"Stunning illustrations combined with fascinating facts reveal the ways animals sense their environment. Easy experiments show kids how to compare animal senses to their own" Cf. Our choice, 1999-2000.
We are entering one of the most exciting periods in the study of chemical communication since the first pheromones were identified some 40 years ago. This rapid progress is reflected in this book, the first to cover the whole animal kingdom at this level for 25 years. The importance of chemical communication is illustrated with examples from a diverse range of animals including humans, marine copepods, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, moths, snakes, goldfish, elephants and mice. It is designed to be advanced, but at the same time accessible to readers whatever their scientific background. For students of ecology, evolution and behaviour, this book gives an introduction to the rapid progress in our understanding of olfaction at the molecular and neurological level. In addition, it offers chemists, molecular and neurobiologists an insight into the ecological, evolutionary and behavioural context of olfactory communication.
Nature, it has been said, invites us to eat by appetite and rewards by flavor. But what exactly are flavors? Why are some so pleasing while others are not? This book offers new perspectives on why food is enjoyable and how the pursuit of delicious flavors has guided the course of human history. The authors consider the role that flavor may have played in the invention of the first tools, the extinction of giant mammals, the evolution of the world's most delicious and fatty fruits, the creation of beer, and our own sociality
Animal physiology is the scientific study of how the bodies of animals function. How does an animal breathe, develop, eat and digest, reproduce, control its activities? The field encompasses the molecular, cellular, tissue and organ systems of animals. This book looks at an eclectic selection of studies in animal physiology, including how animals adapt to their physical environments, how human interaction can affect animal functioning, and much more.