Ecology and Natural History of Desert Lizards


Book Description

Eric Pianka offers a synthesis of his life's work on the comparative ecology of lizard assemblages in the Great Basin. Mojave and Sonoran deserts of western North America, the Kalahari semi-desert of southern Africa, and the Great Victoria desert of Western Australia. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.




Lizards


Book Description

This book provides an overview of the diversity of lizards and their major adaptive features. The authors discuss the latest research findings and provide new hypotheses about lizard diversity.




Reptiles in Research


Book Description

Reptiles demonstrate remarkable diversity across the landscape. From inland habitats of deserts and grasslands to coastal plains and oceans, the unique adaptations and life histories of reptiles have been shaped by a suite of abiotic and biotic factors. It is the interface between the organism and its environment that present biologists with the opportunity to explore how reptiles behaviorally and physiologically respond to their environments and to determine what factors govern their ecology. "Reptiles in Research: Investigations of Ecology, Physiology, and Behavior from Desert to Sea" will capture the interests of all readers with a text that is foundational for the novice herpetologist, while informative for beginning students and seasoned research scientists. This book offers its readers a glimpse into the passions of scientists who find reptiles fascinating creatures of study. You will see how reptiles serve as organismal models that continue to advance our knowledge and understanding of complex biological processes and systems. Dr. William I. Lutterschmidt (Professor of Physiological Ecology) has invited top researchers from around the world to share their personal research interests and illustrate how environment influences the ecology, physiology, and behavior of reptiles. This book will introduce a diversity of research fields and reptilian species, from how web-footed geckos move in desert sands to how sea snakes cope physiologically with high salinity. Topics include invasive species, urban ecology, mathematical simulation, sexual selection, hybridization and gene flow, chemical ecology, neurobiology, spatial ecology, conservation biology, biodiversity, immunology, and molecular biology.




Lizard Ecology


Book Description

The foraging mode of lizards has been a central theme in guiding research in lizard biology for three decades. Foraging mode has been shown to be a pervasive evolutionary force molding the diet, ecology, behavior, anatomy, biomechanics, life history, and physiology of lizards. This 2007 volume reviews the knowledge on the effects of foraging mode on these and other organismal systems to show how they have evolved, over a wide taxonomic survey of lizard groups. The reviews presented here reveal the continuous nature of foraging strategies in lizards and snakes, providing the reader with a review of the field, and will equip researchers with fresh insights and directions for the sit-and-wait vs. wide foraging paradigm. This will serve as a reference book for herpetologists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists and animal behaviorists.




A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert


Book Description

"A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert provides the most complete collection of Sonoran Desert natural history information ever compiled and is a perfect introduction to this biologically rich desert of North America."--BOOK JACKET.




Lizards of Patagonia


Book Description

This book presents a critical and integrated review of lizards from Patagonia. It summarizes the region’s geomorphological history and climatic aspects, which makes it possible to interpret, from an evolutionary perspective, the latest findings on the various natural history aspects of its lizard fauna. As such, the book will appeal to all researchers and professionals specialized in lizard ecology and evolution.




Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America


Book Description

"Horned 'toads' have long inspired curious humans, from ancient Indian rock artists and the earliest Spanish explorers to modern scientists. These lizards specialize on ants for food, employ distinctive defensive tactics for different enemies, arch their bodies to collect rainwater, and exhibit numerous other adaptations to arid environments. Wade Sherbrooke's wonderful book, packed with facts and personal insights, will give everyone from lay naturalists to seasoned field biologists a new appreciation for these magically bizarre animals."—Harry W. Greene, author of Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature "Written in language understandable by anyone, Sherbrooke's newly revised little book on horned lizards is an exceedingly useful reference that covers most of what is known about these interesting and unusual lizards."—Eric R. Pianka, author of The Lizard Man Speaks "Wade Sherbrooke has provided in this very readable book a concise introduction to the evolution and natural history of the horned lizards, their impact on human art, and their future in an increasingly human-dominated planet. No one has more first-hand knowledge of the life history of horned lizards than Dr. Sherbrooke, so this book represents more than a summary; Sherbrooke provides insight into the life and times of horned lizards as no one else could. Amateur and professional alike will find much to enjoy about this book."—Darrel Frost, American Museum of Natural History Praise for the first edition: "[This is] the horned lizard bible deluxe."—Coevolution




Lizard Ecology


Book Description

Originally published in 2006, this book was the first critical review of the effects of lizard foraging modes in 30 years.




Australian Deserts


Book Description

Australian Deserts: Ecology and Landscapes is about the vast sweep of the Outback, a land of expanses making up three-quarters of the continent – the heart of Australia. Steve Morton brings his extensive first-hand knowledge and experience of arid Australia to this book, explaining how Australian deserts work ecologically. This book outlines why unpredictable rainfall and paucity of soil nutrients underpin the nature of desert ecosystems, while also describing how plants and animals came to be desert dwellers through evolutionary time. It shows how plants use uncertain rainfall to provide for persistence of their populations, alongside outlines of the dominant animals of the deserts and explanations of the features that help them succeed in the face of aridity and uncertainty. Richly illustrated with the photographs of Mike Gillam, this fascinating and accessible book will enhance your understanding of the nature of arid Australia.




Lizards


Book Description

From tiny to gigantic, from drab to remarkably beautiful, from harmless to venomous, lizards are spectacular products of natural selection. This book, lavishly illustrated with color photographs, is the first comprehensive reference on lizards around the world. Accessible, scientifically up-to-date, and written with contagious enthusiasm for the subject, Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity covers species evolution, diversity, ecology, and biology. Eric R. Pianka and Laurie J. Vitt have studied and photographed members of almost all lizard families worldwide, and they bring to the book a deep knowledge based on extensive firsthand experience with the animals in their natural habitats. Part One explores lizard lifestyles, answering such questions as why lizards are active when they are, why they behave as they do, how they avoid predators, why they eat what they eat, and how they reproduce and socialize. In Part Two the authors take us on a fascinating tour of the world's manifold lizard species, beginning with iguanians, an evolutionary group that includes some of the most bizarre lizards, the true chameleons of Africa and Madagascar. We also meet the glass lizard, able to break its tail into many highly motile pieces to distract a predator from its body; lizards that can run across water; and limbless lizards, such as snakes. Part Three gives an unprecedented global view of evolutionary trends that have shaped present-day lizard communities and considers the impact of humans on their future. A definitive resource containing many entertaining anecdotes, this magnificent book opens a new window to the natural world and the evolution of life on earth.