Author: RYAN MICHAEL J

Publisher: Smithsonian

Published: 2001-05-17

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781560989738

In this book, twenty-five scientists from around the world review the most recent advances in the study of how frogs and toads communicate. The contributors - who are experts in disciplines including animal behavior, developmental biology, endocrinology, evolution, ecology, and neurobiology - examine this amphibian order's vocal, visual, and chemical signals, the physiology and energetics of their production, neural processing, related behaviors, and evolutionary implications. As the chapters demonstrate, recent research developments have led to further understanding of the role of the anuran larynx in sound production, how the anuran brain recognizes sound, and how both of these processes are influenced by the animal's physiological state. The contributors also discuss male-to-male call strategies as well as how female preferences for call variation contribute to sexual selection, speciation, and hybridization. The book presents new material about kin recognition abilities and the surprising range of visual displays by tropical anurans, and examines how the inherent structure of the auditory system might generate sensory biases that influence signal evolution.Uniting two overarching concerns of biology today -- the interaction of communication with sexual selection and the mechanisms that underlie flexible behavior -- this book shows that the study of anuran communication provides a strong model for other animal communication studies. Together, these studies contribute to the understanding of general patterns, processes, and mechanisms in the evolution of animal behavior.