Book Description
Despite our intuition, birds are no smaller than mammals when the constraints of a flying body plan are taken into account. Nevertheless, the largest mammals are ten times the mass of the largest birds.
Author : Michael R. Dickison
Publisher :
Page : 125 pages
File Size : 40,49 MB
Release : 2007
Category :
ISBN : 9781109937268
Despite our intuition, birds are no smaller than mammals when the constraints of a flying body plan are taken into account. Nevertheless, the largest mammals are ten times the mass of the largest birds.
Author : Delphine Angst
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 298 pages
File Size : 17,19 MB
Release : 2017-11-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 0081011431
The fossil record of giant flightless birds extends back to the Late Cretaceous, more than 70 million years ago, but our understanding of these extinct birds is still incomplete. This is partly because the number of specimens available is sometimes limited, but also because widely different approaches have been used to study them, with sometimes contradictory results. This book summarizes the current knowledge of the paleobiology of seven groups of giant flightless birds: Dinornithiformes, Aepyornithiformes, Dromornithidae, Phorusrhacidae, Brontornithidae, Gastornithidae and Gargantuavis. The first chapter presents the global diversity of these birds and reviews the tools and methods used to study their paleobiology. Chapters 2 to 8 are each dedicated to one of the seven groups of extinct birds. Finally, a conclusion offers a global synthesis of the information presented in the book in an attempt to define a common evolutionary model. Focuses on the giant flightless birds that evolved independently in different parts of the world since the Cretaceous period Covers a number of different families with different evolutionary histories, providing a source of interesting comparisons Provides emphasis on the palaeobiology of these birds, including their evolution, adaptations, mode of life, ecology and extinction
Author : Peter F. Murray
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 428 pages
File Size : 24,64 MB
Release : 2004-03-04
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780253342829
Over millions of years, Australia's unique biodiversity has produced a large cabinet of curiosities. Among the weirder members of this group were the Mihirungs, members of the now extinct family Dromornithidae. Made up of several genera of flightless birds—among them one of the very largest birds that ever lived—the dromornithids ranged from 60-kilogram beasts, 1.5 meters tall, to giants twice that size, weighing nearly half a metric ton. They were, by orders of magnitude, the largest "geese" that ever lived. One species was comparable in size to the Ele-phantbird of Madagascar and the Giant Moa of New Zealand. This book is the first major study of this unique and highly diverse group. It aims to present as complete a synthesis as possible of current information about this fascinating family of birds.
Author : Gary Ritchison
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 2516 pages
File Size : 40,13 MB
Release : 2023-11-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 3031148525
With more than 10,000 species that vary in size, use diverse habitats that extend across latitudes and altitudes, consume a wide variety of food items, differ in how they fly (or not), communicate, and reproduce, and have different life histories, birds exhibit remarkable variation in form (anatomy) and function (physiology). Our understanding of how natural selection has generated this variation as birds evolved and as different species adapted to their unique circumstances has grown considerably in recent years. In In a Class of Their Own: A Detailed Examination of Avian Forms and Functions, this variation is explained in great detail, beginning with an overview of avian evolution and continuing with information about the structure and function of the avian skeleton, muscles, and the various body systems. Other chapters focus on avian locomotion (including flight), migration, navigation, communication, energy balance and thermoregulation, and various aspects of avian reproduction, such as nests and nest building, clutch sizes, and parental care. In a Class of Their Own: A Detailed Examination of Avian Forms and Functions will be must reading for anyone, professional or non-professional, who needs or wants to learn more about birds.
Author : Nicholas Chan
Publisher :
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 18,81 MB
Release : 2015
Category : Birds
ISBN :
Author :
Publisher :
Page : 1044 pages
File Size : 22,26 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Dissertations, Academic
ISBN :
Author : Pierce Brodkorb
Publisher :
Page : 5 pages
File Size : 25,50 MB
Release : 1963
Category :
ISBN :
Author : Michael L. Morrison
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 1017 pages
File Size : 48,21 MB
Release : 2018-09-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 142142472X
The essential text for ornithology courses, this book will leave students with a lifelong understanding and appreciation of the biology and ecology of birds. Aves, the birds, is the wildlife group that people most frequently encounter. With over 10,000 species worldwide, these animals are part of our everyday experience. They are also the focus of intense research, and their management and conservation is a subject of considerable effort throughout the world. But what are the defining attributes that make a bird a bird? Aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, Ornithology provides a solid modern foundation for understanding the life and development of birds. Written by renowned experts from around the globe, this comprehensive textbook draws on the latest research to create an innovative learning experience. Moving beyond bones, muscle, and feathers, it provides the core information needed to “build” the bird, linking anatomy and physiology with ecology and behavior. As it reviews the major orders of birds, the book highlights their wide diversity and critically evaluates ornithological concepts and theories. Incorporating brief biographies of leaders in the field, the text describes their contributions in the context of key historical events in bird science. Each chapter ends with a summary of the material covered, a discussion of potential management and conservation applications, and suggested study questions that will stimulate thought and discussion. Contributors: Peter Arcese, George E. Bentley, Lori A. Blanc, William M. Block, Alice Boyle, Leonard A. Brennan, Luke K. Butler, Zac Cheviron, Luis M. Chiappe, Melanie R. Colón, Caren B. Cooper, Robert J. Cooper, Jamie M. Cornelius, Carlos Martinez Del Rio, John Dumbacher, Shannon Farrell, Maureen Flannery, Geoffrey Geupel, Patricia Adair Gowaty, Thomas P. Hahn, Ashley M. Heers, Fritz Hertel, Geoffrey E. Hill, Matthew Johnson, Lukas F. Keller, Dylan C. Kesler, Pablo Sabat Kirkwood, John Klicka, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Ashley M. Long, Scott R. Loss, Graham R. Martin, John M. Marzluff, Susan B. McRae, Michael L. Morrison, Timothy J. O’Connell, Jen C. Owen, Marco Pavia, Jeffrey Podos, Lars Pomara, Jonathan F. Prather, Marco Restani, Alejandro Rico-Guevara, Amanda D. Rodewald, Vanya G. Rohwer, Matthias Starck, Michael W. Strohbach, S. Mažeika P. Sullivan, Diego Sustaita, Kerri T. Vierling, Gary Voelker, Margaret A. Voss, Jeff R. Walters, Paige S. Warren, Elisabeth B. Webb, Michael S. Webster, Eric M. Wood, Robert M. Zink, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Author :
Publisher :
Page : 504 pages
File Size : 15,5 MB
Release : 2008
Category : Biology
ISBN :
Author : Diego Rasskin-Gutman
Publisher : Universitat de València
Page : 445 pages
File Size : 31,94 MB
Release : 2011-11-28
Category : Science
ISBN : 8437087554
Pere Alberch (1954-1998) fue un destacado biólogo español que reformuló el concepto de evo-devo, la ciencia del desarrollo y la evolución, siguiendo la estela dejada por figuras clásicas de la ciencia de los siglos XIX y XX tales como Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, sir Gavin De Beer, Conrad H. Waddington y Stephen J. Gould. Sus artículos sobre las limitaciones desarrollistas y evolucionistas, centrados en la heterocronía como proceso fundamental responsable de la formación de la filogenia, constituyen verdaderos clásicos de la evo-devo actual. Este volumen presenta tres ensayos originales que analizan la importancia histórica y filosófica de su trabajo en el desarrollo de la evo-devo. Además ofrece una selección de reproducciones facsímiles de sus artículos más relevantes, que proporcionan al lector una visión inestimable para encomiar la vida y el trabajo de Alberch.