Physiological Adaptations

Physiological Adaptations: Desert and Mountain discusses the bodily modifications of different animals accordingly to desert and mountain environments.
Covered in this book are the basic concepts of physiological adaptations; biophysical principles of acclimization to heat; partitional calorimetry in the desert; the mechanism of sweat in relation to heat; the effects of heat on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems; and the nutritional and metabolic aspects in relation to heat. The book also covers the effects of altitude on work performance; the physiology of respiration at altitude; and the body fluids, body composition, and metabolic aspects of high-altitude adaptation.
The text is recommended for biologists and natural historians who would like to know more about how animals that have deserts and mountains as habitats adapt and survive.

Contenu

Contents
Preface and Dedication
Chapter I Some General Concepts of Physiological Adaptations
Introduction
Examples
Kinetics
Mediators
Functional Demand
Summary
References
Chapter II Biophysical Principles of Acclimatization to Heat
Introduction
Mechanisms of Acclimatization
Summary
Postscript
References
Chapter III Partitional Calorimetry in the Desert
Introduction
The Independent Variables
The Dependent Variables
The Passive State
Net Metabolic Rate (Mnet )
Clothing in Heat Exchange
Radiation Exchange
Convection
Dry Heat Exchange (DRY)
Evaporative Heat Loss (E)
Mean Body Temperature, 7b
Skin Conductance (K), or Skin Blood Flow SKBF 38
Applications of Partitional Calorimetry
Use of a Simple Model of Human Temperature Regulation to Predict Partitional Calorimetry
Summary
References
Chapter IV Sweat Mechanisms in Heat
Sweat Mechanisms in Heat
References
Chapter V Some Comments on Low Temperatures in the Desert and at High Altitudes
Text
References
Chapter VI Cardiovascular and Respiratory Reactions to Heat
Introduction
Heat Conductance
The Effects of Work
Regulation of Cutaneous Blood Flow
Compensatory Adjustments
Respiratory Reactions to Heat
References
Chapter VII Some Nutritional and Metabolic Aspects of Exposure to Heat
Introduction
Water and Osmotic Balances and Performance
The Heat Increment of Fat
Conclusion
References
Chapter VIII Large Mammals in the Desert
Introduction
Exposure to Solar Radiation
Thermal Stress and Strain
Evaporative Cooling
Other Modes of Adaptation
Conclusion
References
Chapter IX Small Mammals in the Desert
Introduction
Faunal Analysis
Behavioral Adaptations
Physiological Adaptations
Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter X Principles of Adaptations to Altitude
Text
References
Introduction
The Role of Oxygen in Biological Functions
Review of Experimental Findings in Short- and Long-Term Exposures
The Relationship between Performance and Altitude
Limitations of the Experimental Findings, with Special Reference to Gaps in Our Knowledge of Man's Ability to Acclimatize to High Terrestrial Altitude
A Comparison of Selected Psychophysical Tests Carried Out at High Altitude and in Relation to Age
Effects of High Altitude on Growth and Development
Summary and Conclusions
References
Chapter XII Physiology of Work at Altitude
Introduction
Effects of Altitude on Work Performance
References
Chapter XIII The Hypoxias of Altitude, of Anemia, and of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Text
References
Chapter XIV Physiology of Respiration at Altitude
Text
References
Chapter XV Vertebrates at Altitudes
Introduction
Function in Oxygen Lack and the Critical P02
Regulatory Mechanisms or Systems Adaptation
Adaptation at the Tissue Level
Discussion
References
Chapter XVI Body Fluids, Body Composition, and Metabolic Aspects of High-Altitude Adaptation
Introduction
Acute Mountain Sickness Symptoms
Body Weight
Nitrogen Metabolism
Mineral Metabolism
Blood Sugar Metabolism
Body Water Metabolism
Summary
References
Author Index
Subject Index