Comparative Animal Physiology

This book encompasses a broad survey of the physiological mechanisms to be found among animals ranging from protozoans through mammals. The physiological phenomena are interpreted in terms of their phylogenetic distributions and their specializations for dealing with the specific demands placed upon the organism by its particular habits and habitats. The text is organized on a functionalsystem basis rather than phylogenetically. The first half of the volume deals with the general adaptations of the organism to its environment with special reference to water, inorganic ions, nutritional factors, metabolic and excretory pathways, oxygen, and temperature. The second half is concerned with mechanisms of response and integration and deals with the various receptive capacities, effector phenomena, and with hormonal and neural integration. As a consequence of the evolutionary and ecological interpretation of the variations among physiological systems, one gains an appreciation of the intimate functional association between animal species and the physical