Ecophysiology of Amphibians Inhabiting Xeric EnvironmentsScarcity of water has brought about a number of structural, behavioural, physiological and ecological adaptations in amphibians inhabiting seasonally xeric habitats. This book describes structural and functional adaptations of key organs such as skin, kidneys, bladder, lungs and ovaries. Behavioural responses to high temperatures mainly involve thermoregulation and the selection of optimal temperatures and humidity. Special emphasis is placed on physiological adaptations: water, electrolyte, nitrogen, and thermal balance and their endocrine control are treated in detail. Development and metamorphosis, larval competition for food resources, and reproductive strategies are only a few of the exciting topics in the chapter on ecological aspects. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Structural and Functional Adaptations of Key Organs | 19 |
3 | 45 |
Copyright | |
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adaptation adspersus adult aldosterone Alvarado Ambystoma tigrinum Ambystomatidae amphibian species amphibians anurans aquatic Arid Balinsky Barbault behaviour Bentley PJ Biol Bragg Brattstrom breeding Bufo boreas Bufo marinus Bufo regularis Bufo viridis Bufonidae bufonids Burrows Chiromantis cognatus Comp Biochem Physiol Copeia Cyclorana Degani G dehydration Ecology effect eggs epidermis excretion female flask cell Fossorial frogs Gen Comp Endocrinol glands habitats Heleioporus Herpetol hormones Hyla arborea hylids Hyperolius viridiflavus infraimmaculata juvenile kidney larvae leptodactylids Limnodynastes Litoria caerulea Main and Bentley McClanahan 1975 metamorphic climax metamorphosis Myobatrachidae Neobatrachus nitrogen osmolality Pelobates syriacus Pelobatidae Phyllomedusa plasma platycephalus pond population post-metamorphic Rana reproductive salamanders Salamandra salamandra sauvagei Scaphiopus Scaphiopus couchi season Semlitsch Shoemaker and McClanahan skin sodium Stiffler survival tadpoles talpoideum temperature terrestrial thermal toad Bufo Triturus vittatus Tyler urea urinary bladder urodeles vasotocin Warburg water balance water loss water uptake Whitford xeric xeric habitats Zool