Herpetology  (English, Paperback, Pough F. H.)

For upper-level undergraduate courses in herpetology, found in departments of Biology, Zoology, Natural Resources, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology.

Collaboration by the six authors-whose research specializations include autecology, synecology, systematics, evolution, morphology, physiology, and behavior-emphasizes the integration of information from different biological specialties to produce a comprehensive picture of amphibians and their important roles in modern ecosystems. This book presents the biology of amphibians and reptiles as the product of phylogenetic history and environmental influences acting in both ecological and evolutionary time.

Salient Features

• NEW - Chapter on biogeography.
• Illustrates the contributions that studies of amphibians and reptiles have made toward insights about ecology and evolution of extant species.
• NEW - Split treatment of reproduction and life history-A separate chapter for amphibians and another for reptiles.
• Allows for more detailed coverage, and emphasizes the major differences between the groups.
• NEW - New color photographs and species maps.
• Allows for a more clear impression of the appearance of the animals and enhances the presentation of phenomena such as coloration and mimicry.
• NEW - Expanded treatment of conservation and natural history.
• Explores the ever increasing toll habitat destruction, pollution, and disease has on the diversity of amphibians and reptiles.
• Cladograms for all the major groups-Diagrams showing evolutionary relationships.
• Consolidates evolutionary information and includes lists of the derived characters for each group.
• Functional perspective-Integrates information about ecology, behavior, anatomy, and physiology in an evolutionary perspective to describe how the animals work as organisms.
• Provides and integrated understanding of the topic rather than isolated and unrelated bits of information.

New to this Edition

• Chapter on biogeography.
• Illustrates the contributions that studies of amphibians and reptiles have made toward insights about ecology and evolution of extant species.
• Split treatment of reproduction and life history-A separate chapter for amphibians and another for reptiles.
• Allows for more detailed coverage, and emphasizes the major differences between the groups.
• New color photographs and species maps.
• Allows for a more clear impression of the appearance of the animals and enhances the presentation of phenomena such as coloration and mimicry.
• Expanded treatment of conservation and natural history.
• Explores the ever increasing toll habitat destruction, pollution, and disease has on the diversity of amphibians and reptiles.