Overview

"This text is a must for anybody who has remained curious about the ways animals, including humans, deal with their environment. It's scientifically sound and at the same time it's a gripping story." -Dr. Hans Hoppeler, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Switzerland and Editor-in-Chief ofJournal of Experimental Biology"Written with zest, a sense of fun, and a deep love of nature, The Flexible Phenotype offers biologists a real synthesis of ecology, physiology and behavior, based on in-depth empirical research. The adventures of the subject of many of these studies, the red-knot, a migrant shorebird, captivate the imagination, show us how physiology and morphology express ecology, and make this book not only an important and truly integrated study in biology, but also a pleasure to read." -Professor Eva Jablonka, Cohn Institute, Tel-Aviv University, Israel"Even amongst mammals and birds, animals are diverse. Biologists have long sought the evolutionary pressures that have led to particular body designs and lifestyles. I believe that to do so requires an approach that considers the interaction of body design and behaviour in an ecological context. Too often these components are considered in relative isolation. In contrast, this book is wonderfully broad and holistic, integrating across levels. Even though the book is written in an accessible style that will entertain anyone who is interested in nature, it is serious science." -Professor JohnMcNamara, University of Bristol, UK"Drawing on experience in field and laboratory research, and integrating modern ideas about acclimatization and the optimizing of individual behavior, physiology, and morphology, the authors have produced an accessible, highly readable, and stimulating synthesis of the flexible phenotype. Using examples drawn from their own work on migrating shorebirds, as well as myriad other organisms, the authors show how individuals respond to change by altering their structure and function through a variety of behavioral and physiological mechanisms. Long-standing traditions of research in physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary ecology are brought completely up-to-date in this timely treatment of organisms in their changeable worlds." -Professor Robert E. Ricklefs, University of Missouri - St. Louis, USA"In their book Piersma and van Gils provide a timely summary of the reawakening in our knowledge of phenotypic flexibility in the context of comparative biology. They convincingly remind us of how it is a key component of the whole process by which an organism interacts with its environment. Written in an engaging style which draws the reader into the salient issues of the day with everyday examples this book is not only a landmark in the field, but an entertaining read as well. It will therefore appeal to readers across the spectrum, from interested amateur naturalists, via students of physiological and behavioural ecology to established professional researchers." -Professor John Speakman, University of Aberdeen, UK"This text is a must for anybody who has remained curious about the ways animals, including humans, deal with their environment. It's scientifically sound and at the same time it's a gripping story." -Dr. Hans Hoppeler, Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Switzerland and Editor-in-Chief ofJournal of Experimental Biology"Written with zest, a sense of fun, and a deep love of nature, The Flexible Phenotype offers biologists a real synthesis of ecology, physiology and behavior, based on in-depth empirical research. The adventures of the subject of many of these studies, the red-knot, a migrant shorebird, captivate the imagination, show us how physiology and morphology express ecology, and make this book not only an important and truly integrated study in biology, but also a pleasure to read." -Professor Eva Jablonka, Cohn Institute, Tel-Aviv University, Israel"Even amongst mammals and birds, animals are diverse. Biologists have long sought the evolutionary pressures that have led to particular body designs and lifestyles. I believe that to do so requires an approach that considers the interaction of body design and behaviour in an ecological context. Too often these components are considered in relative isolation. In contrast, this book is wonderfully broad and holistic, integrating across levels. Even though the book is written in an accessible style that will entertain anyone who is interested in nature, it is serious science." -Professor JohnMcNamara, University of Bristol, UK"Drawing on experience in field and laboratory research, and integrating modern ideas about acclimatization and the optimizing of individual behavior, physiology, and morphology, the authors have produced an accessible, highly readable, and stimulating synthesis of the flexible phenotype. Using examples drawn from their own work on migrating shorebirds, as well as myriad other organisms, the authors show how individuals respond to change by altering their structure and function through a variety of behavioral and physiological mechanisms. Long-standing traditions of research in physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary ecology are brought completely up-to-date in this timely treatment of organisms in their changeable worlds." -Professor Robert E. Ricklefs, University of Missouri - St. Louis, USA"In their book Piersma and van Gils provide a timely summary of the reawakening in our knowledge of phenotypic flexibility in the context of comparative biology. They convincingly remind us of how it is a key component of the whole process by which an organism interacts with its environment. Written in an engaging style which draws the reader into the salient issues of the day with everyday examples this book is not only a landmark in the field, but an entertaining read as well. It will therefore appeal to readers across the spectrum, from interested amateur naturalists, via students of physiological and behavioural ecology to established professional researchers." -Professor John Speakman, University of Aberdeen, UK"The text is written engagingly, where each of the ten richly illustrated and concise chapters adds more depth to the integrated story. The book is written for graduate level students and researchers in the fields of physiology, behavioural ecology, and evolutionary biology. However, due to its attractive writing and lay-out this book will also appeal to a more general audience." -- Casper Kraan,Basic and Applied Ecology"With their new book, Piersma and van Gils clearly demonstrate mastery not only at the three components of their integration, but also at the very process of integration, which is long overdue to be recognized as a trade in and of itself." -- Keith W. Sockman, Department of Biology and Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Overall, I liked this book very much. It is full of interesting information, presented in an accessible form, and there are 33 pages of references for further detail. It will be very useful for undergraduates, but also thought-provoking for researchers. And even if you do not agree with everything the authors say, you will certainly enjoy reading and thinking about it." -- Pat Monaghan, Institute of Biodiversity and Animal Health, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow,The AukOverall, the book does an excellent job of covering a large range of interesting topics in an approachable way, especially for nonphysiologists." -- Dustin R. Rubenstein, Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York