Mammalogy Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology

About this book

There are more than 6,400 species in the class Mammalia, including the blue whale – the largest animal that has ever lived – and the pygmy shrew, which weighs little more than a penny. Such diversity among mammals has allowed them to play critical roles in every ecosystem, whether marine, freshwater, alpine, tundra, forest, or desert.

Reflecting the expertise and perspective of five leading mammalogists, the fifth edition of Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology significantly updates taxonomy, adds a new introductory chapter on the science of mammalogy, and highlights several recently described species. To enhance its appeal to students, textual material has been reduced, consolidated, and streamlined without sacrificing breadth or depth of coverage. The fifth edition includes:
- for the first time, colour photographs throughout
- chapters rearranged and grouped to best reflect phylogenetic relationships, with updated numbers of genera and species for each family
- updated mammalian structural and functional adaptations, as well as ordinal fossil histories
- recent advances in mammalian phylogeny, biogeography, social behaviour, and ecology, with 12 new or revised cladograms reflecting current research findings
- new breakout boxes on novel or unique aspects of mammals
- new work on female post-copulatory mate choice, cooperative behaviours, group defense, and the role of the vomeronasal system
- discussions of the current implications of climate change and other anthropogenic factors for mammals

Maintaining the accessible, readable style for which Feldhamer and his coauthors are well known, this new edition of Mammalogy is the authoritative textbook on this amazingly diverse class of vertebrates.

Contents

Preface

PART 1. Introduction
1 The Science of Mammalogy
2 Methods for Studying Mammals
3 Mammalian Phylogeny and Diversification
4 Evolution and Dental Characteristics
5 Biogeography

PART 2. MAMMALIAN CHARACTERISTICS
6 Structure and Function
7 Feeding and Nutrition
8 Physiological and Environmental Adaptations
9 Reproduction

PART 3. ADAPTIVE RADIATION AND DIVERSITY
10 Monotremes and Marsupials
11 Orders: Macroscelidea, Tenrecoidea, Tubulidentata
12 Orders: Proboscidea, Hyracoidea, Sirenia
13 Orders: Cingulata and Pilosa
14 Orders: Scandentia and Dermoptera
15 Order: Primates
16 Orders: Rodentia and Lagomorpha
17 Order Eulipotyphla: families Solenodontidae, Soricidae, Talpidae, Erinaceidae
18 Orders: Carnivora and Pholidota
19 Orders: Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla
20 Infraorder Cetacea
21 Order: Chiroptera

PART 4. BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY
22 Sexual Selection, Parental Care, and Mating Systems
23 Social Behavior
24 Movement Patterns and Spatial Relations
25 Populations and Life History
26 Community Ecology

PART 5. SPECIAL TOPICS
27 Parasites and Zoonotic Diseases
28 Conservation

Glossary
References
Credits
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

George A. Feldhamer (St. Paul, MN) is professor emeritus of zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is the senior editor of Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation and the coauthor of Mammals of the National Parks and Deer: The Animal Answer Guide. Joseph F. Merritt (Champaign, IL) is a professor of zoology at the University of Illinois and the author of Guide to the Mammals of Pennsylvania and The Biology of Small Mammals. Carey Krajewski (Carbondale, IL) is a professor of zoology at Southern Illinois University and the associate editor of the Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Janet L. Rachlow (Moscow, ID) is a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Idaho. Kelley M. Stewart (Reno, NV) is an associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Nevada, Reno.