The evolution of vertebrate hearing is of considerable interest in the hearing community. However, there has never been a volume that has focused on the paleontological evidence for the evolution of hearing and the ear, especially from the perspective of some of the leading paleontologists and evolutionary biologists in the world. Thus, this volume is totally unique, and takes a perspective that has never been taken before. It brings to the fore some of the most recent discoveries among fossil taxa, which have demonstrated the sort of detailed information that can be derived from the fossil record, illuminating the evolutionary pathways this sensory system has taken and the diversity it had achieved.

The function of vertebrate hearing is served by a surprising variety of sensory structures in the different groups of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This book discusses the origin, specialization, and functional properties of sensory hair cells, beginning with environmental constraints on acoustic systems and addressing in detail the evolutionary history behind modern structure and function in the vertebrate ear. Taking a comparative approach, chapters are devoted to each of the vertebrate groups, outlining the transition to land existence and the further parallel and independent adaptations of amniotic groups living in air. The volume explores in depth the specific properties of hair cells that allowed them to become sensitive to sound and capable of analyzing sounds into their respective frequency components. Evolution of the Vertebrate Auditory System is directed to a broad audience of biologists and clinicians, from the level of advanced undergraduate students to professionals interested in learning more about the evolution, structure, and function of the ear.

Most of the cranial sense organs of vertebrates arise from embryonic structures known as cranial placodes. Such placodes also give rise to sensory neurons that transmit information to the brain as well as to many neurosecretory cells. This book focuses on the development of sensory and neurosecretory cell types from cranial placodes by introducing the vertebrate head with its sense organs and neurosecretory organs and providing an overview of the various cranial placodes and their derivatives, including evidence of common embryonic primordia. Schlosser discusses how these primordia are established in the early embryo and how individual placodes develop. The latter chapters explain how various placodally derived sensory and neurosecretory cell types differentiate into discrete structures.

Vertebrate Pattern Formation, Volume 159 in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, highlights advances in the field, with this volume presenting interesting chapters on timely topics, including Hox genes patterning the vertebrate body, Endodermal patterning, The use of organoids/gastruloids to understand development, Cell shape and movements controlling development, Neural crest and placodes in vertebrate development, Patterning of the neural tube, Non-canonical Wnt signaling in axial extension, The control of transitions along the main body axis, Emergence of a left-right symmetric body plan in vertebrate embryos, Formation of the vascular system, Generation of patterns in the paraxial mesoderm, and more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series - Updated release includes the latest information on the Vertebrate Pattern Formation

Evolutionary Neuroscience is a collection of articles in brain evolution selected from the recent comprehensive reference, Evolution of Nervous Systems (Elsevier, Academic Press, 2007). The selected chapters cover a broad range of topics from historical theory to the most recent deductions from comparative studies of brains. The articles are organized in sections focused on theories and brain scaling, the evolution of brains from early vertebrates to present-day fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds, the evolution of mammalian brains, and the evolution of primate brains, including human brains. Each chapter is written by a leader or leaders in the field, and has been reviewed by other experts. Specific topics include brain character reconstruction, principles of brain scaling, basic features of vertebrate brains, the evolution of the major sensory systems, and other parts of brains, what we can learn from fossils, the origin of neocortex, and the evolution of specializations of human brains. The collection of articles will be interesting to anyone who is curious about how brains evolved from the simpler nervous systems of the first vertebrates into the many different complex forms now found in present-day vertebrates. This book would be of use to students at the graduate or undergraduate levels, as well as professional neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and psychologists. Together, the chapters provide a comprehensive list of further reading and references for those who want to inquire further. - The most comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date single volume collection on brain evolution - Full color throughout, with many illustrations - Written by leading scholars and experts

Originally published in 1976, the object of this volume was to present a relatively up-to-date overview of what was known, what was suspected, and what remained to be discovered concerning the general question of the evolution of the vertebrate brain and behaviour, and to present a list of references for those who wanted to delve deeper into one or another aspect of the problem. Accordingly, it contains chapters by palaeontologists, sensory morphologists and physiologists, comparative neurologists and comparative psychologists. The chapters are arranged in a sequence loosely approximating the order in which the various animals, brain structures, or behaviour first appeared. Therefore, the chapters fall naturally into sections, each section directed to a group of vertebrates, beginning with those which have very remote common ancestry and progressing to those with more recent common ancestry with mankind.

To develop a science of hearing that is intellectu The five-day conference was held at the Mote ally satisfying we must first integrate the diverse, Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, May - extensive body of comparative research into an 24, 1990. The invited participants came from the evolutionary context. The need for this integra fields of comparative anatomy, physiology, biophys tion, and a conceptual framework in which it could ics, animal behavior, psychophysics, evolutionary be structured, were demonstrated in landmark biology, ontogeny, and paleontology. Before the papers by van Bergeijk in 1967 and Wever in 1974. conference, preliminary manuscripts of the invited However, not since 1965, when the American papers were distributed to all participants. This facilitated - even encouraged - discussions through Society of Zoologists sponsored an evolutionary conference entitled ''The Vertebrate Ear;' has there out the conference which could be called, among other things, "lively. " The preview of papers, along been a group effort to assemble and organize our current knowledge on the evolutionary-as with the free exchange of information and opinion, opposed to comparative-biology of hearing. also helped improve the quality and consistency of In the quarter century since that conference the final manuscripts included in this volume. there have been major changes in evolutionary In addition to the invited papers, several studies concepts (e. g. , punctuated equilibrium), in sys were presented as posters during evening sessions.

Thanks to advances in genetics and genomics, research on inner ear development has flourished. Better approaches and experimental models have shed light on the function of a variety of vertebrate genes and their related proteins. This latest volume of Current Topics in Developmental Biology delves into this new research to show how the discovery of more genes involved in the development of the inner ear leads to the generation of new models that examine a wealth of issues -- from the origins of human deafness to the roles of genes during inner ear induction, development and differentiation. The wide variety of experimental approaches will help readers to understand the broad range of issues related to inner ear morphogenesis and other concepts from complementary areas of investigation. This state-of-the-art overview will be essential reading for researchers, clinicians and students alike.* Scores of high-quality, full- color figures* Detailed schemes on the structure and timing of ear development* Current Topics in Developmental Biology is the longest-running forum for contemporary issues in developmental biology

Unlike anything currently available in the market, Dr. Sally A. Moody and a team of world-renowned experts provide a groundbreaking view of developmental genetics that will influence scientific approaches in embryology, comparative biology, as well as the newly emerging fields of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Principles of Developmental Genetics highlights the intersection of developmental biology with new revolutionary genomic technologies, and details how these advances have accelerated our understanding of the molecular genetic processes that regulates development. This definitive resource provides researchers with the opportunity to gain important insights into the clinical applicability of emerging new technologies and animal model data. This book is a must-have for all researchers in genetics, developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and stem cell biology.• Includes new research not previously published in any other book on the molecular geneticprocesses that regulates development• Chapters present a broad understanding on the application of animal model systems, allowingresearchers to better treat clinical disorders and comprehend human development• Relates the application of new technologies to the manipulation of stem cells, causes ofhuman birth defects, and several human disease conditions• Each chapter includes a bulleted summary highlighting clinical aspects of animal models

A comparison of the genetic circuits of Homo sapiens and Drosophila reveals the evidence for deep homology.