Intended for students in the biological and agricultural sciences, ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY has been written to promote the true conceptual understanding necessary to keep pace with today’s rapid advances in the biological sciences.
ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY takes an "integrative systems" approach, designed to illustrate the individual organization as well as the collective interdependence of each complete physiological system. The text begins with chapters on integrative principles and on the genomic, molecular, and cellular basis of physiology, then proceeds to chapters on individual organ systems. For each organ system, evolutionary forces as well as current cellular and molecular research are discussed. To clearly illustrate system interdependence-how integrated organ systems yield a whole, functioning animal-each systems chapter contains a summary, titled "Chapter in Perspective: Homeostasis and Integration." In addition, special integrative chapters-"Fluid and Acid-Base Balance" and "Energy Balance and Thermal Physiology"-focus on crucial whole-body phenomena that are dependent on more than one organ system.
To make the text even more accessible to students, the authors also incorporate a comparative approach to animal physiology-examining the basic physiology of many vertebrate and invertebrate animals as well as their primary diseases and ability to respond to environmental changes. These comparisons between types of animals are included to explain important universal functions and principles, thus emphasizing the unity of life. Unique or striking adaptations are featured to reveal the diversity that can result from evolutionary adaptation. Finally, the authors incorporate detailed coverage of those animal species, particularly vertebrates, which will be of relevance to students preparing for animal-related careers.
Features
ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY’’s primary organization is according to body systems, but it also provides coverage of cellular, molecular, and genomic topics in early chapters, and incorporates this information throughout the text as a basis for understanding organ function. The current tools used to explore molecular physiology are also outlined, and thereafter serve as a backbone for each chapter, exposing students to cutting edge research.
Each chapter includes an overview of major evolutionary events and selective forces. All topics have been placed in a biological context that melds the proximate (mechanistic) approach of traditional physiology with the evolutionary explanations behind them, in order to discuss not only the power of natural selection, but also the often seemingly illogical details of life.
Major headings in each chapter are concise statements of key physiological concepts followed by explanations, designed to help students focus on the most important content from a particular chapter.
The authors include both analogies and frequent references to everyday experiences to help students relate to the physiology concepts presented. Because many students using this text will have a clinical component to their careers, reference to important pathophysiological issues also demonstrates the content’’s relevance to their professional goals. For example, the authors discuss the effects of environmental toxins on some body systems, an issue of increasing concern.
While many chapters build on material presented in immediately preceding chapters, extensive cross-references are provided so that the sequence of presentation can easily be varied at the instructor’’s discretion. In addition to being useful for syllabus organization, this cross-referencing also enables students to quickly refresh their memories of material already learned in earlier chapters or, if desired, to proceed to more in-depth coverage of a particular topic in a later chapter.
Because the physiological sciences are changing constantly due to new discoveries and challenges to old ideas, "Unanswered Questions" boxes appear in most chapters, presenting short overviews and questions on controversial ideas and new hypotheses. These questions illustrate that physiology is a dynamic, changing discipline, and encourage students to think creatively and pose their own questions.
Special breakout boxes are designed to pique the interest of students and are included in every chapter. "Molecular Biology and Genomics" provides examples of cutting-edge research resulting from the animal genome projects and related research, to uncover the physiological functions of newly discovered genes. "Beyond the Basics" exposes students to exciting, tangentially relevant information on diverse topics including historical perspectives, environmental issues, and common diseases. "Challenges and Controversies" introduce the frontiers of physiological research with new hypotheses and unsolved questions, in even more depth than the "Unanswered Questions" boxes. "A Closer Look at Adaptation" illustrates the scope and limits of evolutionary adaptation with selected illustrative examples.
Each chapter concludes with a narrative, "Chapter in Perspective: Homeostasis and Integration," helping the student recognize how the system just discussed contributes to the whole animal. This capstone feature is designed to facilitate the students’’ comprehension of the interactions and interdependency of animal body systems.
Each chapter also contains a list of Suggested Readings and a list of web sites relevant to the chapter content. In addition, FREE articles are available through InfoTrac® College Edition.