Physiological and ecological adaptations to feeding in vertebrates

General introduction the evolution of vertebrate feeding mechanisms adaptive interplay between feeding ecology and features of the digestive tract factors affecting digestive efficiency adjusting digestive capacity to change in amounts and types of foods eaten geographic variation - the effect of differences in environmental variation on phenotypic plasticity of organ size and function gastrointestinal responses to fasting in mammals - lessons from hibernators cardiorespiratory responses to the elevated metabolic rate during digestion determinants of intestinal brush border transport in ectotherms control of gut motility and secretion in fasting and fed non-mammalian vertebrates interplay between diet, microbes and immune defences of the gastrointestinal tract effects of dietary fatty acids on physiological performance in fish intestinal performance in developing fish larvae - proteins and amino acids flexibility of organ size and function in response to feeding and fasting the SDA response of ectothermic vertebrates - causes and determinants the interplay between food's stoichiometry, digestion and metabolism - using stable isotopes to find out what animals eat conclusions and perspectives.