The Design of Mammals

Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-1-107-11047-2
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 450 Seiten, Format (B × H): 183 mm x 260 mm, Gewicht: 923 g

Despite an astonishing 100 million-fold range in adult body mass from bumblebee bat to blue whale, all mammals are formed of the same kinds of molecules, cells, tissues and organs and to the same overall body plan. A scaling approach investigates the principles of mammal design by examining the ways in which mammals of diverse size and taxonomy are quantitatively comparable. This book presents an extensive reanalysis of scaling data collected over a quarter of a century, including many rarely or never-cited sources. The result is an unparalleled contribution to understanding scaling in mammals, addressing a uniquely extensive range of mammal attributes and using substantially larger and more rigorously screened samples than in any prior works. An invaluable resource for all those interested in the 'design' of mammals, this is an ideal resource for postgraduates and researchers in a range of fields from comparative physiology to ecology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Prothero, John William

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Moderne Philosophische Disziplinen Philosophische Anthropologie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften, Biologie: Sachbuch, Naturführer
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Tierkunde / Zoologie Wirbeltiere (Vertebrata) Säugetiere (Mammalia)
• Geowissenschaften Geologie Paläontologie, Taphonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements; Part I. Background: 1. Introduction; 2. The mammals; 3. The nature of scaling; 4. Towards a standardized body weight table; 5. A reader's guide; Part II. Empirical Analyses: 6. Body length, girth and surface area; 7. Body size distribution in adult mammals; 8. Body composition; 9. Circulatory system; 10. Digestive system; 11. Integumentary system; 12. Musculoskeletal system; 13. Neuroendocrine system; 14. Reproductive system; 15. Respiratory system; 16. Urinary system; 17. Function; 18. Lethal limits; Part III. Survey of Results: 19. Structural summary; 20. Functional summary; 21. End-sample, mid-sample and FDS; 22. Human scaling; Part IV. Methodology: 23. Scaling statistics; 24. Scaling sums; Part V. A Broader View: 25. A Sense of scale; Appendix 1. Recommended reading; Appendix 2. Guidelines for data screening; Appendix 3. Summary of Brody's findings; References; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Prothero, John William
John William Prothero served on the faculty of the Department of Biological Structure at the University of Washington, Seattle, from 1965 to 1999. During this time, he taught histology for fifteen years and subsequently functional neuroanatomy for nearly twenty years. He has a long-term interest in many aspects of scaling.