"Building on the success of its four predecessor volumes, the fifth edition of The Physiology of Fishes presents an outstanding collection of seventeen reviews of how fishes "work" (to use the felicitous term favored by Knut Schmidt-Nielson). This new edition of the long-running series, which originated in 1993, again provides a one-volume assemblage of what we should know about the biology of fishes, the most speciose group of vertebrates (34,000 species identified so far). Drs. Currie and Evans have done a masterful job of selecting topics, include both familiar, long-standing ones like respiration, temperature, and iono-regulation, and newer ones like epigenetics. The authors selected to pen these reviews are well-chosen and include many younger, rising stars in fish physiology. The format and illustrations of the chapters make them user-friendly and most inviting to read. For "fish people" like myself, there is no better single-volume source of information on our favorite group of organisms. This new edition of the classic series should be on all of our bookshelves!"
– George N. Somero, David and Lucile Packard Emeritus Professor of Marine Science, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, USA
"This book, written by the top of modern comparative fish physiologists, offers an integrative and comprehensive overview of how fish function in the environment in which they live. It covers the past, present and future of our research, from evolution and phylogeny to epigenetics. For undergraduate students it gives a complete overview of the fishes' systems biology; for the graduate students it gives the necessary details on the latest developments in their field as well as an up-to-date review of literature, and for researchers and professionals from either applied or fundamental fields, it gives the integrative overview they need to interpret and frame their findings. It is an excellent desk reference for when you quickly need to check something, for teaching or research, or to read up on something that is not in the core of your field. Anyone working with fish, young or old, would find this book a fascinating and interesting read."
– Gudrun De Boeck, Lecturer in Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Praise for the third edition:
"The new edition of The Physiology of Fishes seems likely to continue the trend of the two previous editions that have each been regarded at the time as the best single reference text for fish physiology [...] The multi-author approach of The Physiology of Fishes works well in providing detailed reviews with a high level of insight. [...] Overall, The Physiology of Fishes provides a series of stimulating and valuable reviews that emphasize future directions for research."
– Anne Brown, University of Exeter & Aquatonics Ltd, Journal of Fish Biology, March 2007, 70
"With this third edition, David Evans (now with coeditor James Claiborne) has improved on his highly successful Fish Physiology volume. [...] Most of the chapters are written by one or two of the leading researchers in the field [...] . All of the chapters have large and up-to-date bibliographies that will be a starting point for further research [...] . it will be ideal for graduate students who have already mastered the concepts and language of comparative physiology. For fish biologists whose days of coursework are over, it will be a valuable resource and reference."
– Stephen D McCormick, Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, in The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 82, No. 2, June 2007
Praise for the second edition:
"The high quality of the chapters has been maintained. Lists of reference are extensive and up to date. This book continues to be the best single-volume, general reference to fish physiology. It is a worthwhile investment."
– Malcolm S. Gordon, University of California, Los Angeles, in The Quarterly Review of Biology, December 1998
"The book contains chapters on locomotion, feeding, respiration, the cardiovascular system, gas transport, ion and acid-base regulation, temperature, endocrinology, stress, reproduction, hearing, electrobiology, chemoreception, and three essays on new technologies. [...] it will be ideal for graduate students who have already mastered the concepts and language of comparative physiology. For fish biologists whose days of coursework are over, it will be a valuable resource and reference."
– Stephen D McCormick, Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, in The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 82, No. 2, June 2007
