The Amphibian Visual System (eBook)

Front Cover 1
The Amphibian Visual System: A Multidisciplinary Approach 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 8
Dedication 6
List of Contributors 12
Preface 14
Chapter 1. Amphibians, Their Evolutionary History, Taxonomy, and Ecological Adaptations 16
PAST HISTORY OF THE AMPHIBIA 16
RELATIONSHIPS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF LIVING AMPHIBIANS 20
ANURAN ADAPTATION 26
REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES 32
REGIONAL ADAPTATION 36
A LOOK AHEAD 39
Captions for Color Plate 43
Chapter 2. Anatomy and Physiology of the Frog Retina 46
INTRODUCTION 46
ANATOMY 47
VISUAL PIGMENTS 56
BASIC ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY 59
FUNCTIONAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY 65
CONCLUSION 103
Chapter 3. Central Visual Pathways In The Frog 104
INTRODUCTION 104
OPTIC NERVE 107
CENTRAL VISUAL PATHWAYS 109
CONCLUSION 135
Chapter 4. Spatial Vision in Anurans 136
INTRODUCTION 136
PROBLEMS IN STUDYING SPATIAL VISION 137
LOCALIZATION OF PREY OBJECTS 139
DEPTH ESTIMATION 141
SELECTION AMONG TWO PREY STIMULI 143
DIRECTIONALITY OF AVOIDANCE BEHAVIORS 145
ORIENTATION AND SHAPE IN DISCRIMINATION OF BARRIERS 149
STEPPING ONTO SURFACES 150
ORIENTATION TO THE BANK OF PONDS 151
DIFFERENTIATION OF LOCALIZING BEHAVIORS AND THEIR ANATOMIC BASIS 152
RETINOTOPIC SPECIFICITY IN LOCALIZING BEHAVIORS 154
FROG VISION IN PHYLOGENETIC PERSPECTIVE 155
CONCLUDING REMARKS 157
Chapter 5. The Visual System of the Toad: Behavioral and Physiological Studies on a Pattern Recognition System 158
INTRODUCTION 159
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE KEY STIMULI "PREY" AND "ENEMY" 160
PREY CATCHING AND AVOIDANCE "ZONES" IN THE BRAIN 175
NEURAL CODING OF BEHAVIORALLY RELEVANT FORM FEATURES ALONG THE VISUAL PATHWAY 183
HYPOTHESIS: THE FIRST BASIC STEPS IN PREY-ENEMY RECOGNITION 201
COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF THE HYPOTHETICAL PREY-ENEMY PATTERN RECOGNITION SYSTEM BY MEANS OF MODEL NERVE NETS 203
GENERAL DISCUSSION 215
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 219
Chapter 6. The Urodele Visual System 220
COMMONLY STUDIED FAMILIES 220
VISUALLY GUIDED BEHAVIOR 223
SPATIAL ORIENTATION 225
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE VISUAL SYSTEM 237
URODELES AND COMPARATIVE NEUROBIOLOGY OF THE VISUAL SYSTEM 278
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 283
Chapter 7. The Amphibian Visual System as a Model for Developmental Neurobiology 284
INTRODUCTION 284
GENERAL CONCEPTS: INDUCTION, DETERMINATION, AND DIFFERENTIATION REGULATION, FIELDS, AND POSITIONAL INFORMATION
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EYE 291
THE FORMATION OF SYNAPTIC CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE EYE AND BRAIN 294
AXIAL POLARIZATION OF THE RETINA 312
THE ACQUISITION OF TECTAL POLARITY 315
THE CELL CYCLE AND DIFFERENTIATION 316
CELL COUPLING 318
THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE CHEMOAFFINITY THEORY 319
ENDOCRINE INFLUENCES IN NEUROGENESIS 323
TROPHIC INFLUENCES 325
CELL DEATH 328
THE ROLE OF FUNCTION IN NEUROGENESIS 329
SUMMARY 331
Chapter 8. Standards for Laboratory Amphibians 334
INTRODUCTION 334
THE BIOLOGICAL STANDARD 335
THE SUPPLY OF AMPHIBIANS 337
SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS 338
KEY TO ADULT MALES IN THE Rana pipiens COMPLEX FROM THE UNITED STATES (from Pace, 1974) 339
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 343
Bibliography 344
Subject Index 384