Energy for Animal Life (Oxford Animal Biology Series)

Life depends on energy, and the majority of animal activity centers around finding energy in the form of food. Energy for Animal Life, the first book in the innovative new Oxford Animal Biology Series, gives a thorough yet precise description of how animals get and use energy -- a central topic in understanding animal biology. From solar radiation and photosynthesis to food sources for herbivores and carnivores, this book encompasses the food chain. It compares the merits of different designs of the digestive system as well as of different strategies for finding and choosing food. Several chapters go beyond the question of feeding, exploring the energy costs of motion and the energy demands of growth and reproduction. The final chapter draws together all aspects of energy use to consider the energy budgets of several different animals and to assess the different energy gains and costs of their everyday activities in the wild. As a truly comparative book, it draws on patterns from a wide range of animal species and includes practical information for relevant experiments. It also avoids highly complicated examples, making Energy for Animal Life perfect reading for first and second year undergraduates taking a degree course in biological sciences.