Publisher's Synopsis
Avian species populate most of the world's environments and they have adaptive physiological and behavioural strategies for breeding and survival. In addition to being domesticated as pets, birds are important livestock species and, as such, research which leads to the breeding of better birds impacts greatly on the poultry industry. Birds, particularly the chicken, also provide important laboratory models for basic scientific research. In this book, the role of hormones in these physiological events is reviewed by laboratory endocrinologists from molecular, physiological and behavioural perspectives.;The reviews in this volume cover the latest developments in avian endocrinology, and topics include osmoregulation, hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal function, growth of bone and soft tissue, cytokines and growth factors, growth and development, neuroendocrinology, behaviour, reproductive function, receptors and signal transduction, sexual differentiation, intermediary metabolism, melatonin and avian circadian systems, and environmental and conservation endocrinology.
