Life History Strategies and Sexual Dimorphism of the Amphibia with Special Emphasis on the Urodela (Newts and Salamanders) and the Gymnophiona (Caecilians)
Life History Strategies and Sexual Dimorphism of the Amphibia with Special Emphasis on the Urodela (Newts and Salamanders) and the Gymnophiona (Caecilians)

Author: Sandy Reinhard

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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This thesis deals with the reproductive biology of newts and salamanders as well as with caecilian amphibians and focuses on the evolution of their life history strategies, especially parental investment and sexual dimorphism. One salamander and two caecilian species were studied using laboratory populations in search for hitherto unknown reproductive behaviours or to clarify earlier findings. In the course of this study, new and unexpected insights into the life history strategies of these species were gained. Collection-based research using large samples of museum specimens, histology, skeletochronology and synchrotron-based x-ray studies completed the approach. Life history traits, such as the mode of reproduction or the type of parental care, are more or less mutually dependent with other factors like environmental conditions, behaviour or morphology. The evolution of parental care strategies and sexual dimorphism are crucial to understand the evolutionary framework of life histories and mating systems. This thesis shows how divergent selective pressures and behavioural strategies can influence the phenotype of the genders in connection with their reproductive roles and within different habitats as well as evolutionary changes and adaptations of different reproductive modes.

Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Gymnophiona: Caecilians
Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Gymnophiona: Caecilians

Author: Barrie G M Jamieson

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2006-01-05

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 1482280140

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One of the little known species in the danger of extinction, gymophionan amphibians, are also known as caecilians or apoda. Gymnophiona contains 154 species belonging to 34 genera and 6 families. For many years, studies on the Gymnophiona were disparate and still only a few species have been deeply studied. Fortunately, in recent years, some new wo

Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates, Volume 2
Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates, Volume 2

Author: David O. Norris

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2024-07-17

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 044316021X

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Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates, Volume 2: Amphibians is the second of five second-edition volumes representing a comprehensive and integrated overview of hormones and reproduction in fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The book includes coverage of endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, physiology, behavior, and anatomy of amphibian reproduction. It provides a broad treatment of the roles of pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and gonadal hormones in all aspects of reproduction, as well as descriptions of major life history events. New to this edition is a concluding assessment of the effect of environmental influences on amphibians. Initial chapters in this book broadly examine sex determination, reproductive neuroendocrinology, stress, and hormonal regulation as it relates to male and female reproductive structure and function. Subsequent chapters examine hormones and reproduction of specific taxa, including anuran amphibians, urodeles, and gymnophionids. The book concludes with an examination of endocrine disruption of reproduction in amphibians. Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates, Volume 2: Amphibians is designed to provide a readable, coordinated description of reproductive basics in amphibians, as well as an introduction to the latest trends in reproductive research and a presentation of our understanding of reproductive events gained over the past decade. It may serve as a stand-alone reference for researchers and practitioners in the field of herpetology or as one of five coordinated references aligned to provide topical treatment across vertebrate taxa for researchers, practitioners, and students focused on vertebrate endocrinology. - Covers endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, physiology, behavior, anatomy, and development of amphibian reproduction - Includes pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and gonadal hormones - Focuses on anuran, urodele, and gymnophiona amphibians - Provides new coverage on environmental disruption in amphibians

The Reproductive Biology of Amphibians
The Reproductive Biology of Amphibians

Author: D. Taylor

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-01-28

Total Pages: 475

ISBN-13: 9781475767834

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During the course of the developnent of most areas of scien tific research certain events occur that serve to bring a particular area into focus. We feel that this symposilHll volume serves that role with regard to the study of the reproductive biology of amphib ians. The collection of vnrks contained in this volume provides an excellent review of a diversity of past contributions to this field of investigation and brings together in one volume the major ap proaches that have been utilized to study amphibian reproductive biology. The work emphasizes recently-completed studies and therefore can be considered to be an up-to-date account of the field. Equally signif icant, however, the contributors to this volume have excelled in pointing out directions for future research that will be of im mense value in integrating the component parts of reproductive bi ology, i.e., genetics, developnental biology, physiology, behavior, and ecology, into an eVOlutionary framework.

Amphibian Evolution
Amphibian Evolution

Author: Rainer R. Schoch

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-03-19

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 1118759133

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This book focuses on the first vertebrates to conquer land and their long journey to become fully independent from the water. It traces the origin of tetrapod features and tries to explain how and why they transformed into organs that permit life on land. Although the major frame of the topic lies in the past 370 million years and necessarily deals with many fossils, it is far from restricted to paleontology. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive picture of amphibian evolution. It focuses on major questions in current paleobiology: how diverse were the early tetrapods? In which environments did they live, and how did they come to be preserved? What do we know about the soft body of extinct amphibians, and what does that tell us about the evolution of crucial organs during the transition to land? How did early amphibians develop and grow, and which were the major factors of their evolution? The Topics in Paleobiology Series is published in collaboration with the Palaeontological Association, and is edited by Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol. Books in the series provide a summary of the current state of knowledge, a trusted route into the primary literature, and will act as pointers for future directions for research. As well as volumes on individual groups, the series will also deal with topics that have a cross-cutting relevance, such as the evolution of significant ecosystems, particular key times and events in the history of life, climate change, and the application of a new techniques such as molecular palaeontology. The books are written by leading international experts and will be pitched at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in both the paleontological and biological sciences.

A Natural History of Amphibians
A Natural History of Amphibians

Author: Robert C. Stebbins

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1997-01-26

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 9780691102511

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Amphibia, the animal group that includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians, contains more than 4,500 known living species and new ones are being discovered continuously. This book focuses on the natural history of amphibians worldwide, how interaction with their environment over time has affected their evolutionary processes and what factors will determine their destinies. 37 photos. 52 line illus.

Reproduction of Amphibians
Reproduction of Amphibians

Author: Maria Oielska

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2009-01-07

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 1482280132

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This book deals with reproduction of Amphibians belonging to three extant orders: Caecilians, Salamanders, Frogs and Toads. Separate chapters have been written for males and females; the chapters describe gonad structure and development, gametogenesis, urogenital connections, and reproductive tracts. The authors have provided a synthesis of the lit

Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Urodela
Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Urodela

Author: Barrie G. M. Jamieson

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2003-01-05

Total Pages: 636

ISBN-13: 1482294346

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This volume contains original contributions from an international group of authors with the highest reputations in their respective areas of phylogenetic and reproductive studies on salamanders and newts. A full panoply of topics is covered, from morphology of gametes and reproductive systems to considerations of behavior and life history, all plac