Primate Hearing and Communication

Primate Hearing and Communication
Author: Rolf M. Quam
Publisher: Humana Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2017-09-04
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3319594788

Presents a comprehensive review of nonhuman primate audition and vocal communication. These are obviously intimately related topics, but are often addressed separately. The hearing abilities of primates have been tested experimentally in a large number of species across the primate order, and these studies have revealed both consistent patterns as well as interesting variation within and between taxonomic groups. Recent studies have shed light on how variation in anatomical structures along the auditory pathway relates to variation in auditory sensitivity. At the same time, ongoing studies of vocal communication in wild primate populations continue to reveal new insights into the social and environmental contexts of many primate calls, and the range of known primate vocalizations has increased dramatically with the development of more sophisticated and accessible auditory equipment and software that enables the recording and analysis of higher-fidelity and broader-band recordings, including documenting very high frequency (i.e. ultrasound) vocalizations. Historically the relative importance of primate calls has been evaluated qualitatively by the perception of the researcher, but new methods and approaches now enable a greater appreciation for how signals are used and perceived by the primates in question. The integration of anatomical and behavioral data on acoustic communication and the environmental correlates thereof has significant potential for reconstructing behavior in the fossil record. This confluence of factors and accumulating evidence for the sophistication and complexity in both the signal and its interpretation indicate that a book synthesizing this information across primates is warranted and represents an important contribution to the literature.

Evolution of the Primate Brain

Evolution of the Primate Brain
Author: Michel A. Hofman
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2012-03-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0444538607

This volume of Progress in Brain Research provides a synthetic source of information about state-of-the-art research that has important implications for the evolution of the brain and cognition in primates, including humans. This topic requires input from a variety of fields that are developing at an unprecedented pace: genetics, developmental neurobiology, comparative and functional neuroanatomy (at gross and microanatomical levels), quantitative neurobiology related to scaling factors that constrain brain organization and evolution, primate palaeontology (including paleoneurology), paleo-anthropology, comparative psychology, and behavioural evolutionary biology. Written by internationally-renowned scientists, this timely volume will be of wide interest to students, scholars, science journalists, and a variety of experts who are interested in keeping track of the discoveries that are rapidly emerging about the evolution of the brain and cognition. Written by internationally renowned scientists, this timely volume will be of wide interest to students, scholars, science journalists, and a variety of experts who are interested in keeping track of the discoveries that are rapidly emerging about the evolution of the brain and cognition

Leaping Ahead

Leaping Ahead
Author: Judith Masters
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2012-10-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461445108

Leaping Ahead: Advances in Prosimian Biology presents a summary of the state of prosimian biology as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. The book covers a wide range of topics, from assessments of diversity and evolutionary scenarios, through ecophysiology, cognition, behavioral and sensory ecology, to the conservation and survival prospects of this extraordinary and diverse group of mammals. The collection was inspired by an international conference in Ithala, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2007, where prosimian biologists gathered from Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The meeting reverberated with the passion prosimian researchers feel for their study subjects and with their deep concern for the future of prosimians in the face of ongoing habitat destruction and the burgeoning threat of bushmeat hunting. Chapters for this volume were contributed by researchers from across the globe; they attest to the diversity, vibrancy and rapid growth of prosimian biology, and to the intellectual advances that have revolutionized this field in recent years. Since its earliest beginnings, prosimian research and its resultant literature have had a strong francophone component, and researchers in many prosimian habitat countries are more comfortable reading and writing in French rather than English. French summaries of all chapters have been included. The volume is targeted at researchers, both those entering the field and established scientists, who have an interest in the biology of primates and small mammals. It is also aimed at conservation biologists seeking a deeper understanding of the faunas and conservation developments in Africa, Madagascar and Southeast Asia, and anyone who has an interest in discovering the true diversity of our order, the Primates.

Ten Pulses of Evolution

Ten Pulses of Evolution
Author: Michael A. Susko
Publisher: AllrOneofUs Publishing
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2020-05-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1393536506

This work offers a novel way to map evolutionary time from life's origin to the first humans. Rather than using a traditional, linear scale in which events bunch up toward the end, a logarithmic scale is employed that expands our resolution as we come to the present. Such a scale allows us to detect patterns that would otherwise be invisible and arrange evolutionary events in memorable fashion. The basic concept of logarithms is not complicated, as we will simply halve units as we move from the past to the present in order to highlight major evolutionary change. Thus, we find the start of life to be approximately four billion years ago, the nucleated cell at two billion years ago, complex multicellularity at one billion years ago, and so on. Remarkably, we find the major events of evolution, along with the certainty of supporting evidence, to be pulsed with logarithmic regularity. This chart also reveals that each Major Node represents change in three major arenas, making for significant leaps in consciousness, gains in mobility, and increased social connectivity. Come, take this evolutionary journey and discover the surprising pattern of logarithmic time, with changes that would seem to have no end.

Auditory Neuroscience

Auditory Neuroscience
Author: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 439
Release: 2001-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0309074223

Comparative Anatomy and Phylogeny of Primate Muscles and Human Evolution

Comparative Anatomy and Phylogeny of Primate Muscles and Human Evolution
Author: Rui Diogo
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 1034
Release: 2012-01-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 143988336X

This book challenges the assumption that morphological data are inherently unsuitable for phylogeny reconstruction, argues that both molecular and morphological phylogenies should play a major role in systematics, and provides the most comprehensive review of the comparative anatomy, homologies and evolution of the head, neck, pectoral and upper li

Evolution of The Brain and Intelligence

Evolution of The Brain and Intelligence
Author: Harry Jerison
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 497
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0323141080

Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence covers the general principles of behavior and brain function. The book is divided into four parts encompassing 17 chapters that emphasize the implications of the history of the brain for the evolution of behavior in vertebrates. The introductory chapter covers the studies of animal behavior and their implications about the nature of the animal's world. The following chapters emphasize methodological issues and the meanings of brain indices and brain size, as well as the general anatomy of the brain. Other chapters discuss the history of the brain in the major vertebrate groups that were known about 300 million years ago to determine the fate of these early vertebrate groups. Discussions on broad trends in evolution and their implications for the evolution of intelligence are also included. Substantive matter on the brains, bodies, and associated mechanisms of behavior of vertebrates are covered in the remaining chapters of the book, with an emphasis on evolution "above the species level. This book is of value to anthropologists, behavioral scientists, zoologists, paleontologists, and neurosciences students.