Sensory evolution on the threshold : adaptations in secondarily aquatic vertebrates / edited by J.G.M. Thewissen and Sirpa Nummela.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Thewissen, J. G. M.

Nummela, Sirpa.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Aquatic animals--Sense organs.

Aquatic animals.

Aquatic animals--Adaptation.

Sense organs--Evolution.

Sense organs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (360 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From crocodiles and penguins to seals and whales, this comprehensive and authoritative synthesis explores the function and evolution of sensory systems in animals whose ancestors lived on land. Together, the contributors explore the dramatic transformation of smell, taste, sight, hearing, balance, mechanoreception, magnetoreception, and electroreception that occurred as lineages of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals returned to aquatic environments. Each chapter integrates data from fields including sensory physiology, anatomy, paleontology, and neurobiology. A one-stop source for information on the sense organs of secondarily aquatic tetrapods, Sensory Evolution on the Threshold sheds new light on both the evolution of aquatic vertebrates and the sensory biology of their astonishing transition.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Contributors

1 • Introduction: On Becoming Aquatic

2 • The Physics and Biology of Olfaction and Taste

3 • The Chemical Stimulus and Its Detection

4 • Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Chemical Senses in Amphibians

5 • Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Chemical Senses in Nonavian Aquatic Reptiles

6 • Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Chemical Senses in Aquatic Birds

7 • Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Chemical Senses in Aquatic Mammals

8 • The Physics of Light in Air and Water

9 • Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Vision in Aquatic Tetrapods

10 • Structure and Function of the Retina in Aquatic Tetrapods

11 • The Physics of Sound in Air and Water

12 • Comparative Anatomy and Function of Hearing in Aquatic Amphibians, Reptiles, and Birds

13. Hearing in Aquatic Mammals

14 • The Physics and Physiology of Balance

15 • Comparative and Functional Anatomy of Balance in Aquatic Reptiles and Birds

16 • Comparative and Functional Anatomy of Balance in Aquatic Mammals

17 • The Physics and Physiology of Mechanoreception

18 • Mechanoreception in Secondarily Aquatic Vertebrates

19 • Magnetoreception

20 • Electroreception

21 • Toward an Integrative Approach

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612359323

9781282359321

1282359320

9780520934122

0520934121

OCLC:

609849999