Overview
There are two basic strategies for coping with life in the desert. The first involves withstanding the extreme conditions using behavioural or physiological tactics. The second strategy is to be a migrant and to opportunistically or seasonally move to where the necessary resources are. Nomadism, i.e. the opportunistic and irregular movements from resource-poor to resource-rich patches, is a tactic that birds, with their mobility, can use, and it is explored by W.R.J. Dean in this volume. For many bird species, such movements between habitats or across landscapes to find patches of resources are essential for their continued existence. The relationship between climate, habitat and movements in the avifauna of arid and semi-arid regions and the advantages and disadvantages of a seasonally migratory or opportunistically nomadic lifestyle are elucidated.
Full Product Details
Author: W. Richard J. Dean ,
Fred Punzo
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
Imprint: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Edition: 2004 ed.
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.20cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 1.010kg
ISBN: 9783540403937
ISBN 10: 3540403930
Pages: 185
Publication Date: 09 December 2003
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
From the reviews: This book is a very useful review of an apparantly poorly-researched topic. (Ostrich) Writing a book on this subject would present a challenge to anyone, for desert birds are some of the least well studied ... . The main strength of this book is that it pulls together much scattered information from around the world on the movement patterns and behaviour of nomadic desert birds ... . I believe the author has done a good job. ... This book will, I hope, help to stimulate more study of bird movement patterns in arid environments. (I. Newton, ibis, Vol. 148, 2006) In this volume Richard Dean examines how birds, as part of their survival strategies, move nomadically within or between arid and semi-arid regions to find resource-rich patches. ... Comprehensive lists of bird families occurring in the arid zones of the world ... are included as appendices to the book. A 17 page reference list provides the reader with more than enough scope to read further about this fascinating topic ... . This book is a very useful review of an apparently poorly researched topic. (Dieter Oschadleus, Ostrich - Journal of African Ornithology, Vol. 76 (1-2), 2005)
From the reviews: <p> This book is a very useful review of an apparantly poorly-researched topic. (Ostrich) <p> Writing a book on this subject would present a challenge to anyone, for desert birds are some of the least well studied a ] . The main strength of this book is that it pulls together much scattered information from around the world on the movement patterns and behaviour of nomadic desert birds a ] . I believe the author has done a good job. a ] This book will, I hope, help to stimulate more study of bird movement patterns in arid environments. (I. Newton, ibis, Vol. 148, 2006) <p> In this volume Richard Dean examines how birds, as part of their survival strategies, move nomadically within or between arid and semi-arid regions to find resource-rich patches. a ] Comprehensive lists of bird families occurring in the arid zones of the world a ] are included as appendices to the book. A 17 page reference list provides the reader with more than enough scope to read further about this fascinating topic a ] . This book is a very useful review of an apparently poorly researched topic. (Dieter Oschadleus, Ostrich - Journal of African Ornithology, Vol. 76 (1-2), 2005)
