Fires of Life: Endothermy in Birds and Mammals

Barry Gordon Lovegrove's groundbreaking work investigates why endothermy evolved in birds and mammals, arguing that single-cause hypotheses have stalled research since the 1970s. He advances a novel conceptual framework that considers multiple potential causes and integrates data from the southern and northern hemispheres, building a compelling new explanation for the evolution of endothermy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2019
Publisher: Yale University Press

A groundbreaking argument on how endothermy—arguably the most important innovation in vertebrate evolution—developed in birds and mammals

“Vividly narrated and illustrated. . . . Provocative and fascinating for specialists and lay readers alike.”—Southeastern Naturalist

This pioneering work investigates why endothermy, or “warm-bloodedness,” evolved in birds and mammals, despite its enormous energetic costs. Arguing that single-cause hypotheses to explain the origins of endothermy have stalled research since the 1970s, Barry Gordon Lovegrove advances a novel conceptual framework that considers multiple potential causes and integrates data from the southern as well as the northern hemisphere. Drawing on paleontological data; research on extant species in places like the Karoo, Namaqualand, Madagascar, and Borneo; and novel physiological models, Lovegrove builds a compelling new explanation for the evolution of endothermy. Vividly narrated and illustrated, this book stages a groundbreaking argument that should prove provocative and fascinating for specialists and lay readers alike.

Weight: 706g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300227161