Extreme Measures

图书信息

作者	McNab, Brian K.
出版社	University of Chicago Press
ISBN	9780226561240
出版时间	2012-02-04
字数	59.7万
分类	University of Chicago Press,进口书,外文原版书,法律,政治,宗教

读书简介

Along with reproduction, balancing energy expenditure with the limits of resource acquisition is essential for both a species and a population to survive. But energy is a limited resource, as we know well, so birds and mammals-the most energy-intensive fauna on the planet-must reduce energy expenditures to maintain this balance, some taking small steps, and others extreme measures.Here Brian K. McNab draws on his over sixty years in the field to provide a comprehensive account of the energetics of birds and mammals, one fully integrated with their natural history. McNab begins with an overview of thermal rates-much of our own energy is spent maintaining our 98.6?F temperature-and explains how the basal rate of metabolism drives energy use, especially in extreme environments. He then explores those variables that interact with the basal rate of metabolism, like body size and scale and environments, highlighting their influence on behavior, distribution, and even reproductive output. Successive chapters take up energy and population dynamics and evolution. A critical central theme that runs through the book is how the energetic needs of birds and mammals come up against rapid environmental change and how this is hastening the pace of extinction.

目录

Cover

Copyright

Title Page

Dedication

Series Page

Contents

Preface

Part I. Fundamentals

Chapter One. Basic Energetics

Chapter Two. Controversies in the Analysis of Quantitative Data

Part II. Ecological Consequences

Chapter Three. A General Analysis of BMR

Chapter Four. Small and Large

Chapter Five. A Diversity of Food Habits

Chapter Six. Life in the Cold

Chapter Seven. Life in Hot Dry and Warm Moist Environments

Chapter Eight. Evasions

Part III. Field Existences

Chapter Nine. Island Life

Chapter Ten. An Active Life

Chapter Eleven. Life in the Field

Chapter Twelve. The Limits to Geographic Distribution

Part IV. Population Consequences

Chapter Thirteen. A Pouched (and Egg-Laying) Life

Chapter Fourteen. Energetics and the Population Biology of Endotherms

Part V. Evolutionary Consequences

Chapter Fifteen. The Evolution of Endothermy

Chapter Sixteen. The Restrictions and Liberations of History

PART VI. THE FUTURE

Chapter Seventeen. Global Issues: The Limitation to a Long-Term Future

References

Taxonomic Index

Subject Index