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Some fishes test their environment by generating electric fields outside their bodies (man's first contact with electricity). To send and receive electric signals, one's own or those from a neighbor, is the basis of some bony fishes' unusual sensory capacities that enable them to lead a secret, nocturnal life. This volume provides the reader with a detailed account of these fishes' biology and behavior and their sophisticated sensory capacities. The phylogenetic relationships of the fish taxa involved are discussed as well as the physiology and anatomy of the electrosensory-motor-system and the integration to form an efficient intelligence system. The main emphasis is on the descriptive and experimental analysis of electric communication behavior in a variety of species, including studies of digital signal synthesis. Whenever possible, mechanisms of communication are indicated.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Taxonomy of Electroreceptive Teleosts.- 1.1 Osteoglossiformes.- 1.2 Mormyriformes.- 1.3 Gymnotiformes.- 1.4 Siluriformes.- 2. Electric Sensori-Motor System.- 2.1 Electroreception in Evolutionary Perspective.- 2.2 Electric Organs.- 2.3 The Electric System in the Aquatic Environment.- 3. Species Diversity of Electric Organ Discharge Activity.- 3.1 Waveforms of Electric Organ Discharges.- 3.2 Patterns of Spontaneous Discharge Rates.- 3.3 Responses to Disturbances (or Food Stimuli).- 4. Communicating with Electric Organ Discharges.- 4.1 Electrical and Motor Displays of Communicating Fish.- 4.2 Experimental Manipulation of the Electrocommunication System.- Conclusion.- References.- Systematic Index.
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Bernd Kramer, Jahrgang 1984, studierte Volkswirtschaftslehre, Soziologie und Politik an der Universität Köln und war Absolvent der Kölner Journalistenschule. Er schreibt als Journalist unter anderem für die taz, Spiegel online, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Neon und die ZEIT und arbeitete undercover bei einer Astro-Hotline und auf Esoterik-Messen.
