The Endocrinology of Growth, Development, and Metabolism in Vertebrates

The Endocrinology of Growth, Development, and Metabolism in Vertebrates provides an overview of vertebrate endocrinology. This book aims to strengthen the bridge between medical and comparative endocrinologists by addressing the benefits that they can derive from this association. Organized into five parts encompassing 24 chapters, this volume starts with a discussion on the structure and biological function of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) family. This book then explains the extrinsic, genetic, and humoral factors that influence animal growth, particularly in poikilotherms. This text also elaborates the environmental conditions that affect the growth of poikilotherms, including food availability, temperature, and photoperiod. Other chapters discuss how somatotropin affects the growth development in homeotherms, such as livestock species. The reader is also introduced to the metabolic actions of GH, which can be described in terms of short-lived insulin-like effects. Endocrinologists, molecular endocrinologists, biologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, researchers, and physicians will find this book extremely useful.