Hearing and Sound Communication in Amphibians [Paperback]

This book is a compendium of the latest research on acoustic communication in these highly vocal vertebrates. The chapters are written by experts currently investigating the physiology and behavior of amphibians, in the laboratory and in the field. This integrated approach provides a neuroethologically-driven and evolutionary basis for our understanding of acoustic communication and its underlying mechanisms. The intended audience includes senior undergraduates, physiologists, zoologists, evolutionary biologists and communication specialists.

As models for vertebrate auditory systems, amphibians have been the source of extensive, ground-breaking research on hearing, the nervous system and acoustic communication. This comprehensive review covers key issues in amphibian hearing and communication in depth. Topics are relevant to auditory research, neuroethology, herpetology, animal behavior and bioacoustics.

Hearing and Sound Communication in Amphibians: Prologue and Prognostication.- An Integrative Phylogeny of Amphibia.- The Behavioral Ecology of Anuran Communication.- Call Production and Neural Basis of Vocalization.- Recognition and Localization of Acoustic Signals.- Pathways for Sound Transmission to the Inner Ear in Amphibians.- Anatomy, Physiology, and Function of Auditory End-Organs in the Frog Inner Ear.- Central Auditory Pathways in Anuran Amphibians: The Anatomical Basis of Hearing and Sound Communication.- Function of the Amphibian Central Auditory System.- Plasticity in the Auditory System across Metamorphosis.- Sound Processing in Real-World Environments.

Hearing and Sound Communication in Amphibians is a compendium of the latest research on acoustic communication in these highly vocal vertebrates.  The chapters are written by experts currently investigating the physiology and behavior of amphibians both in the laboratory and in the field.  This integrated approach guides elÕ