01 / Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Physiology: oxygen uptake is a flow–content balance
Compare physiology texts, separate total oxygen uptake from extraction fraction, then show why mixed content cannot identify regional uptake.
Study route and exercise: University Reading List editorial project.
Who this book is for
For university students learning integrative physiology through the demands of physical activity. The text connects cellular mechanisms with changes in whole-body function, making it useful for readers who have learned individual organ systems but want to understand their coordination. The emphasis is academic explanation and interpretation of research measurements, with more advanced chapters available after the foundational sequence.
Prerequisites
Introductory human anatomy and physiology, cell biology and basic chemistry. Review energy metabolism, gas exchange and elementary statistics; the opening chapter supports interpretation of graphs and physiological measurements.
What it covers
Neural control, muscle structure and contraction, energy supply, pulmonary and circulatory responses lead into homeostasis, measurement, adaptation and fatigue. Additional chapters consider immune responses and differences across age or environmental conditions. The collection combines mechanistic physiology with questions about how measurements support an explanation of an integrated response.
How to use it
Choose a change in activity and predict the direction and timing of responses in several systems. Trace one response back to a cellular mechanism, then identify the measurements needed to test the explanation. Read graphs with attention to units, normalization and time constants. Distinguish an acute response from a longer-term adaptation and consider which alternative explanation a control or comparison would address. Use the glossary to clarify terms, then reconstruct the mechanism in your own words.
Edition and sources
The University of Calgary publication provides the complete web textbook and downloadable formats, edited by MacIntosh, ebook ISBN 9780889535244. Its stated licence is CC BY-NC 4.0 except where noted. Chapters developed over time, so no single publication year is inferred from an old launch announcement or a page-update date.
