and momentum, the strength of structures, the dynamics of locomotion, and other aspects of the functioning of animal bodies. Physical laws provide possibilities and opportunities for an organism, yet they also impose constraints, setting limits to what is physically possible. This book aims to give an understanding of these rules because of their profound implications when we deal with animals of widely different size and scale. The reader will find that the book raises many questions. Remarkable and puzzling information makes it read a little like a detective story, but the last chapter, instead of giving the final solution, neither answers all questions nor provides one great unifying principle