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Amphibian Feeding Behavior: Comparative Biomechanics and Evolution

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Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates

Part of the book series: Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology ((COMPARATIVE,volume 18))

Abstract

The clade Amphibia is critical for our understanding of vertebrate evolution. Because of their position as a basal lineage of tetrapods, nearly all aspects of amphibian biology are of special interest to those interested in the origin of terrestrial life and in the morphological, physiological, ecological, and behavioral changes involved in aquatic to terrestrial transitions. In addition, amphibian taxa illustrate with particular clarity the phenomenon of metamorphosis, allowing the experimental study of aquatic-to-terrestrial transitions on a single individual during ontogeny. Although phylogenetic relationships among the three extant amphibian clades (and among fossil amphibian taxa) are still a matter of debate (Bolt 1977; Carroll and Holmes 1980; Duellman and Trueb 1986; Trueb and Cloutier 1991), the relevance of amphibian clades to problems in vertebrate biology is not at issue. Extant amphibian lineages, because of their phylogenetic position near the base of the tetrapod radiation and because of the mosaic nature of character distribution in these taxa (many amphibian taxa retain large numbers of primitive features in the musculoskeletal system, while at the same time displaying numerous derived characteristics), are prime candidates for comparisons to both fish and amniote clades.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, 92717, USA

    G. V. Lauder

  2. Dept. of Zoology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701, USA

    S. M. Reilly

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  1. G. V. Lauder
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  2. S. M. Reilly
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Agricole Centre Agronomique de Recherches, Appliquées du Hainaut, rue Paul Pastur, 11, B-7800 Ath, Belgique

    Vincent L. Bels

  2. Morphologie Fonctionnelle Institut Ed. Van Beneden, Université de Liège, Quai Van Beneden, 22, B-4020, Liège, Belgique

    Michel Chardon

  3. Morphologie Fonctionnelle Institute de Zoologie, Université de Liège, Quai Van Beneden, 22, B-4020, Liège, Belgique

    Pierre Vandewalle

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Lauder, G.V., Reilly, S.M. (1994). Amphibian Feeding Behavior: Comparative Biomechanics and Evolution. In: Bels, V.L., Chardon, M., Vandewalle, P. (eds) Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates. Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology, vol 18. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57906-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57906-6_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-63399-7

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