This classroom resource provides clear, concise scientific information in an understandable and enjoyable way about water and aquatic life. Spanning the hydrologic cycle from rain to watersheds, aquifers to springs, rivers to estuaries, ample illustrations promote understanding of important concepts and clarify major ideas. Aquatic science is covered comprehensively, with relevant principles of chemistry, physics, geology, geography, ecology, and biology included throughout the text. Emphasizing water sustainability and conservation, the book tells us what we can do personally to conserve for the future and presents job and volunteer opportunities in the hope that some students will pursue careers in aquatic science. Texas Aquatic Science, originally developed as part of a multi-faceted education project for middle and high school students, can also be used at the college level for non-science majors, in the home-school environment, and by anyone who educates kids about nature and water. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

"Explores various extreme fish adaptations throughout the world, including wrasses, anglerfish, and grunions"--

Swimming is an integral part of the life history of many fish species as is intimately linked with their ability to express feeding and predator avoidance behaviors, habitat selection and environmental preferences, social and reproductive behaviors as well as migratory behaviors. Therefore, swimming is an important determinant factor of fitness in a true Darwinian sense and, not surprisingly, swimming performance has been often used as a measure of physiological fitness in fish. The main aim of this Research Topic is to showcase some of the current studies designed to improve our understanding of the physiological energetic and metabolic requirements of swimming and of the adaptive responses to swimming in fish.

"Explores various extreme fish adaptations throughout the world, including wrasses, anglerfish, and grunions"--

Fish comprise more than 50% of all living vertebrates and are found in a wide range of highly diverse habitats like the deep sea, the shoreline, tide pools, tropical streams and sweetwater ponds. During evolution, the senses of fish have adapted to the physical conditions of the environment in which different species live. As a result, the senses of fish exhibit a remarkable diversity that allows different species to deal with the physical constraints imposed by their habitat. In addition, fish have evolved several `new' sensory systems that are unique to the aquatic environment. In this book, examples of adaptation and refinement are given for six sensory systems: The visual system, The auditory system, The olfactory system, The mechanosensory lateral line system, The taste system, The electrosensory system. In each case, the environmental conditions under which a particular group of fish lives are analyzed. This is followed by a description of morphology and physiology of the sensory system and by an evaluation of its perceptional capabilities. Finally, the sensory adaptations to the particular conditions that prevail in the habitat of a species are highlighted. The various examples from different groups of fish presented in this book demonstrate the impressive capability of fish sensory systems to effectively overcome physical problems imposed by the environment.

A comprehensive account of deep-sea fishes, covering evolution, ecology and the potential threats posed by the growing fishing industry.

Water is a living tissue influenced by chemical, biological and physical factors that, in turn, are influenced by local and climatic factors. Fish have to adjust physiologically to these alterations in habitat to survive. Physiological adaptation is a dynamic and never-ending process that has resulted in myriad fish groups adapted to the vast environmental diversity which exists on Earth. Moreover, adaptively modified organisms acquire greater ability to exploit the full range of natural environments, by adopting new modes of life in many situations. This book is a journey through fish adaptations.

Henry Walker was once a world-class magician, performing to sold-out shows in New York. But now he has been reduced to joining Musgrove's Chinese Circus (which at no point in its tour of the deep South has ever included a single Chinese person) as the shambling Negro Magician, whose dark black skin and electric green eyes bewitch most audiences. But one balmy Mississippi night in 1954, Henry disappears in the company of three rowdy white teens and is never seen again. Wallace pieces together Henry's incredible vagabond life – from a deal with a bone-white devil known only as Mr. Sebastian, to the heartrending loss of his sister Hannah – and creates an enchanting tale of love, loss, identity, and the limitation of magic.

Fish are extremely successful vertebrates. Because of a long and divergent history they are now found in almost every conceiv able aquatic habitat. This radiation has been accompanied by great diversity in structure, physiology, and behaviour. Despite this variability, fish must solve a number of basic problems that are common to all animals. The most important of these are: (1) to find and ingest appropriate food; (2) to avoid predation; and (3) to reproduce. The main purpose of this book is to describe the variety of behavioural strategies that fish use in coping with these problems. My approach has been to draw together material from both field and laboratory work that is widely scattered in the litera ture. The major emphasis is on field studies, since my main concern is with adaptive solutions to problems, and I believe these are most likely to be correctly perceived by workers who are familiar with the natural ecological setting of their animals. Of course, many details of behaviour cannot be seen and quantified adequately in the field, and therefore I have not ignored laboratory studies. However, even here I have concen trated on work that illustrates the variety of solutions that fish use to solve the three basic problems. Much important work, for instance on causation, development, and learning, is not included.

Among the fishes, a remarkably wide range of biological adaptations to diverse habitats has evolved. As well as living in the conventional habitats of lakes, ponds, rivers, rock pools and the open sea, fish have solved the problems of life in deserts, in the deep sea, in the cold antarctic, and in warm waters of high alkalinity or of low oxygen. Along with these adaptations, we find the most impressive specializations of morphology, physiology and behaviour. For example we can marvel at the high-speed swimming of the marlins, sailfish and warm-blooded tunas, air-breathing in catfish and lung fish, parental care in the mouth-brooding cichlids and viviparity in many sharks and toothcarps. Moreover, fish are of considerable importance to the survival of the human species in the form of nutritious, delicious and diverse food. Rational exploitation and management of our global stocks of fishes must rely upon a detailed and precise insight of their biology. The Chapman & Hall Fish and Fisheries Series aims to present timely volumes reviewing important aspects of fish biology. Most volumes will be of interest to research workers in biology, zoology, ecology and physiology but an additional aim is for the books to be accessible to a wide spectrum of non-specialist readers ranging from undergraduates and postgraduates to those with an intrerest in industrial and commercial aspects of fish and fisheries.