Current Ornithology, 1983
Current Ornithology Series, Vol. 351

The appearance of the first volume of a projected series is the occasion for comment on scope, aims, and genesis of the work. The scope of Current Ornithology is all of the biology of birds. Ornithology, as a whole-organism science, is concerned with birds at every level of bi­ ological organization, from the molecular to the community, at least from the Jurassic to the present time, and over every scholarly discipline in which bird biology is done; to say this is merely to expand a dic­ tionary definition of "ornithology. " The aim of the work, to be realized over several volumes, is to present reviews or position statements con­ cerning the active fields of ornithological research. The reviews will be relatively short, and often will be done from the viewpoint of a readily­ identified group or school. Such a work could have come into being at any time within the past fifty years, but that Current Ornithology appears now is a result of events that are only seven to eight years old. One important event was the initiation in 1975-1976 of the Workshop on a National Plan for Ornithology, under the directorship of James R. King and Walter J. Bock, cosponsored by the American Ornithologists' Union and the Na­ tional Science Foundation. Part of the Workshop's interests lay in pub­ lications resources, and certain kinds of information on publications were obtained by means of a questionnaire.

1 Comparative Avian Demography.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Phenomenology and Hypotheses.- 3. Demographic Evolution.- 4. Density Dependence.- 5. Demographic Evolution in Varying Environments.- 6. Correlated Environmental Factors.- 7. Discussion.- References.- 2 The Determination of Clutch Size in Precocial Birds.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Precocial Development.- 3. Clutch Size Theory and Terminology.- 4. Patterns in Clutch Size Variation.- 5. Factors Limiting Clutch Size.- 6. Discussion.- 7. Conclusions.- References.- 3 Structure and Function of Avian Eggs.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Mass and Contents of Eggs.- 3. Gas Exchange.- 4. Gas Exchange and the Eggshell.- 5. Summary.- References.- 4 The Origin of Birds and of Avian Flight.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Nature of Archaeopteryx.- 3. The Origin of Birds.- 4. The Origin of Avian Flight.- 5. Conclusions.- References.- 5 The Great Plains Hybrid Zones.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Accounts of Hybridizing Taxa.- 3. Discussion.- References.- 6 Species Concepts and Speciation Analysis.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Species Concepts.- 3. Speciation Analysis.- References.- 7 Bird Chromosomes.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Diploid Number Problem.- 3. Differential Banding Procedures.- 4. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 8 Genetic Structure and Avian Systematics.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Methods of Data Acquisition and Analysis.- 3. Genetic Data and Their Role in Systematics.- 4. Conclusions.- References.- 9 Phylogeny and Classification of Birds Based on the Data of DNA-DNA Hybridization.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The DNA-DNA Hybridization Technique.- 3. The Analysis of DNA-DNA Hybridization Data.- 4. Homology.- 5. The Evolution of DNA.- 6. The Calibration Problem.- 7. Adaptive Radiation.- 8. Categorical Equivalence.- 9. Classification.- References.- 10 Experimental Analysis of Avian Limb Morphogenesis.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Mapping the Prospective Skeletal Areas.- 3. Regulation along Proximo-distal and Antero-posterior Axes.- 4. The ZPA and Experimental Analysis of Control of Antero-posterior Differentiation of the Wing.- 5. Somite and Limb Bud Developmental Relations.- 6. Innervation and Limb Development.- 7. Conclusions.- References.- 11 Variation in Mate Fidelity in Monogamous Birds.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Which Birds Are Monogamous?.- 3. Types of Variations in Mate Fidelity.- 4. Opportunistic and Facultative Polygyny.- 5. Polyandry.- 6. Conclusion.- References.- 12 The Evolution of Differential Bird Migration.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Winter Distribution of Eastern Migratory Juncos.- 3. Single-Factor Hypotheses for the Evolution of Differential Migration.- 4. A Multifactor Hypothesis for the Evolution of Differential Migration.- 5. Conclusions.- References.- Author Index.- Bird Name Index.