Download or read book Energetics of Desert Invertebrates written by Harold Heatwole and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Desert invertebrates live in an environment where resources alternate unpredictably between brief periods of plenty and prolonged scarcity. This book describes the adaptive strategies of desert invertebrates in acquiring energy and sustaining life with such fluctuations. Some cooperate in foraging; others compete for resources. Some are nomadic and migrate to more favorable sites as conditions change. Others conserve energy by going into a deep dormancy until better conditions return. Still others store food during plentiful periods so as to retreat underground during less favorable times. The adaptive modes of economizing on scarce energy resources are diverse and lead to an appreciation of the intricate interactions of animals living close to their environmental limits.
Download or read book Biology of Desert Invertebrates written by C. S. Crawford and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What little we know of the biology of desert invertebrates stems largely from inferences based on intensive and repeated observations. Such informa tion is not gained easily, since despite the actual abundance of these animals, relatively few of them are ever seen. In fact, except for species impacting on the well-being of human populations, historically most have been ignored by scholars in the western world. Indeed, it was ancient Egypt, with its reverence for the symbolism of the scarab, that probably provided us with the clearest early record of prominent desert types. A more modest resurgence of the story had to wait until the arrival of the present century. To be sure, some of the more obvious species had by then been elevated by European collectors to the level of drawing-room curios ities, and expeditions had returned large numbers to museums. But by 1900 the task of describing desert species and relationships among them was still in its infancy; and as for careful natural history studies, they too were just coming into their own.
Download or read book Environmental Physiology of Desert Organisms written by Neil F. Hadley and published by Dowden Hutchinson and Ross. This book was released on 1975 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heat flux and the thermal regime of desert plants; Adaptations of desert lichens to drought and extreme temperatures; Dynamics of great basin shrub root systems; Environmental and plant factors influencing transpiration of desert plants; Coloration and its thermal consequences for diurnal desert insects. Thermoregulation and flight energetics of desert insects; Nitrogen excretion in arid-adapted amphibians; The water relations of two populations of noncaptive desert rodents.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Deserts written by Michael A. Mares and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2017-01-19 with total page 695 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.
Download or read book Invertebrates in Hot and Cold Arid Environments written by Lauritz Somme and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comparison of the adaptations made by invertebrates in polar deserts with those of temperate and subtropical deserts. These regions represent some of the most hostile environments on earth, demanding an array of strategies for survival. Polar species are well adapted to the cold and have to cope with arid conditions due to low precipitation and lack of liquid water during the winter. Similarly, temperate desert invertebrates have adapted to dry conditions and are also exposed to low winter temperatures. Terrestrial arthropods maintain their water-balance through behavioural and physiological adaptations. Tardigrades and nematodes are remarkable in their ability to shed all their water before entering a state of anhydrobiosis only to be revived when moisture once again becomes available.
Download or read book Arid Land Ecosystems Volume 1 written by R. A. Perry and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1979-03-08 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive account of arid-land ecosystems will be of importance to university teachers and professional ecologists throughout the world.
Download or read book Behavioural Adaptations of Desert Animals written by Giovanni Costa and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After a brief survey of biotopic and vegetational features and an account of the main groups of desert animals, the most unusual patterns of the behaviour of the xerophilous fauna are examined. The importance of the thermohygric regulation and self-protective and locomotor mechanisms to the survival of arid-adapted animals is emphasized and various adaptations in the alimentary, reproductive and social spheres are analyzed. The clear and fluent treatment will awaken the interest of the reading public, from the amateur naturalists to research scientists.
Download or read book Nomadic Desert Birds written by W. Richard J. Dean and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My interest in the behaviour and movements of birds of arid and semi-arid ecosystems began when my wife, Sue Milton, and I were Roy Siegfried, Director, at that time, of the Percy approached by Prof. FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, to set up a project to investigate granivory in the South African Karoo. Sue and I spent some time finding a suitable study site, setting up accommodations and an automatic weather station at Tierberg, in the southern Karoo near the village of Prince Albert, and planning projects. Among our first projects was a transect where we noted plant phe nology, measured seed densities on the soil surface, counted birds, observed ant activity, measured soil surface temperatures and col lected whatever climate data we could at 40 sites along a 200-km oval route. Along the way, we became interested in the marked presence and absence of birds at certain sites - abundant birds one day, and very few birds at the same site a month later. Subsequent counts along fixed transects through shrublands confirmed that a number of bird species were highly nomadic over short and long distances, locally and regionally, leading to speculation on how widespread these movements were in the arid ecosystems of the world.
Download or read book Survival Strategies of Annual Desert Plants written by Yitzchak Gutterman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annual desert plant species of unrelated taxa in the Negev Desert of Israel have developed complementary sets of adaptations and survival strategies as ecological equivalents with physiological, morphological and anatomical resemblances, in the various stages of their life cycles. After 40 years of research in hot deserts Yitzchak Gutterman provides a comprehensive treatise of such adaptations and strategies. In doing so he covers the following topics: post-maturation primary seed dormancy, which prevents germination of maturing seeds before the summer; seed dispersal mechanisms with escape or protection strategies; cautious or opportunistic germination strategies; seedling drought tolerance. The day-length is an important factor in regulating flowering as well as the phenotypic plasticity of seed germination which is also affected by maternal factors.
Download or read book Plants in the Deserts of the Middle East written by Kamal H. Batanouny and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Usually authors write introductions for their books, although they know that not many readers will read it. Despite this, authors insist on writing an introduction and no publisher will publish a book without one. I would like to inform my dear readers that I have spent almost all of the first quarter of my life in a village in the Nile Delta, 65 km north of Cairo. The everyday scenery there was the beautiful green landscape dissected with canals full of running water. All of these were bordered with the huge sycamore, mulberry and acacia trees. The desert was something unknown to me at that time, except for the very basic information given in geography books, which explained that the desert is a place without water or cultiva tion. Some of my ideas about the desert came to me from the stories in the history of Islam and the desert lands where Islam originated. My real attraction to the desert developed in the last year of my under graduate studies. This was during the field courses in Ecology (Prof. A.M.
Download or read book The Hot Blooded Insects written by Bernd Heinrich and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "From one man's persistent and elegant probing of the temperature biology of bees, we have been led to a deeper understanding of the whole biology of many insect taxa, and of their interactions with ecological and environmental stresses: all who work at the interfaces of physiology, ecology and behaviour have cause to be grateful, and all should certainly read this book." (Trends in Ecology & Evolution) "An outstanding source of information, and can be read with profit and satisfaction by the professional biologist and interested amateur alike." (Nature)
Download or read book Ecology of North America written by Brian R. Chapman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-04-09 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: North America contains an incredibly diverse array of natural environments, each supporting unique systems of plant and animal life. These systems, the largest of which are biomes, form intricate webs of life that have taken millennia to evolve. This richly illustrated book introduces readers to this extraordinary array of natural communities and their subtle biological and geological interactions. Completely revised and updated throughout, the second edition of this successful text takes a qualitative, intuitive approach to the subject, beginning with an overview of essential ecological terms and concepts, such as competitive exclusion, taxa, niches, and succession. It then goes on to describe the major biomes and communities that characterize the rich biota of the continent, starting with the Tundra and continuing with Boreal Forest, Deciduous Forest, Grasslands, Deserts, Montane Forests, and Temperature Rain Forest, among others. Coastal environments, including the Laguna Madre, seagrasses, Chesapeake Bay, and barrier islands appear in a new chapter. Additionally, the book covers many unique features such as pitcher plant bogs, muskeg, the polar ice cap, the cloud forests of Mexico, and the LaBrea tar pits. “Infoboxes” have been added; these include biographies of historical figures who provided significant contributions to the development of ecology, unique circumstances such as frogs and insects that survive freezing, and conservation issues such as those concerning puffins and island foxes. Throughout the text, ecological concepts are worked into the text; these include biogeography, competitive exclusion, succession, soil formation, and the mechanics of natural selection. Ecology of North America 2e is an ideal first text for students interested in natural resources, environmental science, and biology, and it is a useful and attractive addition to the library of anyone interested in understanding and protecting the natural environment.
Download or read book Advances in Insect Physiology written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 1982-07-06 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advances in Insect Physiology
Download or read book The Invertebrates written by R. S. K. Barnes and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-04-13 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of undergraduate texts in invertebrate zoology (of which there are many) fall into one of two categories. They either offer a systematic treatment of groups of animals phylum by phylum, or adopt a functional approach to the various anatomical and physiological systems of the better known species. The Invertebrates is the first and only textbook to integrate both approaches and thus meet the modern teaching needs of the subject. This is the only invertebrate textbook to integrate systematics and functional approaches. The molecular systematics sections have been completely updated for the new edition. Strong evolutionary theme which reflects the importance of molecular techniques throughout. Distills the essential characteristics of each invertebrate group and lists diagnostic features to allow comparisons between phyla. New phyla have been added for the new edition. Stresses comparisons in physiology, reproduction and development. Improved layout and illustration quality. Second edition has sold 14000 copies. Nature of the first edition: 'Students will like this book. It deserves to succeed.'
Download or read book Energy Metabolism in Insects written by Roger G. H. Downer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scientific program for the XVI International Congress of Entomology, held in Kyoto, Japan August 3-9, 1980 included a symposium on the subject of "Energy Metabolism and Its Regulation in Insects." The symposium provided an opportunity to integrate knowledge, and focus attention, on an important and fundamental aspect of insect biochemis try/physiology. The energy metabolism of insects differs from that of other animals in a variety of ways, including the prodigious amounts of energy expended by flying insects, the presence in hemolymph of large concentrations of sugar in the form of the nonreducing disaccharide tre halose, the transport of fat in the form of diacylglycerol, and the periodic mobilization and deposition of cuticular components during development. These differences, together with hormones, neurohormones, and neu rotransmitters that are specific to (or functionally different in) insects, serve to demonstrate the unique nature of energy metabolism in insects. An obvious corollary from the demonstrated uniqueness of insect energy metabolism is that an understanding of the process may lead to the de velopment of new, specific agents or strategies for the suppression of insect pests. The present volume is an expanded version of the Kyoto symposium.
Download or read book Physiological Ecology written by William H. Karasov and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2007-08-05 with total page 758 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlocking the puzzle of how animals behave and how they interact with their environments is impossible without understanding the physiological processes that determine their use of food resources. But long overdue is a user-friendly introduction to the subject that systematically bridges the gap between physiology and ecology. Ecologists--for whom such knowledge can help clarify the consequences of global climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and pollution--often find themselves wading through an unwieldy, technically top-heavy literature. Here, William Karasov and Carlos Martínez del Rio present the first accessible and authoritative one-volume overview of the physiological and biochemical principles that shape how animals procure energy and nutrients and free themselves of toxins--and how this relates to broader ecological phenomena. After introducing primary concepts, the authors review the chemical ecology of food, and then discuss how animals digest and process food. Their broad view includes symbioses and extends even to ecosystem phenomena such as ecological stochiometry and toxicant biomagnification. They introduce key methods and illustrate principles with wide-ranging vertebrate and invertebrate examples. Uniquely, they also link the physiological mechanisms of resource use with ecological phenomena such as how and why animals choose what they eat and how they participate in the exchange of energy and materials in their biological communities. Thoroughly up-to-date and pointing the way to future research, Physiological Ecology is an essential new source for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students-and an ideal synthesis for professionals. The most accessible introduction to the physiological and biochemical principles that shape how animals use resources Unique in linking the physiological mechanisms of resource use with ecological phenomena An essential resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students An ideal overview for researchers
Download or read book Biology of Desert Invertebrates written by Clifford S. Crawford and published by Springer. This book was released on 1981-01-01 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
