ISBN: 978-81-7319-515-0 
Publication Year:   2004
Pages:   392
Binding:   Hard Back

Fish comprise more than 50% of all living vertebrates and are found in a wide range of highly diverse habitats like the deep sea, the shoreline, tide pools, tropical streams and sweetwater ponds. During evolution, the senses of Fish have adapted to the physical conditions of the environment in which different species live. As a result, the senses of Fish exhibit a remarkable diversity that allow different species to deal with the physical constraints imposed by their habitat. In addition, Fish have evolved several ‘new’ sensory system that are unique to the aquatic environment. In this book, examples of adaptation and refinement are given for six sensory systems: · The visual system · The auditory system · The mechanosensory lateral line system · The olfactory system · The electrosensory system · The magnetosensory system In each case, the environmental conditions under which a particular group of Fish lives are analyzed. This is followed by a description of morphology and physiology of the sensory system and by an evaluation of its perceptional capabilities. Finally, the sensory adaptations to the particular conditions that prevail in the habitat of a species are highlighted. The various examples from different groups of Fish presented in this book demonstrate the impressive capability of fish sensory systems to effectively overcome physical problems imposed by the environment.

Preface / Foreword / A Fish’s Eye View of Habitat Change- B. Evans / The Photoreceptors and Visual Pigments of Sharks and Sturgeons-A.J. Sillman et al. / Taste and Olfactory Stimuli and Behavior in Fish-T. Valentincic / Chemosensory Systems in Fish: Structural, Functional, and Ecological Aspects-A. Hansen et al. / Olfactory Imprinting in Salmon: New Models and Approaches-G. Nevitt et al. / Sensory brain areas in Deep Sea Slickheads, Eels and Grendaiers Comparison of Mesopelagic and Demersal Species-Hans-Joachim Wagner / Neural Mechanisms of Hearing in Fish-Z. Lu / Neuroethology and Sensory Ecology of Teleost Ultrasound Detection-D. Higgs / Sound Production and Acoustic Communication-F. Ladich / Hearing in Fish-Y. H. Young / Lateral line Sensory Ecology-J. Janssen / Neurobiology of the Fish Lateral Line: Adaptations for the Detection of Hydrodynamic Stimuli in Running Water-J. Mogdans et al. / Adaptation of the Rostral Ampullary Electrosense for Plankton Feeding by the Paddlefish-L. Wilkens / Passive Electroreception in Skates-T. Tricas et al. / Weakly Electric Fish-K. Keller / The Lure of Field Research on Electric Fish-M. Hagedorn