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This volume presents the work of researchers at many sites spanning the East African Pliocene. The authors take a broad approach that seeks to compare paleoenvironmental and paleoecological patterns across localities and among various taxonomic groups. This volume aims to synthesize large amounts of faunal data, and to present the evolution of East African vertebrates in the context of environmental and climatic changes during the Pliocene.

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The development of vertebrate muscle has long been a major area of research in developmental biology. During the last decade, novel technical approaches have allowed us to unravel to a large extent the mechanisms underlying muscle formation, and myogenesis has become one of the best-understood paradigms for cellular differentiation.
This book concisely summarizes our current knowledge about muscle development in vertebrates, from the determination of muscle precursors to terminal differentiation. Each chapter has been written by an expert in the field, and particular emphasis has been placed on the different developmental and molecular pathways followed by the three types of vertebrate musculature - skeletal, heart and smooth muscle. ... Read more

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This book brings together a selection of original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address the conservation and biodiversity of vertebrates - particularly those in terrestrial habitats. Vertebrates are, along with plants, the best-known and most intensively studied components of biological diversity on Earth. While studies on vertebrates can be expected to provide models for other groups, they can also pose their own particular problems due to their relative mobility as in some migratory birds. In addition, many mammals and fish are also subject to extensive human exploitation for food or sport.

The contributions in this volume are drawn from a wide range of countries – from Australasia, East Africa, Europe, and North, Central and South America. Collectively they provide a snap-shot of the types of studies and actions being taken in vertebrate conservation – topical examples that will make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses.

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This survey of vertebrate biology emphasizes function, specialcharacteristics, and behavior as it considers vertebrates as whole functioning organisms rather than as specimens to be dissected. An ideal text for a one semester/one quarter course. ... Read more

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Osmoregulation and Drinking in Vertebratespresents some of the most exciting recent advancements in the area of osmoregulation, from the control of gene expression to whole animal response. The volume discusses the differences and similarities in the drinking response between a number of vertebrate groups including both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. As such, this volume will be of interest to all those working in the fields of marine and freshwater biology, comparative physiology and endocrinology and molecular biology of ion transporters and water channels. ... Read more

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This volume presents recent progress in our understanding ofvarious mechanisms involved in chemical communication betweenindividual animals. Such communication is important for survival andreproduction of any vertebrate species in a variable environment.Apart from visual and acoustic signals, many animals developed highlycomplex means of conveying message by odor and taste. Low molecularweight and volatile compounds known as pheromones affect manymetabolic processes and behavioral traits. The chapters in this bookare derived from presentations and discussions at the NinthInternational Symposium on Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, held atthe Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, on July 25--29,2000. The four days and nights of discussions at the conferenceexplored diverse topics in chemical communication, and many of thechapters in this volume were improved by revisions in which theauthors took into account the discussions in Krakow. ... Read more

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VERTEBRATE NATURAL HISTORY offers an approach to vertebrate natural history that emphasizes behavior and other functional adaptations of vertebrates within an ecological and evolutionary framework. ... Read more

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This updated, streamlined, generously illustrated Fifth Edition of the classic text combines comparative vertebrate anatomy and embryology into one easy reference source. Provides an overview of vertebrate evolution, a preview of vertebrate embryology, six chapters on vertebrate development, and then goes through each organ system from both a morphogenesis and comparative anatomy standpoint. Also includes extensive discussions of vertebrate evolution, a large section on developmental preliminaries, an extensive glossary and a new bibliography. ... Read more

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This book reviews all major models and hypotheses concerning the mechanisms supposed to underlie the process of navigation in vertebrates.

It covers data on all major model groups of vertebrates studied in the context of animal navigation, such as migratory birds, homing pigeons, sea turtles, subterranean mammals and some migratory fish species. Some other – less studied – groups, e.g., whales, have also been touched.

The first part of the book describes different sources of navigational information, with their specific navigational mechanisms known or supposed to be employed by animals for navigational goals. The second part discusses possible functions of these mechanisms in different vertebrates and in the context of different navigational tasks, ranging from short-range navigation, often performed by animals within as small an area as several square meters, to long-distance global-scale migrations performed by many birds and some sea turtles during their lifespan.

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Focusing exclusively on the chemically mediated interactions between vertebrates, including humans and other animals and plants, this monograph combines information from widely scattered technical literature in different disciplines. It will be an indispensable reference for undergraduates, graduate students and researchers interested in how chemical signals are used for inter- and intra-specific communication in vertebrates. ... Read more

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In Quest of Great Lakes Ice-Age Vertebrates is an account of the ice-age fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals in the regions surrounding the Great Lakes. Written for a general audience, the book defines concepts and terms and discusses how the last Ice Age, Pleistocene Epoch, affected our physical and biological world. Holman describes the methods and tools used in the collection of vertebrate fossils and includes details of each animal’s structure, habits, habitats, and ecological importance.The heart of the book contains a species by species account of the Pleistocene vertebrates of the region, followed by an examination of the compelling problems of the Pleistocene relative to faunal interpretations, including overall ecological makeup of the fauna, vertebrate range adjustment that occurred in the region, Pleistocene extinction effects on the animals, the aftermath of the Ice Age, and a look at what the future may hold for the region. ... Read more

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The book describes the diversity and features of various vertebrate groups, ranging from the oldest living fishes to the relatively more recent groups to evolve such as mammals. The authors cover the structures of body systems including organs and tissues, as well as their functions and how they differ in various vertebrate groups. They also discuss the evolution of vertebrate groups from the earliest extinct ancestors to the living vertebrates as well as related groups that are now extinct. The book contains illustrations to clarify various issues and discussions of the features that enable vertebrates to adapt to aquatic and terrestrial environments they inhabit.

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This book provides the first unbiased guide to a field newlyinvigorated by technical advances in molecular and developmentalbiology. This book will be essential reading for students andresearchers in areas such as developmental biology, vertebratezoology and palaeontology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The emergence of the vertebrate head
The general reader with some background in comparative anatomy, will find this reference an informative discussion on historical views (eg, Garstang, Gislén, Romer, etc), not so historical views (eg, Jefferies), and modern anatomical and molecular results concerning how vertebrates arose. A wide varieties of views are supported, but a number of conclusions are nonetheless formulated. Gislén's view of the carpoid as an echinoderm with chordate affinities is considered more correct than Jefferies' view of the carpoid as a chordate with echinoderm affinities. Recent molecular evidence supports chordates diverging from (echinoderms and hemichordates), and within the chordates, urochordates diverging from (cephalochordates and craniates). Larval paedomorphosis as the mechanism originating the vertebrates is unlikely, and the sessility of tunicates is probably a derived trait. While strong homologies between homeobox genes and organ systems in both arthropods and vertebrates are acknowledged, it is noted that molecular methods set deuterostome phyla clearly apart from protostome phyla, suggesting the direct ancestry of the vertebrates is not from the arthropods. Molecular methods also indicate that the amphioxus is not a degenerate vertebrate, but essentially a primitive one, and elaboration of its features leads to the emergence of the vertebrate head. ... Read more