Animal Athletes

Duncan J. Irschick is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His interests include the evolution of form and function, ecology, and biomechanics. He has worked with many different animal species, including lizards, snakes, spiders, mammals, and sharks. He obtained his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in 1996.Timothy E. Higham is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of California, Riverside. He studies comparative biomechanics, functional morphology, and physiology in a variety of organisms ranging from lizards to fishes. He received his PhD from the University of California, Davis in 2006.

• 1. Animal performance: an overview ; 2. The ecology of performance I: Studies of fitness ; 3. The ecology of performance II: Performance in nature ; 4. The ecology of performance III: Physiological ecology ; 5. The evolution of performance I: Mechanism and anatomy ; 6. The evolution of performance II: Convergence, key innovations, and adaptation. ; 7. Trade-offs and constraints on performance ; 8. Sexual selection and performance ; 9. Extreme performance: The good, the bad, and the extremely rapid ; 10. Genetics, geographic variation, and community ecology ; 11. Human performance: A link to non-human animals ; 12. Conclusion

It is easy to read, jargon free, and includes explanations of basic ecological and evolutionary concepts, making the text very accessible to the general audience with a basic understanding in biological sciences. The book is both informative and entertaining and could serve as a great primer for nonspecialists. I particularly recommend it for university students and researchers interested in the fields of functional morphology, vertebrate zoology, and evolutionary biology.