Kentwood D. Wells
Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation.
An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
1 Phylogeny, Classification, and Morphological Evolution
2 Water Relations
3 Temperature Relations
4 Respiration
5 Metabolism and Energetics
6 Movements and Orientation
7 Anuran Vocal Communication
8 Mating Systems and Sexual Selection in Anurans
9 Communication and Social Behavior of Urodeles and Caecilians
10 The Natural History of Amphibian Reproduction
11 Parental Care
12 The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibian Larvae
13 Complex Life Cycles and the Ecology of Amphibian Metamorphosis
14 Amphibians and Their Predators
15 The Ecology of Amphibian Communities
16 Conservation of Amphibians
References
Index
1,400 pages | 116 halftones, 323 line drawings, 45 tables | 8 1/2 x 11 | © 2007
