Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move [Hardcover]

Hugh Dingle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1996

Migration is one of the most fascinating and dramatic of all animal behaviors. Historically, however, the study of migration has been fragmented, with ornithologists, entomologists, and marine biologists paying little attention to work outside their own fields. This treatment of the subject shows how comparisons across taxa can in fact illuminate migratory life cycles and the relation of migration to other movements. The book thus takes an integrated ecological perspective, focusing on migration as a biological phenomenon. The work is divided into four parts, each with a brief introductory section. Part I defines migration, gives examples, and places migration in the spectrum of movement behaviors, concluding with a chapter on methods for its study. Part II focuses on proximate mechanisms, including physiology and morphology (and the constraints associated with them), the interactions between migration and wind and current patterns, and the various orientation and navigation mechanisms by which migrants find their way about. Part III on the evolution of migratory life histories addresses the evolutionary and ecological basis for migration and the roles of migration not only in the lives of organisms, but also in the ecological communities in which they live. Part IV is devoted to a brief consideration of migration and its relation to pest management and conservation. As a major contribution to a vital subject, this work will be valued by all researchers and students in the field of animal behavior, ecology, and zoology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book will be useful as a general reference to the phenomena associated with animal movements."--The Condor

". . . an excellent introduction to current ideas and concepts concerning the promotion and maintenance of a wide range of movement patterns."--IBIS

"This is an interesting and thought provoking book in which the author successfully accomplishes his primary aim of generating a comparative survey of migratory behavior. . . Perhaps most important, the author also successfully integrates the dizzying array of definitions and key terms, both conceptual and operational, that comprise this field. Migration by Hugh Dingle is first-rate and should prove to be a valuable reference to students and researchers alike, regardless of taxonomic bias."--American Zoologist

"The book is well written and illustrated, provides a coherent approach to movement patterns, addresses the major topic areas, and suggests areas for future research." --Quarterly Review of Biology

About the Author

Hugh Dingle is at University of California, Davis.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Printing edition (February 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195089626
• ISBN-13: 978-0195089622
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,688,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE comprehensive review of the topic, May 26, 2003

By 

j. kelly (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move (Hardcover)

... I'm a researcher whose field of study includes animal movement and migration -- Hugh Dingle is one of the premier scientists in this field of study, and this book is THE seminal work on the topic. I reference it regularly.

Rather than just describing all the different examples of migration, Hugh attempts to unify the field under one comprehensive theoretical framework. He succeeds magnificently, starting with an explicit working defininiton of what migration is, then using this to discuss the physiology, mechanisms, and evolution of this behavior. The book is filled with fascinating examples from the scientific literature that clearly illustrate the points he is trying to make. If there are gaps in the story, it is no fault of the author -- there are many gaps in our knowledge. ...Hugh is obsessed with insects, there is a good reason for that. Insects make excellent test subjects for these studies -- they perform impressive migrations, they are easy to deal with, and easy to manipulate experimentally. Consequently, a great deal of migration research has involved one kind of insect or another.

The book is articulate and highly readable, though I agree that a good background in the biological sciences will help. It is not intended for the casual reader. I highly recommend it (five stars isn't enough), though, for anyone who wants to really delve into the subject.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A tedious read, May 5, 2000

By 

moleesa (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move (Paperback)

Dingle has tried to encompass all the different modes of migration of so many species into one book, and this is just impossible, since you can't make such broad categorizations. He sets up definitions of what migration is in the beginning of the book, contrasting migration and foraging or dispersing, but ends up not following his own rules when he, for instance, goes into detail about insect dispersal (according to his definition of dispersal!) (He is obviously pretty obsessed with insects, since most of his examples deal with them.) It just seemed like he crammed as many examples as possible into this book, and you don't end up learning the grand scheme, which was his goal--to link all these modes of migration. The main problem I had with this book is that it is just not very well organized, and you have to work hard to pick out the relevant ideas, or figure out what his main point is. He tends to use many very scientific words, for which he initially gives very sketchy definitions, and then uses throughout the text. This leaves the reader pretty bewildered, if not already familiar with these terms. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of very interesting facts in this book... the hard part is being able to extract them from his book! If you are well-educated in biology/zoology, etc., you'll probably get a lot more out of this book, since you'll be able to read with more ease. As I said before, there are a LOT of interesting facts about migration, if you can make it through all the boring stuff.