Book Review

Book reviewed in this article:
Marine Mammals of the World. CD-ROM Version 1.0 —T. A. Jefferson, S. Leatherwood and M. A. Webber.     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Rangeland Management and Ecology in East Africa . Ed. by D. J. P ratt and M. D. G wynne . Hodder and Stoughton
Large Mammals and a Brave People: Subsistence Hunters in Zambia . By S tuart A. M arks . Foreword by J. D esmond C lark .     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
H eyer , W. R.: Variation within the Lepodactylus podicipinus-wagneri Complex of Frogs (Amphibia: Lepodactylidae).
H artl , B.; M arkowski , J. (eds): Ecological Genetics in Mammals.     

Shorter notices

Weaving the Threads of Life by Rene Devisch.
Genii of the River Niger by Jean-Marie Gibbal.
Antarctic Seals: Research Methods and Techniques ed. by R.M. Laws.
Ecological Genetics in Mammals: Current Research and Future Perspectives ed. by Zdzislaw Pucek     

Reviews of Publications

Book reviewed in this article:
Hair of West-European Mammals. Atlas and Identification Key , by B. J. Teerink.
Koobi Fora Research Project, Vol. 3, The Fossil Ungulates: Geology, Fossil Artiodactyls, and Palaeoenvironments , edited by J. M. Harris
Biomechanics in Evolution (Society for Experimental Biology Series No. 36) , edited by J. M. V. Rayner and R. J. Wooton.
Efficiency and Economy in Animal Physiology , edited by R. W. Blake.     

Book Reviews

Lowery, G. H., Jr. The Mammals of Louisiana and its Adjacent Waters Louisiana State University Press 565 pp., $15.00, Reviewed by Paul F. Connor

Hutchins, Ross E. How Animals Survive (Finding-out books) New York: Parents' Magazine Press, 1974 64 pp., $4.59, Reviewed by Carl Gans

Macan, T.T. Ponds and Lakes New York: Crane, Russak & Company, Inc. 1974 148 pp., $10.50, Reviewed by Robert E. Knowlton

Kurtén, Bjorn The Age of Mammals New York: Columbia University Press, 1974 250 pp., $4.95, Paperback, Reviewed by Austin T. Hyde, Jr., M.D.

Friedman, Judi Jelly Jam Activity Book Chicago: Educational Methods, 1975 64 pp., $1.00, Reviewed by Rose Henninge     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Symposia of the Society for Experimental Biology. Number VIII. Active Transport and Secretion
The Natural History of Mammals. By FRANgois Bourliere
Radiobiology Symposium 1954. Edited by Z. M. Bacq and Peter Alexander
The Chemistry of Micro-organisms. By A. Bracken
Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenicity. The Fifth Symposium of the Society for General Microbiology. Edited by J. W. H owie and A. J. O'H ea
Perspectives and Horizons in Microbiology. By S elman A. W aksman
An Introduction to the Biology of Yeasts. By M. I ngram
Practical Plant Protection. By E. Holmes. Pp. xii + 2 52 , with 4 plates     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The African Fish Eagle . By L eslie B rown .
East African Mammals. An Atlas of Evolution in Africa. Vol. III Part B. Large Mammals . By J onathan K ingdon .     

BUCHBESPRECHUNGEN

S tephan , H.; B aron , G.; F rahm , H. D.: Comparative Brain Research in Mammals.
S uzuki , D. T.; G riffiths , A. J. F.; M iller , J. H.; L ewontin , R. C.: G enetik. Übersetzt von S. A chten und P. B öhm .
K ämpfe , L othar (ed.): Evolution und Stammesgeschichte der Organismen. Bearbeitet von 5 Fachwissenschaftlem. 3., neubearbeitete und erweiterte Auflage.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The Shamba Raiders: Memories of a Game Warden by Bruce Kinloch.
Cynthia Moss 1988Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family. Elm Tree Books, London.
G. M. O. Malony & P. A. Jewell (Eds) in press. Large African Mammals in their Environment. Symp. Zool. Soc. Lond.
The Penitent Butchers, the Fauna Preservation Society, 1903–1978. Published by the FPS and Collins, London, 1978.
Now the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society.
La Pollution des Eaux Continentales Africaines–Experience Acquise, Situation Actuelle et Perspectives. By Claude Dejoux
Legumes of Africa: a check list by J. M. Lock, Royal Botanic Gardens     

Book Reviews

Book reviews in this article:
Taurine: Biological Actions and Clinical Perspectives (Progress in Clinical and Biological Research, Vol. 179 ) edited by S. S. Oja, L. Ahtee, P. Kontro, and M. K. Paasonen.
The Thalamus by E. G. Jones.
Development of Visual Pathways in Mammals (Neurology and Neurobiology, Vol. 9) edited by J. Stone, B. Dreher, and D. H. Rappaport
Folates and Pterins, Volumes 1 and 2 edited by R. L. Blakeley and S. J. Benkovic.     

The evolutionary expansion and host-parasite relationships of the Digenea

Relevant data on the Digenea extracted from a host-parasite data-base are analysed in relation to host-groups, host-specificity, speciation, radiation and geographical distribution. The classification, evolution, co-evolution, and co-speciation of the group are discussed. Principal components analyses indicated that 119 families formed 11 groups in relation to their vertebrate hosts and the 55 families with molluscan records formed 6 groups in relation to their molluscan hosts. The most prominent host-groups are the Fish and Mammals. Individual digenean families did not exhibit the host combinations Fish + Birds, Fish + Mammals, Herpetiles + Birds and Herpetiles + Mammals. Families with Fish hosts tended to use Prosobranch and, to a lesser extent Bivalve, molluscs, whereas families in Herpetiles, Birds and Mammals tended to use Pulmonates. Families using 3 or 4 mixed vertebrate groups tended to use mixed molluscan groups. Families using Herpetiles as the vertebrate host tend to be the most host-specific and the least speciose, whereas those using 3 to 4 mixed vertebrate groups are the most speciose. In a detailed examination of three zoogonid genera, few indications of co-evolution with their vertebrate hosts were detected, and geographical information from the data-base appeared to shed no light upon the geographical origins of the Digenea. Some of these findings are commented upon in relation to the evolution of the Digenea.     

The efficiency of purifying selection in Mammals vs. Drosophila for metabolic genes

The nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution states that the efficiency of natural selection depends on the effective population size. By using a wide range of multispecies data on nucleotide polymorphism, we have tried to ascertain whether there are any differences in the level of selective constraints of metabolic process genes between Mammals and Drosophila species. The results are consistent with a higher selective constraint in Drosophila than in Mammals, according to the expected under the nearly neutral model: purifying selection seems to be more efficient in species with a larger effective population size.     

Biochemical characterization of the very long-chain fatty acid elongase ELOVL7

Very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) have a variety of physiological functions and are related to numerous disorders. The key step of VLCFA elongation is catalyzed by members of the elongase family, ELOVLs. Mammals have seven ELOVLs (ELOVL1-7), yet none of them has been purified and analyzed. In the presented study we purified ELOVL7 and measured its activity by reconstituting it into proteoliposomes. Purified ELOVL7 exhibited high activity toward acyl-CoAs with C18 carbon chain length. The calculated K(m) values toward C18:3(n-3)-CoA and malonyl-CoA were both in the μM range. We also found that progression of the VLCFA cycle enhances ELOVL7 activity.     

Book reviews

Book review in this article studies on Plant Demography. A Festschrift for John L. Harper Edited by J. White Ecology of Marine Parasites Klaus Rohde Tidal Flat Ecology. An Experimental Approach to Species Interactions Karsten Reise Ecology and Natural History of Desert Lizards. Analyses of the Ecological Niche and Community Structure E. R. Pianka Ecophysiology of Desert Reptiles S, D. Bradshaw Natural Selection and its Constraints Oliver Mayo Management of Australia's Rangelands G. N. Harrington, A. D. Wilson and M. D. Management of Large Mammals in African Conservation Areas. Proceedings of a symposium held in Pretoria, South Africa, 29–30 April 1982 Edited by R. Norman Owen-Smith, HAUM     

"X-ray vision" and the evolution of forward-facing eyes

Why do our eyes face forward, and why do many mammals have eyes facing sideways? Here, we describe results suggesting that the degree of binocular convergence is selected to maximize how much the mammal can see in its environment. Mammals in non-cluttered environments can see the most around them with panoramic, laterally directed eyes. Mammals in cluttered environments, however, can see best when their eyes face forward, for binocularity has the power of "seeing through" clutter out in the world. Evidence across mammals closely fits the predictions of this "X-ray" hypothesis.     

Exploring the Insect World

Scheffer, Victor B. A Natural History of Marine Mammals New York: Charles Schribner's Sons, 1976 176 pp., $7.95. Reviewed by William B. Nutting

Sargent, Theodore D. Legion of Night: The Underwing Moths Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1976 222 pp., $15.00. Reviewed by N.N. Raghuvir

Thiessen, Del, and Yahr, Pauline The Gerbil in Behavioral Investigations: Mechanisms of Territoriality and Olfactory Communication Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1977 224 pp., $20.00. Reviewed by Donald J. Nash

Bullard, Fred M Volcanoes of the Earth Austin and London: The University of Texas Press, 1976 579 pp., $26.95. Reviewed by James W. Skehan

Edwards, Peter Seaweeds and Sea Grasses (in the Vicinity of Port Aransas, Texas) Austin: University of Texas, 1976 128 pp., $6.95. Reviewed by Herbert H. Grossman

Schreider, Herman How Scientists Find Out about Matter, Space, Time, Energy New York: McGraw Hill Book Co, 1976 133 pp., $6.95. Reviewed by Joseph H. Gillen

C.R. Austin and R.V. Short, eds. The Evolution of Reproduction Series: Reproduction in Mammals (Book 6) New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976 189 pp., $15.95 hardcover, $4.95 paperback. Reviewed by Austin T. Hyde

Simon, Seymour Tropical Saltwater Aquariums: How to Set Them Up and Keep Them Going New York: The Viking Press, 1976 90 pp., $6.95. Reviewed by John Lyman

Brown, Vinson Sea Mammals and Reptiles of the Pacific Coast Riverside, N.J.: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976 265 pp., $10.95. Reviewed by Albert C. Jensen

Behrens, June What I Hear Chicago: Childrens Press, 1976 40 pp., $4.95. Reviewed by Sue Hall     

Book reviews

Book Reviewed in this article Ecological Studies—Analysis and Synthesis, Volume 43. Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems—the Role of Nutrients Edited by F. J. Kruger, D. T. Mitchell and J. U. M. Jarvis Insect Ecology E. G. Mathews and R. L. Kitching Donald Thompson's Mammals and Fishes of Northern Australia Edited and annotated by Joan M. Dixon and Linda Huxley Grasses. A Guide to their Structure, Identification, Uses and Distribution in the British Isles. 3rd edition C. E. Hubbard, revised by J. C. E. Hubbard Soil Salinity Under Irrigation. Ecological Studies Number 51 Edited by I. Shainberg and J. Shalhevet Nothofagus cunninghamii (Southern Beech) Vegetation in Australia. Australian Flora and Fauna Series, Number 1 John R. Busby Sandy Beaches as Ecosystems. Developments in Hydrobiology 19 Edited by A. McLachlan and T. Erasmus, Dr W. Junk BV     

XXVII.–Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. Airs. Bailey on the Birds of the Glacier National Park.

[Wild Animals of Glacier National Park. The Mammals by Vernon Bailey. The Birds by Florence Merriam Bailey.     

New Books

Book reviewed in this article: Byrne R . 1995: The thinking ape. Evolutionary origins of intelligence. Tembrock G . 1996: Akustische Kommunikation bei Säugetieren. Die Stimmen der Säugetiere und ihre Bedeutung. Kleiman , D., Allen , M., Thompson , K., Lumpkin , S. & Harris , H. (eds) 1996: Wild mammals in captivity. Principles and techniques. Strahan, R . (ed.) 1996: Mammals of Australia. Tarsnane, S . 1996: Waterfowl — care, breeding and conservation. Vince, M . 1996: Softbills — care, breeding and conservation. Bjorndal, K. A . (ed) 1995: Biology and conservation of sea turtles (revised edition). Spindler, K.-D . 1997: Vergleichende Endokrinologie. Regulation und Mechanismen. Prinzinger, R . 1996: Das Geheimnis des Alterns. Die programmierte Lebenszeit bei Mensch, Tier und Pflanze. Spear , N. E., Spear , L. P. & Woodruff , M. L. (eds) 1995: Neurobehavioral Plasticity. Learning, Development, and Response to Brain Insults.