Cardio-Respiratory Control in Vertebrates


Book Description

Hopefully, this book will be taken off of the shelf frequently to be studied carefully over many years. More than 40 researchers were involved in this project, which examines respiration, circulation, and metabolism from ?sh to the land vertebrates, including human beings. A breathable and stable atmosphere ?rst appeared about 500 million years ago. Oxygen levels are not stable in aquatic environments and exclusively water-breathing ?sh must still cope with the ever-changing levels of O 2 and with large temperature changes. This is re?ected in their sophisticated count- current systems, with high O extraction and internal and external O receptors. 2 2 The conquest for the terrestrial environment took place in the late Devonian period (355–359 million years ago), and recent discoveries portray the gradual transitional evolution of land vertebrates. The oxygen-rich and relatively stable atmospheric conditionsimpliedthatoxygen-sensingmechanismswererelativelysimpleandl- gain compared with acid–base regulation. Recently, physiology has expanded into related ?elds such as biochemistry, molecular biology, morphology and anatomy. In the light of the work in these ?elds, the introduction of DNA-based cladograms, which can be used to evaluate the likelihood of land vertebrates and lung?sh as a sister group, could explain why their cardio-respiratory control systems are similar. The diffusing capacity of a duck lung is 40 times higher than that of a toad or lung?sh. Certainly, some animals have evolved to rich high-performance levels.




Cellular and Molecular Approaches to Fish Ionic Regulation


Book Description

Many physiological processes are regulated by the movement of ions into and out of organs, tissues, and cells. During the past decade, a variety of new techniques and approaches have contributed to a deeper understanding of the myriad influences ions have on the function and structure of organisms. From respiration and excretion to neurological control and metabolic processing, ions and their regulation occupy a central role in physiology of fish as well as other organisms. - Comprehensive update of ionic regulation in fish - Focuses on wide variety of organ systems and the influence of ions on organ system function - Contributions from an international group




Osmotic and Ionic Regulation


Book Description

In the 40 years since the classic review of osmotic and ionic regulation written by Potts and Parry, there has been astonishing growth in scientific productivity, a marked shift in the direction and taxonomic distribution of research, and amazing changes in the technology of scientific research" It is indicative of the growth of the subject that as




Fish Larval Physiology


Book Description

This book is intended as a resource for students and researchers interested in developmental biology and physiology and specifically addresses the larval stages of fish. Fish larvae (and fish embryos) are not small juveniles or adults. Rather they are transitionary organisms that bridge the critical gap between the singlecelled egg and sexually immature juvenile. Fish larvae represent the stage of the life cycle that is used for differentiation, feeding and distribution. The book aims at providing a single-volume treatise that explains how fish larvae develop and differentiate, how they regulate salt, water and acid-base balance, how they transport and exchange gases, acquire and utilise energy, how they sense their environment, and move in their aquatic medium, how they control and defend themselves, and finally how they grow up.







The Physiology of Fishes, Third Edition


Book Description

New scientific approaches have dramatically evolved in the decade since The Physiology of Fishes was first published. With the genomic revolution and a heightened understanding of molecular biology, we now have the tools and the knowledge to apply a fresh approach to the study of fishes. Consequently, The Physiology of Fishes, Third Edition is not merely another updating, but rather an entire reworking of the original. To satisfy that need for a fresh approach, the editors have employed a new set of expert contributors steeped in the very latest research; their contemporary perspective pervades the entire text. In addition to new chapters on gas transport, temperature physiology, and stress, as well as one dedicated to functional genomics, readers will discover that many of these new contributors approach their material with a contemporary molecular perspective. While much of the material is new, the editors have completely adhered to the original’s style in creating a text that continues to be highly readable and perpetually insightful in bridging the gap between pure and applied science. The Physiology of Fishes, Third Edition, completely updated with a molecular perspective, continues to be regarded as the best single-volume general reference on all major areas of research in fish physiology. The Physiology of Fishes, Third Edition provides background information for advanced students as well as material of interest to marine and fisheries biologists, ichthyologists, and comparative physiologists looking to differentiate between the physiological strategies unique to fishes, and those shared with other organisms.




Ocean Acidification and Marine Wildlife


Book Description

Ocean Acidification and Marine Wildlife: Physiological and Behavioral Impacts provides comprehensive knowledge on how decreases in the pH of the world's oceans is affecting marine organisms. The book synthesizes recent findings about the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on marine animals, covering the physiological and behavioral effects upon marine invertebrates and vertebrates, the potential physiological and molecular mechanism affects, and interactions of OA with other environmental factors. Written by international experts in this research field, this book summarizes new discoveries of OA effects on fertilization, embryonic development, biomineralization, metabolism, immune response, foraging, anti-predation, habitat selection, and the social hierarchy of marine animals. This is an important resource for researchers and practitioners in marine conservation, marine wildlife studies, and climate change studies. In addition, it will serve as a valuable text for marine biology and animal science students. - Examines the impacts of carbon dioxide increases in the world's oceans relating to marine vertebrates and invertebrates - Identifies environmental factors, including climate change and pollution and how they increase the negative effects of ocean acidification - Facilitates a better understanding of ocean acidification effects for conservationism and future prevention




Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives


Book Description

Winner of Choice Magazines Outstanding Academic Title award, January 2005! Sharks and their relatives are the subjects of tremendous interest. The publics fascination is influenced by their roles in movies and popular literature, while the media races to cover stories of predators endangering helpless humans. The alarming threat to shark popul




Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology


Book Description

Fish form an extremely diverse group of vertebrates. At a conservative estimate at least 40% of the world's vertebrates are fish. On the one hand they are united by their adaptations to an aquatic environment and on the other they show a variety of adaptations to differing environmental conditions - often to extremes of temperature, salinity, oxygen level and water chemistry. They exhibit an array of behavioural and reproductive systems. Interesting in their own right, this suite of adaptive physiologies provides many model systems for both comparative vertebrate and human physiologists. This four volume encyclopedia covers the diversity of fish physiology in over 300 articles and provides entry level information for students and summary overviews for researchers alike. Broadly organised into four themes, articles cover Functional, Thematic, and Phylogenetic Physiology, and Fish Genomics. Functional articles address the traditional aspects of fish physiology that are common to all areas of vertebrate physiology including: Reproduction, Respiration, Neural (Sensory, Central, Effector), Endocrinology, Renal, Cardiovascular, Acid-base Balance, Osmoregulation, Ionoregulation, Digestion, Metabolism, Locomotion, and so on. Thematic Physiology articles are carefully selected and fewer in number. They provide a level of integration that goes beyond the coverage in the Functional Physiology topics and include discussions of Toxicology, Air-breathing, Migrations, Temperature, Endothermy, etc. Phylogenetic Physiology articles bring together information that bridges the physiology of certain groupings of fishes where the knowledge base has a sufficient depth and breadth and include articles on Ancient Fishes, Tunas, Sharks, etc. Genomics articles describe the underlying genetic component of fish physiology and high light their suitability and use as model organisms for the study of disease, stress and physiological adaptations and reactions to external conditions. Winner of a 2011 PROSE Award Honorable Mention for Multivolume Science Reference from the Association of American Publishers The definitive encyclopedia for the field of fish physiology Three volumes which comprehensively cover the entire field in over 300 entries written by experts Detailed coverage of basic functional physiology of fishes, physiological themes in fish biology and comparative physiology amongst taxonomic Groups Describes the genomic bases of fish physiology and biology and the use of fish as model organisms in human physiological research Includes a glossary of terms