Aestivation

Numerous animal species live in environments characterized by a seasonal reduction in the availability of water, which often but not always occurs when temperatures are highest. For many such animals, survival during the toughest season requires spending long periods of time in a rather inactive state known as aestivation. But aestivation is much more than remaining inactive. Successful aestivation requires the selection of a proper microhabitat, variable degrees of metabolic arrest and responsiveness to external stimuli, the ability to sense the proper time of year for emergence, the preservation of inactive tissue, and much more. So, aestivation involves a complex collection of behaviors, ecological associations and physiological adjustments that vary across species in their type, magnitude and course. This book seeks to explore the phenomenon of aestivation from different perspectives and levels of organization, ranging from microhabitat selection to genetic control of physiological adjustments. It brings together authors from across the world working on different systematic groups, approaches, and questions, but who are all ultimately working to better understand the complex issue of aestivation. TOC:Metabolic Depression: A Historical Perspective.- Metabolic Regulation and Gene Expression During Aestivation.- The Connection Between Oxidative Stress and Aestivation in Gastropods and Anurans.- Nitrogen Metabolism and Excretion During Aestivation.- Aestivation in Mammals and Birds.- Metabolic Rate Suppression as a Mechanism for Surviving Environmental Challenge in Fish.- Energy and Water in Aestivating Amphibians.- Errects of Aestivation on Skeletal Muscle Performance.- Morphological Plasticity of Vertebrate Aestivation.- Water Management by Dormant Insects: Comparisons Between Dehydration Resistance During Summer Aestivation and Winter Diapause.- Diapause and Estivation in Sponges.- Aestivation in The Fossil Record: Evidence From Ichnology.