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OverviewDeserts, whether hot or cold, are considered to be one of the most difficult environments for living systems, lacking the essential free water which ac counts for approximately 60-70% of their body mass and more than 98% of their constituent atoms {Macfarlane 1978}. Amongst vertebrates, reptiles are usually thought of as the animals most adapted or suited to such environments because of their diurnal habit, based on a need for external heat, and their ability to survive far from obvious sources of water. This impression is rein forced when one examines the composition of vertebrate faunae characteristic of deserts and arid zones: reptiles predominate and they are often the only vertebrates to be found in hyper-arid areas, such as some parts of the Sahara {Monod 1973}. I recently had occasion to examine this assumption carefully, however, and was led inexorably to the conclusion that reptiles represent a particularly successful desert group, not because of their evolution of superior adaptations, but because of their possession of a basic suite of behavioural and physiologi cal characteristics that suit them uniquely to this very resource-limited environment {Bradshaw 1986a}. These fundamental reptilian characteristics are: 1. their low rates of metabolism, compared with birds and mammals, which result in extremely low rates of resource utilisation and lead to considerable economy in the handling of water 2. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Sidney Donald BradshawPublisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG Imprint: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K Edition: Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1997 Dimensions: Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 23.50cm Weight: 0.359kg ISBN: 9783642643682ISBN 10: 364264368 Pages: 213 Publication Date: 28 September 2011 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Manufactured on demand We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier. Table of Contents1 The Osmotic Anatomy of the Reptiles.- 1.1 Evidence for Homeostasis.- 1.2 A Comparative Account.- 1.3 Water and Electrolytes in Reptiles as a Group.- 1.4 Conclusions.- 2 Water and Electrolyte Homeostasis.- 2.1 Basic Concepts.- 2.2 The Maintenance of Homeostasis.- 2.3 Effector Systems.- 2.4 Osmoregulation in Crocodiles, Alligators and Chelonians.- 2.5 Osmoregulation in Lizards.- 2.6 Osmoregulation in Snakes.- 2.7 Conclusions.- 3 Activity and Hormonal Control of Excretory Organs.- 3.1 Avant Propos.- 3.2 The Kidney.- 3.3 The Cloacal-Colonic Complex.- 3.4 Cephalic Salt-Secreting Glands.- 3.5 Conclusion.- 4 Thermal Homeostasis.- 4.1 Generalities.- 4.2 The Interpretation of Field Studies.- 4.3 Physiological Mechanisms.- 4.4 Behavioural Mechanisms.- 4.5 Conclusion.- 5 Conclusion.- References.ReviewsAuthor InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |