Author : Anthony Herrel
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 351 pages
File Size : 34,43 MB
Release : 2006-01-13
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1420001590
We live in a well-engineered universe. This engineering is present in every system and organism in existence, including in the actions and interactions of plants and animals. In fact, one could say that the function and movement of plants and animals is just as much a part of their makeup as chlorophyll and fiber or bone and blood. Consequently, if
Author : Anthony Herrel
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 41,36 MB
Release : 2006-01-13
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780849332098
We live in a well-engineered universe. This engineering is present in every system and organism in existence, including in the actions and interactions of plants and animals. In fact, one could say that the function and movement of plants and animals is just as much a part of their makeup as chlorophyll and fiber or bone and blood. Consequently, if we want to understand the ecology of animals and plants especially in an integrated ecosystem, it follows that great insight can be gained by taking an approach that studies function and integration of parts rather than the individual parts themselves. Ecology and Biomechanics: A Mechanical Approach to the Ecology of Animals and Plants offers a collection of state-of-the-art papers that ingeniously demonstrates how biomechanics can provide novel insights into long standing ecological and evolutionary questions. The majority of the book's chapters were originally presented at a symposium held at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Edinburgh, U.K., in 2004. Combining approaches from various disciplines, this volume covers subjects that encompass theoretical concepts and practical approaches involving research on both plants and animals, as well as interactions between the two. Although most of the examples emphasize distinct organism-environment relationships such as the grazing of ruminants, the book also includes a few examples that span larger temporal and spatial scales, achieving wider application across ecosystems. This can be seen in the chapter Implications of Microbial Motility on the Water Column Ecosystems, which highlights how microbial ecosystems can be understood from the mechanics, morphology, and motile responses of the individual organisms. Designed to serve as a reference for students and researchers, Ecology and Biomechanics: A Mechanical Approach to the Ecology of Animals and Plants paves the way for further research by demonstrating what can happen when the approaches from two seemingly disparate subdisciplines within the field of biology are creatively combined.
Author : Graham K. Taylor
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 171 pages
File Size : 21,14 MB
Release : 2014
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0198566379
Recent research in biomechanics is increasingly revealing a set of special cases where universal physical laws constrain the trajectories and, more controversially, even the endpoints of the evolutionary process. For the first time this book brings together a broad range of examples from the latest research in evolutionary biomechanics to examine this phenomenon. Each chapter follows a similar theme, dealing first with the underlying physics and then examining the biological responses to selection. Examples of convergent evolution are used to analyse the nature of the trajectories of adaptation during the progressive approach towards a physically defined optimum. This advanced textbook is suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers in the fields of biomechanics, physiology, evolutionary biology and palaeontology. It will also be of relevance and use to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering.
Author : Mark Denny
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 531 pages
File Size : 24,42 MB
Release : 2015-12-29
Category : Science
ISBN : 0691163154
An in-depth exploration of how biomechanics and ecology work together Plants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings, and these interactions—with all their complexity and contingency—control where species can survive and reproduce. In this comprehensive and groundbreaking introduction to the emerging field of ecological mechanics, Mark Denny explains how the principles of physics and engineering can be used to understand the intricacies of these remarkable relationships. Denny opens with a brief review of basic physics before introducing the fundamentals of diffusion, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer, taking care to explain each in the context of living organisms. Why are corals of different shapes on different parts of a reef? How can geckos climb sheer walls? Why can birds and fish migrate farther than mammals? How do desert plants stay cool? The answers to these and a host of similar questions illustrate the principles of heat, mass, and momentum transport and set the stage for the book's central topic—the application of these principles in ecology. Denny shows how variations in the environment—in both space and time—affect the performance of plants and animals. He introduces spectral analysis, a mathematical tool for quantifying the patterns in which environments vary, and uses it to analyze such subjects as the spread of invasive species. Synthesizing the book’s materials, the final chapters use ecological mechanics to predict the occurrence and consequences of extreme ecological events, explain the emergence of patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms, and empower readers to explore further. Ecological Mechanics offers new insights into the physical workings of organisms and their environment.
Author : Anja Geitmann
Publisher : Springer
Page : 436 pages
File Size : 19,91 MB
Release : 2018-06-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 3319790994
This book provides important insights into the operating principles of plants by highlighting the relationship between structure and function. It describes the quantitative determination of structural and mechanical parameters, such as the material properties of a tissue, in correlation with specific features, such as the ability of the tissue to conduct water or withstand bending forces, which will allow advanced analysis in plant biomechanics. This knowledge enables researchers to understand the developmental changes that occur in plant organs over their life span and under the influence of environmental factors. The authors provide an overview of the state of the art of plant structure and function and how they relate to the mechanical behavior of the organism, such as the ability of plants to grow against the gravity vector or to withstand the forces of wind. They also show the sophisticated strategies employed by plants to effect organ movement and morphogenesis in the absence of muscles or cellular migration. As such, this book not only appeals to scientists currently working in plant sciences and biophysics, but also inspires future generations to pursue their own research in this area.
Author : Roland Ennos
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 15,23 MB
Release : 2012
Category : Science
ISBN : 0691135509
Offering a review of the biomechanical design of organisms, from bacteria onwards, this book shows how the bodies of animals & plants are masterpieces of engineering, enabling them to survive in a hostile world.
Author : Arturo N. Natali
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 11,21 MB
Release : 2003-04-24
Category : Medical
ISBN : 020351484X
Dental Biomechanics provides a comprehensive, timely, and wide-reaching survey of the relevant aspects of biomechanical investigation within the dental field. Leading the reader through the mechanical analysis of dental problems in dental implants, orthodontics, and natural tooth mechanics, this book covers an increasingly important and popular sub
Author : Karl J. Niklas
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 630 pages
File Size : 21,14 MB
Release : 1992-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 0226586316
In this book, the author analyzes plant form and how it has evolved in response to basic physical laws. He examines the ways these laws limit the organic expression of form, size, and growth in a variety of plant structures and in plants as whole organisms, drawing on both the fossil record and studies of extant species.
Author : Steven Vogel
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 640 pages
File Size : 41,64 MB
Release : 2013-06-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 1400847826
The classic textbook on comparative biomechanics—revised and expanded Why do you switch from walking to running at a specific speed? Why do tall trees rarely blow over in high winds? And why does a spore ejected into air at seventy miles per hour travel only a fraction of an inch? Comparative Biomechanics is the first and only textbook that takes a comprehensive look at the mechanical aspects of life—covering animals and plants, structure and movement, and solids and fluids. An ideal entry point into the ways living creatures interact with their immediate physical world, this revised and updated edition examines how the forms and activities of animals and plants reflect the materials available to nature, considers rules for fluid flow and structural design, and explores how organisms contend with environmental forces. Drawing on physics and mechanical engineering, Steven Vogel looks at how animals swim and fly, modes of terrestrial locomotion, organism responses to winds and water currents, circulatory and suspension-feeding systems, and the relationship between size and mechanical design. He also investigates links between the properties of biological materials—such as spider silk, jellyfish jelly, and muscle—and their structural and functional roles. Early chapters and appendices introduce relevant physical variables for quantification, and problem sets are provided at the end of each chapter. Comparative Biomechanics is useful for physical scientists and engineers seeking a guide to state-of-the-art biomechanics. For a wider audience, the textbook establishes the basic biological context for applied areas—including ergonomics, orthopedics, mechanical prosthetics, kinesiology, sports medicine, and biomimetics—and provides materials for exhibit designers at science museums. Problem sets at the ends of chapters Appendices cover basic background information Updated and expanded documentation and materials Revised figures and text Increased coverage of friction, viscoelastic materials, surface tension, diverse modes of locomotion, and biomimetics
Author : Katy Bowman
Publisher : Uphill Books
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 16,16 MB
Release : 2016-11-29
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 1943370044
Human beings have always moved for what they need until recently. We know how a lack of movement impacts our bodies but how does culture-wide sedentarism impact the world? Movement Matters is an award-winning collection of essays in which biomechanist Katy Bowman continues her groundbreaking presentation on the interconnectedness of nature, human movement, and the environment. Winner: Foreword Indies Book Award (Gold) Here Bowman widens her there is more to movement than exercise message presented in Move Your DNA and invites us to consider this idea: human movement is a part of the ecosystem. Movement Matters explores how we make ourselves, our communities, and our planet healthier all at the same time by moving our bodies more–as well as: How did we become so sedentary? (Hint: Convenience often saves us movement, not time.) the missing movement nutrients in our food how to include more nature in education why ecosystem models need to include human movement the human need for Vitamin Community and group movement Unapologetically direct, often hilarious, and always compassionate, Movement Matters demonstrates that human movement is powerful and important, and that living a movement-filled life is perhaps the most joyful and efficient way to transform your body, community, and world. A must read for exercise teachers, environmentalists, and those wanting simple, accessible ways to take action for a better world.
