Ecophysiology of Small Desert Mammals von Allan A. Degen | ISBN 9783540592594

Ecophysiology of Small Desert Mammals

von Allan A. Degen
Buchcover Ecophysiology of Small Desert Mammals | Allan A. Degen | EAN 9783540592594 | ISBN 3-540-59259-8 | ISBN 978-3-540-59259-4

Ecophysiology of Small Desert Mammals

von Allan A. Degen

Since small mammals have a large surface to mass ratio, one would expect them to quickly dehydrate and perish at high environmental temperatures. Nonetheless, a large number of small mammal species inhabit deserts. This fascinating phenomenon is investigated by Prof. A. Allan Degen in his book.
The majority of small desert mammals are rodents, but shrews of several grams and small foxes of 1 kg are also present. Their survival is due mainly to behavioural adaptations and habitat selection, however, physiological adaptations also contribute to the success. Interestingly, many small mammals that live in different deserts of the world show similarities in their adaptive traits although they have different taxonomic affinities.