Extreme Measures

by Mcnab, Brian K.

• ISBN13: 9780226561233
• ISBN10: 0226561232
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-13
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Brian K. McNab is professor emeritus in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. He is the author of The Physiological Ecology of Vertebrates: A View from Energetics.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Fundamentals
Basic Energetics	p. 1
Controversies in the Analysis of Quantitative Data	p. 25
Ecological Consequences
A General Analysis of BMR	p. 31
Small and Large	p. 43
A Diversity of Food Habits	p. 63
Life in the Cold	p. 86
Life in Hot Dry and Warm Moist Environments	p. 104
Evasions	p. 126
Field Existences
Island Life	p. 153
An Active Life	p. 170
Life in the Field	p. 177
The Limits to Geographic Distribution	p. 194
Population Consequences
A Pouched (and Egg-Laying) Life	p. 209
Energetics and the Population Biology of Endotherms	p. 215
Evolutionary Consequences
The Evolution of Endothermy	p. 239
The Restrictions and Liberations of History	p. 244
The Future
Global Issues: The Limitation to a Long-Term Future	p. 255
References	p. 261
Taxonomic Index	p. 295
Subject Index	p. 303
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