Anatomy and Physiology of Animals

Reviewed by Moshe Khurgel, Associate Professor, Bridgewater College on 6/19/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 2

As a textbook titled Anatomy and Physiology of Animals, this book scores very low in its comprehensiveness, since it presents information only on domesticated mammals. Even as a textbook on Anatomy and Physiology of domesticated mammals, the comprehensiveness is still fairly low: most topics are covered very superficially, and some systems are missing altogether.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The book has multiple factual mistakes and inaccuracies. Some of the examples include:

• Fig. 8 and p. 17 (Ch. 1) – technically, there are 7 classes of vertebrates
• Fig. 8 – inaccurate visual representation of vertebrate animal distribution: the segments of 4% and 8% are larger than 5% and 12%, respectively!
• Fig. 9 – most sources reference 3-5% as the relative abundance of vertebrate species within all animals. It’s not clear how the author arrived at 9%.
• P. 17 – 90% of all invertebrates are insects - that's false
• Organelles don’t have “jobs” (p.31); nucleus doesn’t control the activity of the cell (p. 34). There is more than one mitochondrion in cells. The nucleus is not listed as one of the main organelles, but is mentioned as such in the summary.
• Mitochondria do NOT make (p.31) or produce (p. 40) energy! That’s a serious mistake. It’s very misleading to call mitochondria “power stations”.
• The gut doesn’t break down food (p. 146); enzymes do.
• Taste buds are NOT taste receptors (p. 208)
• Humans distinguish at least 5, not 4, tastes (p. 209)
• Triiodothyronine, not thyroxine (p. 225), is the principal hormone that regulates growth in mammals.
• Thyroxine does NOT consist of 60% iodine (p. 225). Its structure is C15H11I4NO4.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

Some of the content is already outdated (p. 209 – the number of tastes that humans sense).

Much (but far from all) of the anatomy and physiology of animals knowledge is established. The outdated presentation of that knowledge in this textbook makes it of low relevance and longevity. Much more effective, royalty-free images are available to help students learn how animals are structured and how they function.

Clarity rating: 2

There is a pedagogically significant difference between using prose that’s accessible vs. simplistic and inaccurate. This book relies a lot on the latter to the detriment of students learning real biology (“rod cells are long and fat” p. 210 - is just one of the multiple examples).

• Fig. 8 designates “primitive vertebrates” as a classification group. It’s not clear what “primitive” means here. Which acceptable taxonomy framework uses that term? No animals are listed as examples for that group in the text.

• What does it mean that parathyroid hormone “regulates the amount of calcium in the blood”? Is the hormone secreted to decrease or to increase calcium levels?

Consistency rating: 3

There are some issues with internal consistency:

• The references to chapters and sections are used interchangeably.
• The books starts out with consecutively numbered figures and text references to figures. This approached is switched in Ch. 3 to figures that continue to be numbered consecutively, but now are labeled also as “diagrams” with a different numbering system: ex. Figure 15 Diagram 3.5, with the text now referring to diagrams.
• Inconsistent use of classification terminology: Fig. 8 purportedly demonstrates percentage-based distribution of animal classes within the phylum of vertebrates. It shows 6 “different kinds of vertebrate” [sic], but the textbook discusses 5 “groups or classes” (p. 17).
• Inconsistent spacing for punctuation throughout the book
• Sloppy use and application of terminology

Modularity rating: 4

In some way, the book is too modular: the interchange of biological principles between systems is virtually non-existent.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The logical flow to the presentation of systems is not apparent: why does the chapter on (skeletal) muscles precede the chapter on the nervous system, or why is the reproductive system discussed prior to the endocrine system?

• Figs. 8 and 9 are reversed in the logical flow of chapter 1.
• Taxonomic hierarchy is summarized at the end of the chapter, rather than being introduced at the beginning to set up the framework for the material.

Interface rating: 3

There is a significant degree of distortion (excessive pixilation) in many non-photographic figures.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There are a few instances of editing oversights: extra spaces, failure to separate words and odd punctuation. These do not significantly detract from readability, but does show lack of polish for the final product.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The term “primitive” as applied to a group of animals is scientifically incorrect, and culturally outdated.

I am very disappointed in this book. As a professor of animal physiology, I seek a textbook that will allow me to balance between polished presentation (and a very high cost) from edu market publishers and open textbooks with less sophisticated layouts and graphics, but a much lower cost. However, the latter should still be factually sophisticated, useful teaching tools, rather than a collection of links to Wikipedia.

Apart from the fact that this book is limited to anatomical and physiological features of a small number of domesticated animals, even discussion of those systems is presented at a very elementary level; many explanations are at the primary school level. There isn’t a sufficient, college-level depth in any particular aspect of the book (ex: inhalation/inspiration is presented in one short paragraph); for that, the readers are referred to Wikipedia at the end of every chapter.

Each chapter starts with a list of learning objectives (LOs), which are poorly formulated. What does “completing” a chapter mean, if completion is not one of the LOs? What does it mean that a student should “know” X after completing a chapter? Should they be able to recognize X, re-create X, list X, or apply X? We expect accuracy and appropriate use of terminology in professional communications and in students’ answers; we must provide a specific, directional clarity for them to acquire useful knowledge. More significantly, studying the information in the chapters would not help students to achieve many of the LOs.

Many questions in the “Test Yourself” section at the end of chapters do not address the LOs, but rather test the minutiae information from the chapter.

University-level students will not acquire essential, comprehensive knowledge about any aspect of animal biology in this book.