Preface to the First Edition
In our view, it is virtually impossible to adequately understand or study physiology without consideration of anatomy. While the fundamental focus of this text is physiology, we have strived to include sufficient system, organ, tissue, and cellular anatomy for students to better appreciate the integration of both topics.
In short, to appreciate that structure and function are intimately interconnected.The goal of this book is to provide foundations for undergraduate students in agricultural and biological sciences to be successful in upper-level specialty courses such as nutrition, reproduction, lactation, growth biology, biotechnology, and the like. We also anticipate that this text will provide new graduate students with a readily understandable source for review of basic principles.
We would like to thank our wives (Cathy Akers, 37 years and counting; Dr. Cindy Denbow) for their love, support, and understanding through these long hours of figure making, writing, and editing. We would also like to thank our graduate students, colleagues, and students in our classes for the inspiration, a helping hand, and lots of questions. We would like to especially thank Ms. Sara Robinson for preparing several drawings and Drs. Ray Nebel, Frank Robinson, and Frank Gwazdauskas for photographs used in the reproduction chapter.
R. Michael Akers D. Michael Denbmc