Short description:

Integrative & Comparative Endocrinology takes a holistic approach to endocrinology, introducing students to the diverse facets of this interdisciplinary science ranging from the medical to comparative domains, while also exploring evolutionary, environmental, and conservation specializations within the field.

Long description:

General and Comparative Endocrinology: An Integrative Approach, takes a holistic approach to endocrinology, introducing students to the diverse facets of this interdisciplinary science ranging from the medical to comparative domains, while also exploring evolutionary, environmental, and conservation specializations within the field. The textbook is founded on the principle that students interested in the health sciences will benefit from understanding how proficiency in endocrine function among a diversity of organisms contributes to advances in modern medicine. Likewise, students intrigued by comparative physiology will benefit from the wealth of knowledge derived from medical/clinical endocrinology, the historical bedrock of the field. This textbook represents the modern field of endocrinology in its totality by addressing topics and recent advances not currently discussed in other introductory endocrinology textbooks.

Key Features

• Introduces the broad and interdisciplinary scope of endocrinology.


• Provides clear chapter objectives and key concepts.


• Includes summary and synthesis questions for each chapter that are suitable for exams and quizzes.


• Includes a chapter devoted to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.


• Describes the roles played by the endocrine system in important health challenges related to appetite regulation, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases stemming from ?mismatches to modernity?.


• Integrates evolutionary and comparative approaches to hormones and health.

Table of Contents:

Foreword. Acknowledgments. Author Biography. List of Abbreviations. Introduction to Endocrinology. The Scope and Growth of Endocrinology. Fundamental Features of Endocrine Signaling. Evolution of Endocrine Signaling. Mechanisms of Hormone Action. Hormone Classes and Biosynthesis. Receptors. Receptor Binding Kinetics. Neuroendocrinology. Neurosecretion and Hypothalamic Control of the Pituitary. The Pituitary Gland and Its Hormones. Central Control of Biological Rhythms. Developmental Endocrinology. Thyroid Hormones. Development and. Insect Molting and Metamorphosis. Calcium/Phosphate Homeostasis, Skeletal Remodeling, and Growth. Stress, Blood Pressure, and Ion Balance. The Multifaceted Adrenal Gland. Adrenal Hormones and the Stress Response. Blood Pressure and Osmoregulation. Appetite, Digestion, and Metabolism. Digestion. Appetite. Energy Homeostasis. Metabolic Dysregulation and Disruption. Reproduction. Sexual Determination and Differentiation. Male Reproductive System. Female Reproductive System. The Timing of Puberty and Seasonal Reproduction. Pregnancy, Birth, and Lactation. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. EDCs: Assessing the Risk. Appendices: Endocrine-Related Nobel Prizes Awarded in the Last Century. Some Examples of Endocrine Breakthroughs Using Non- Mammalian Model Organisms. Classical and Modern Concepts in Endocrinology. Some Vertebrate and Arthropod Hormones and Their Characteristics. Some Diseases Associated with GPCR Dysfunction. Some Diseases Associated with Nuclear Receptor Dysfunction and Their Treatments. The 48 Known Members of the Human Nuclear Receptor Family Categorized According to Sequence Homology. Primary Enzymes of Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis. A Summary of Steps in Human Digestion. Failures in Contraceptive Function during the First Year of Use. Secondary Sexual Characteristics in Females and Males Associated with Puberty. Tanner Stages of Breast and Pubic Hair Development in Females. Tanner Stages of External Genitalia and Pubic Hair Development in Males. Classifications of Some Common Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Glossary. Index.