Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
Encyclopedia
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal
published by the University of Chicago Press
on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
. PBZ presents current research on the biochemistry
, physiology
, and genetics
of animals. PBZ focuses on the environment
, ecology
, and evolution
of the organism
-- from cellular mechanisms to whole animal
adaptations, from protozoa
to mammals, from eggs
to larva
e to adult
organisms.
According to the Instructions for Authors, PBZ publishes papers "about animal physiology and biochemistry at all levels of organization, from the molecular to the organismic, focusing on adaptations to the environment. The journal's specific emphasis is on studies that investigate the ecological and/or evolutionary aspects of physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Subdisciplines of interest include nutrition
and digestion
, salt and water balance, epithelial and membrane transport, gas exchange and transport, acid-base balance, temperature adaptation, metabolic energetics and regulation, structure and function of macromolecules, chemical coordination and signal transduction, nitrogen metabolism and excretion, locomotion
and muscle
function, biomechanics
, circulation, and sensory physiology and neural coordination. Multispecies comparative studies should give due consideration to phylogeny when conducting statistical analyses and drawing evolutionary interpretations."
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
published by the University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is organized to integrate the many fields of specialization which occur in the broad field of biology. The society is dedicated to promoting the pursuit and dissemination of important information relating to biology...
. PBZ presents current research on the biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
of animals. PBZ focuses on the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of the organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
-- from cellular mechanisms to whole animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
adaptations, from protozoa
Protozoa
Protozoa are a diverse group of single-cells eukaryotic organisms, many of which are motile. Throughout history, protozoa have been defined as single-cell protists with animal-like behavior, e.g., movement...
to mammals, from eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
to larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e to adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
organisms.
According to the Instructions for Authors, PBZ publishes papers "about animal physiology and biochemistry at all levels of organization, from the molecular to the organismic, focusing on adaptations to the environment. The journal's specific emphasis is on studies that investigate the ecological and/or evolutionary aspects of physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Subdisciplines of interest include nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and digestion
Digestion
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones....
, salt and water balance, epithelial and membrane transport, gas exchange and transport, acid-base balance, temperature adaptation, metabolic energetics and regulation, structure and function of macromolecules, chemical coordination and signal transduction, nitrogen metabolism and excretion, locomotion
Animal locomotion
Animal locomotion, which is the act of self-propulsion by an animal, has many manifestations, including running, swimming, jumping and flying. Animals move for a variety of reasons, such as to find food, a mate, or a suitable microhabitat, and to escape predators...
and muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
function, biomechanics
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
, circulation, and sensory physiology and neural coordination. Multispecies comparative studies should give due consideration to phylogeny when conducting statistical analyses and drawing evolutionary interpretations."
See also
- List of zoology journals
- EcophysiologyEcophysiologyEcophysiology or environmental physiology is a biological discipline which studies the adaptation of organism's physiology to environmental conditions...
- Evolutionary physiologyEvolutionary physiologyEvolutionary physiology is the study of physiological evolution, which is to say, the manner in which the functional characteristics of individuals in a population of organisms have responded to selection across multiple generations during the history of the population.It is a subdiscipline of both...
- Phylogenetic comparative methodsPhylogenetic comparative methodsPhylogenetic comparative methods use information on the evolutionary relationships of organisms to compare species...